Airbnb needs hosts-- how about making some changes first?

[Laura2592]

I keep seeing this on my phone:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/16/airbnb-ceo-says-company-is-going-to-need-millions-more-hosts-to-meet...

I can honestly say I would not recommend that others home host on this platform. When people ask or think about becoming a host because they know I am one, I steer them to other places. Airbnb, if you need more hosts, here is what I suggest. Some of these are EASY fixes and would do wonders to attract others to  your community.

1. Include a button on reservations where individuals can list pets staying with the ability to charge a pet fee. If the person booking has pets and the host does not allow pets, a pop up should appear asking the guest to look for another accommodation.

2. Include a space for guests to fill in the names and info of everyone who is coming OR require that all guests be registered with Airbnb.

3. Publish rules for being a great guest. Include things like not bringing extra people, not overstaying their reservation, etc. Include these with EVERY BOOKING MESSAGE.

4. Allow hosts to truly collect a security deposit. As in, put funds on hold until after a reservation is done just like hotels take a credit card number for incidentals.

5. Publish protocols for a mismatch reservation-- this is the situation where the guest shows up with extra people or pets or in some way is just not a fit for the host based on posted rules (and vice versa).  So often I see people saying "well they arrived with 10 people and the reservation was for 2 and I couldn't get ABB on the phone so I let them in." This is SUCH an awkward but sadly common occurrence, it would not be difficult to come up with some protocol for handling it that made sense. 

6. Give superhosts 3 cancellations a year without penalty. 

7. Rethink ratings. They are absurd and pretty much meaningless. When guests are parsing a 4.98 vs a 4.91 or a 4.8 to determine which is the best place to say you know your system is broken and measuring nothing. 

8. Redefine your "infant" category. If a host is childfree, again, a pop-up should be enabled so that a guest who wants to book with an infant has to look elsewhere. 

What else can you think of?

[Suzanne302]

It's very simple for me. I would say simply stop trying to be everything to everyone.

[Liv]

Hey @Suzanne302,

Thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback.

Would you please be able to elaborate on that? Just want to make sure that everyone's suggestions can be taken into account 🙂

[Suzanne302]

Hi @Liv ! Happy to try and elaborate.

First it was the average person renting out a couch/room/home. Then (in no particular order because I can’t remember) professional property managers with huge rental portfolios started listing, then Airbnb Plus, then Airbnb Luxe, then Airbnb Experiences, then hotels listing on Airbnb, and a multitude of other experiments that have come and gone, quickly, I might add. From a host and guest perspective there seems to be no real focus on any one core product. I’m not saying a company shouldn’t expand and explore new products/services, but Airbnb has been all over the place, metaphorically.

These days I hate to use a gun analogy, but Airbnb appears to use the shotgun approach…Let’s fire a shotgun into the air and see if a duck happens to fly by and then we might hit it! Instead, maybe take careful aim at one or two core products and do it well. Decide WHO your target audience is and super serve them instead of throwing up a multitude of things and trying to catch everyone in one net.

Airbnb is not simply a booking platform. But it's not a turn key service either. It's trying to be both and that isn't working. It puts tight controls on what hosts can and can’t do. And because hosts don’t have more control, they are forced to defer to Airbnb for even the smallest things. Airbnb doesn’t have the staff to handle all the needs of the hosts and there is definitely a breakdown somewhere in customer service training. If they allowed hosts more control, there would be less need for customer service reps and presumably, the service would improve.

[Sarah977]

@Liv   Building a bit on what Suzanne has said re trying to all things to all users, I really don't understand the mentality of whoever chooses the photos on the main Airbnb page.

There have been so many posts here lately on the changing demographic of Airbnb guests- tons of new to Airbnb guests who don't seem to understand the concept of renting someone's private home, or a room therein. Entitlement and disrespect abound. 

Yet Airbnb seems to go out of their way to promote these attitudes. Hosts have been talking for years now about how there is no option to add a pet fee when guests book. That pet damage isn't covered. That hosts are forced to accept what guests claim is a service animal or ESA and is quite obviously not, it's just an ill-behaved pet.

And Airbnb thinks a photo of a dog on the bed perched atop a white duvet is good messaging? "Hey guests, bring your dog along and because everything your dog does is perfect and cute, it isn't the least bit necessary to respect the host's furnishings or home."

That is the message this photo promotes.

And what's with the "Experiences" photo? An outdoor table set up for what looks like a human luncheon, with a sheep with its mouth on a plate of food. Is this supposed to be cute?  Would you fancy sheep saliva in your food? What is the purpose of that photo?

