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?

[Glenn258]

I tried to post a response and an error occurred. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Glenn258  it happens if you are not logged-in or maybe if your text was too long

[Glenn258]

Great pointers. I see things that AirBnb are doing that VR should be doing and I see things VR is doing that AirBnb should be.

They seem to not like the full name. The other site has 2 more letters.

[Anonymous]

@Glenn258 Those errors are the result of really buggy software - they have nothing to do with the content of your post. The only things that are auto-censored are the words that were deemed profanity in a meeting I'd love to have been a fly on the wall for - those are replaced with:  **bleep**

If you want to be sure your post doesn't get sucked into the memory hole before clicking Reply, be sure to copy it in full first, then refresh the screen if the error recurs and try again.

[Lucia484]

I second that motion. These are all great suggestions and I have struggled with some of them as well. 

[Lucia484]

I also think guests should have to get at least 5 stars before they can freely book themselves... instant book. Because, I had a guest that had 1 , 5 star rating so she was able to instant book. She was not 5 star quality. Why do they not have to prove their worth, but we do? 

[Michelle2586]

So what platforms are you using if not Airbnb?

[Debra300]

@Michelle2586,

I use Booking, Expedia, Vrbo, my own web site and a Facebook page (a very popular method of connection with locals).

[Elaine701]

@Debra300 

At the risk of going way off topic, We listed on VRBO about 6 mos. ago. And naturally, until now haven't had a single enquiry. But suddenly, we've just received a booking, and I'm rather surprised at all of the hidden charges they deduct. So  I've had to raise the prices to cover those costs. 

Since you're on VRBO, perhaps you can explain something that nobody at VRBO has been able to explain. What is the 70€ "payment processing" charge? Is that what they're charging to do the bank transfer? It's rather ridiculous IMO. 

If their bank is in the US, then that might explain the ridiculous charges for doing bank transfers "abroad". US banks tend to be rather backward and inefficient when it comes to global transactions. Airbnb payments come from Luxembourg, I believe, so that would explain why they don't charge anything for payment. 

Anyway, I've had no luck getting any answers from VRBO. About anything, really. They just seem to ignore everything. Is that your experience too? So far, I'm unimpressed. 

[Ann72]

@Elaine701  I'm 100% with you.  I list on VRBO and have had a handful of bookings in a few years.  This week one of my VRBO guests needed to shorten his stay.  I accepted the new dates, but it was absolutely impossible to change the pricing.  Impossible.  Nothing in any dropdown menu, nothing anywhere.  All the help articles referred to outdated page designs.  I even backed off from the beta and reverted to the old site and still found no way to adjust the pricing.  Customer service was 100% unresponsive.  I finally asked the guest to cancel and rebook.  But the VRBO calendar blocked a day incorrectly from my Airbnb calendar.  I asked the guest to try Airbnb.  He said he didn't want to because he found Airbnb's fees to be higher.  We finally got the calendar clear and he re-booked and all was well.  But he paid more on VRBO.  ($1,310 vs. $1,246 on Airbnb.)  VRBO's dynamic pricing drives my prices much higher than Airbnb's Smart Pricing.  And although I am in the US and so is the guest, I'm also subject to the "payment processing fee."

In addition, most of the inquiries I've gotten on VRBO have been scams.  And while I am very comfortable with technology, I just never quite seem able to wrap my arms around the VRBO interface.  It's not nearly as intuitive and user-friendly as Airbnb's.

[Elaine701]

@Ann72 

Well, we're way off topic now, but to put things in perspective, to date, I have never received any reply to anything I've ever written to VRBO. Ever. And this latest set of hidden charges really ticks me off. It's pure profiteering. 70€ charge for paying me? And apparently, I'm also paying for the guest's booking insurance. That's just not right. 

So, as much as there is to complain about Airbnb (and there's plenty), at least they don't charge me for getting paid, AND I always get a reply from Airbnb. It's suspiciously always similar, "Thank you for being a superhost, I'm sorry to hear about your issues... " blah blah, which makes me question whether there's actually a human at the other end. But at least I get a reply.

By the way, the VRBO booking I'm referring to, paid at least 25% less than they would have if they'd booked on Airbnb. We'll receive about 35% less. But I've changed that now. Our prices on VRBO are now about 30% higher than on Airbnb, only because of their numerous additional charges, which I unfortunately have to pass on to the guest. 

On the more hopeful side, we've just signed up with a small German booking platform, which caters specifically to affluent German clientele, seeking exactly what we have to offer, specialising only in Mallorca (Mallorca is dominated by German tourism). It's rather boutique and a bit classier than the majors, but they're very "hands on" and personal, and so far the experience with them has been illuminating. Although we're not finished setting up the listing yet.

Historically, we've had excellent experiences with German guests. They tend to be obsessively clean and rules oriented, with rather pleasant, friendly character. And appreciative of special touches. And not afraid to spend money. Although the listings this platform exhibits tend to be in a bit different league than we're accustomed to, so the competition is a bit intimidating. But they contacted us, so it's not as if we're begging 😉 

Anyway, we're hoping we can spark a little flame with that boutique platform, and hopefully elevate back to the quality of guest we used to get from Airbnb. If they keep me booked, I won't need Airbnb (or VRBO) anymore. And that would be a relief. We shall see. 

[Debra300]

@Elaine701,

Like you, I've yet to receive a booking on Vrbo.  I am US based, and have listings in St. Lucia and the US. My payments will be sent directly to my US bank account.  Vrbo's fees are more expensive than Airbnb's for hosts who still have the 3% split fee option.  For me, Vrbo charges 3% payment processing and 5% commission per booking, 8%.  They also charge guests a service fee, and the amount for damage insurance is added to the guest's total reservation cost.

I have had bookings through Vrbo's parent company, Expedia, and they also charge 5% to collect payment on behalf of the host (on top of the 15% commission).  They issue payment on an virtual cards, and the host has to process it like a credit card to get the money.  Depending upon your credit card processor, the fee can be up to 5%.  To avoid the 5% payment collection fee, hosts my choose to process the guest's payment themselves.  Or, to save on the credit card processing fees hosts can choose to invoice Expedia, and receive payment by direct bank deposit 30 days later with no bank transfer fees.  I tried all three methods, and think I settled on the invoice method, because I didn't get a lot of bookings through Expedia I'd wait until after a few reservations occurred, and then submit an invoice every few months.

I believe that Booking offers similar payment processing options and charges similar fees as Expedia.  Since Payments by Booking isn't available for St. Lucia listings, I process payments myself.

Last week, Airbnb changed my account to simplified pricing, and I will be charged 15% for new bookings.  I've increased my rates to cover this additional cost, and now it mirrors what I charge on Booking and Expedia.  I charge about 5% less on Vrbo than Airbnb, because guests still have to pay a service fee.  I am curious to see if this pricing model will make Airbnb more attractive to guests. 

I am more prone to pick up the phone to speak with someone instead of just sending in a message.  I've always been able to speak with someone at Vrbo, but not necessarily get all matters resolved.  I will say that the Vrbo reps seem to be more aware of the platform's features and company policies compared to Airbnb reps.

[Elaine701]

I'm no fan of Airbnb. And I would NEVER list on booking.com. You have to take whatever they give you. I just can't accept that. 

However, this "payment processing fee", from European perspective, is inconceivable. We just don't have that here. For example, we have German and Spanish bank accounts. We routinely send money between them. It's not free, but it's only pennies, and a flat rate, not a percentage. And the funds are there within hours. It's all automated. 

We can also send funds to US banks. Online. For pennies. And they post in the target account within hours. The reverse, however, is very different. Many US banks don't have any online facility to transfer funds internationally. You have to visit a branch, fill out forms, and the transfer can take weeks. And it can cost a small fortune. I know. My husband worked in the US for a few years 

Anyway, I thought maybe this was the reason why VRBO charges such a ridiculous amount for transferring funds. It's simply inconceivable to me. 

Airbnb has an account in a European bank, so it's all automated, fast, efficient and nearly cost free to them, and that might explain the difference. 

[Misty66]

After a situation we had recently where the case manager clearly broke their own policies then tried to blame us for it, we cannot recommend Airbnb for new hosts either.