And that main cover photo? It looks like the young couple is having an argument. It certainly doesn't picture people having a nice, relaxing time. There isn't even any furniture on that wrap around porch where guests could sit outside.

Whoever chooses these photos should be replaced with someone who pays some attention to more than finding an image that personally appeals to them. And get that dog off the white duvet!

[Mike-And-Helen0]

Amen

 

[Elaine701]

@Sarah977 

The people who implement Airbnb's image and branding are marketing professionals, and not likely have or ever will be an Airbnb host.

Perception vs. Reality. It's how products (and politics) are sold. 

[Sarah977]

@Liv   Building a bit on what Suzanne has said re trying to be all things to all users, I really don't understand the mentality of whoever chooses the photos on the main Airbnb page.

There have been so many posts here lately on the changing demographic of Airbnb guests- tons of new to Airbnb guests who don't seem to understand the concept of renting someone's private home, or a room therein. Entitlement and disrespect abound. 

Yet Airbnb seems to go out of their way to promote these attitudes. Hosts have been talking for years now about how there is no option to add a pet fee when guests book. That pet damage isn't covered. That hosts are forced to accept what guests claim is a service animal or ESA and is quite obviously not, it's just an ill-behaved pet.

And Airbnb thinks a photo of a dog on the bed perched atop a white duvet is good messaging? "Hey guests, bring your dog along and because everything your dog does is perfect and cute, it isn't the least bit necessary to respect the host's furnishings or home."

That is the message this photo promotes.

And what's with the "Experiences" photo? An outdoor table set up for what looks like a human luncheon, with a sheep with its mouth on a plate of food. Is this supposed to be cute?  Would you fancy sheep saliva in your food? What is the intent of that photo?

And that main cover photo? It looks like the young couple is having an argument. It certainly doesn't picture people having a nice, relaxing time. There isn't even any furniture on that wrap around porch where guests could sit outside.

Whoever chooses these photos should be replaced with someone who pays some attention to more than finding an image that personally appeals to them. Think about what the photo says to people. Show images that promote respect, not entitlement. And get that dog off the white duvet!

[Elaine701]

Airbnb recently started the "ambassador" programme... The one that was nominating top hosts to assist other hosts... But turned out to be nothing more than a recruitment drive. High pressure to sign x-number of hosts within x-days. And the "reward" Was the possibility of getting as much as 100€ once the recruited host became successful. 

We were in the programme, but when I found out it was simply a high pressure sales drive, I "resigned".

Does anyone know if that's still running, or has that one gone off too? 

[Max144]

Hi Elaine, i to joined the ambassador programme and realized it was a high pressure sales drive with very little reward for finding and mentoring new hosts, its still going even though i haven't found any new Hosts. 

[Suzanne302]

@Elaine701OMG that is terrible! Talk about a bait and switch.... And this quote comes to mind, attributed to Henry Ford but I can't confirm: "A business that makes nothing but money, is a poor business."

[Cave0]

I would like Airbnb to refrain from blocking my calendar when, for some reason never to be disclosed, there's some problem with the guest verification and I get the message

"We’re working to resolve a few details about this request in the next 1 hour. These dates will be held for this guest until then."

It's happened again today, and we're now 23 hours into the request.  Last time it happened, it went on for days and was only resolved when I told the guest to book through another platform.

The arrogance of Airbnb is breathtaking.  How Airbnb thinks that it can be considered acceptable to prevent me from making sales by blocking my calendar when Airbnb ought have made sure everything was in place before allowing a prospective guest to make a request defies all logic.

[Barry-and-Lera0]

@Laura2592This aspect is already part of the reservation process.

"2. Include a space for guests to fill in the names and info of everyone who is coming OR require that all guests be registered with Airbnb."

I just booked a trip for California for four guests and there was an area to add the names of the other guests.

[Michelle1851]

@Barry-and-Lera0 From my experience the names of guest only works if you have an email for your guests and this is for the sharing the the reservation with the other guests, not for the host benefit.  If you put a child or someone without an email, I have not had it work.  I could be wrong, or maybe I'm doing something incorrect.

[Barry-and-Lera0]

Yes you are right. When I booked it I did fill in their information as I thought it was for the host. At least it looked like it was.

[Christine615]

@Barry-and-Lera0 

Ditto - Make an obvious space for the booking party to ADD the names of guests that are coming. And if from more than one household, the appropriate contact information for emergencies.