Host Advisory Board - Top 3 Suggestions

[Mike-And-Jane0]

As The host advisory board members appear to have been instructed to engage with the official Airbnb Community Centre perhaps we could suggest the top 3 concerns for them to take forward to Airbnb. Not an ideal method but it may encourage them/Airbnb to actually do something more efficient to canvass hosts.

My top 3 are:

Reviews - Allow hosts to remove the star rating of 1 review per year. Comments would stay.

Cancellation policy - Apply the hosts cancellation policy EXCEPT where it is inconsistent with the law in the host's country.

Payment - Take responsibility (ie pay) if a guest is introduced to a host but their payment method falls over at a later date.

[Mary996]

Welcome @Mike-And-Jane0 

There were some other contributors on another thread. May I copy them over?

[Mary996]

@Inna22   said:

My biggest problem is CS and us not being aware of known bugs that effect our accounts. I am currently bleeding hundreds on a tech bug of my host fee being set at 15%.

@Fred13   said:

The big issues are:

1. The 'Cancellation Game' on their part.

2. The Host Guarantee total mess.

3. The low quality of CS personnel who nowadays come across as a human 'answering service' no better than an auto machine.

[Mary996]

@Bez8    said:

1 - Retaliatory reviews - We need to put more emphasis on established and experienced users on the platform. This could come into play in many ways. But I would like to see superhosts being able to remove one review per year.. In general I'd like more flexibility and rewards for experienced and proven users (hosts and guests). 

2 - Better customer support and training for hosts in tough situations (kicking out guests due to house violation, parties and others)

3 - More actively protecting hosts against proven guest offenders. If proof is documented and provided to airbnb, then a more urgent reaction to protect the host community. 

4 - I'm also an advocate for both host and guest education. Providing hosts with marketing material for their listing. A more dynamic and valuable superhost reward system. 

[Mary996]

@Emilia42    said:

1.) Ability to add a pet fee. Just like the extra person fee which is added to a specific reservation during the booking process. Many hosts are willing to accept pets but want to charge extra for them since they likely do require more work or wear in tare. 

2.) A real-life/actual security deposit. An authorization to the guest's credit card (just like a hotel.)

@Colleen253    said:

 Give hosts a real damage deposit with some control over it, provide us with the information we need on the absolute strangers we are letting into our properties, such as REAL names, and addresses etc.

Cease allowing bad guests and bad CS to run roughshod over experienced hosts with proven track records. Pay hosts what is owed to them, on time, every time.

Honor a host’s decision to uphold their cancellation policy and not refund a guest, instead of making them fret and worry that the guest will be refunded anyway, at the whim of a CS rep 6 months to a year later. 

[Mary996]

@Clare167   said: How about: ascertain, and provide to the host, the (real) name and address of the guest.

@Emilia42    said:  I would like to see longstanding hosts with perfect track records not be put in Airbnb Jail because some first-time user reports them out of retaliation. 

 - Guests should not be able to rate a host on cleanliness, location, value, or location when they never set foot on the property. The same goes for hosts. Hosts should not be able to rate guests on cleanliness or observation of house rules when they never actually hosted the guest.

 - Also, where is the adding a Pet Fee capabilities?

[Mary996]

@Inna22   said:    I would like to see longstanding hosts with perfect track records not be put in Airbnb Jail because some first-time user reports them out of retaliation. 

 - There should be an easily searchable database of known tech issues. Most of the time reps do not even know themselves that something is a known issue and I find out from here... after wasting hours trying to fix whatever that is and after calling to find out what is going on.

@John5097      said:  ABB could offer superhost who accommodate 20 first time guest to the platform per year get a cash reward, say $200. They already have a cash bonus for adding additional host, but for listings that are attracting a lot of first time guest, who sign up for ABB specificaly to make a reservation at a particular listing, the host should receive a bonus. 

[Mary996]

@Lawrene0    said:   A financial incentive might encourage hosts, who otherwise should have firmer barriers up, to approve iffy newbies. Anyway, I wouldn't say no to it. Iffy newbies have to start somewhere... Just concerned a bit. A reward system for that would need careful thought.

I wouldn't want it to take the place of something in the top 3 that would be of more benefit to all.

I like @Inna22 's searchable database of known tech issues. A more precise search in Help would be great, too. 

I have not experienced a delayed payment, but reading of it makes me want that fixed. 

Same with @Emilia42 's "Airbnb Jail" suggestion. Needs fixing.

Fixing things before launching anything new, I guess, is my vote. 

@John5097     said:     Focus on trying to create more security and reward for experienced and trustworthy host. 

[Mary996]

@Mike-And-Jane0  said:

1) Don't assume a super host (or someone with many successful stays)  is guilty of an infringement and suspend their listing as happens today but rather take the innocent until proven guilty approach

2) Reviews - Allow hosts to remove the star rating of 1 review per year. Comments would stay.

3) Cancellation policy - Apply the hosts cancellation policy EXCEPT where it is inconsistent with the law in the host's country.

and I would then add, on the technical side

1) Don't upgrade (degrade) the platform without informing customers of the changes being made

2) Have a menu based Customer Service system whereby agents are properly trained in specific areas

3) ??

Earlier...

1/Give Hosts the option to remove one outlier review a year.

2/Apply the Host's Cancellation Policy (unless contradicted by local laws)

3/Ensure any loss is absorbed by Airbnb if the agency fails to collect guest fees... so Hosts are unaffected.

[Connor60]

Hi there!  I know I am late to the party, but here is my input.

1) any time there is an sort of issue regarding resolution center, both parties should not be able to review.  My worst reviews have come from holding guests accountable for breaking items, theft and far exceeding capacity limitations.

2) consistency by CS reps.  It seems as though your outcome to an issue is entirely up to the whim of who you receive as a CS rep.  AND the reps do not apply airbnb's policies and procedures.  The inconsistency is astounding.  There needs to be a better way...

3) Host Guarantee regarding animals.  The T&Cs exclude coverage for animals.  When guests bring along their pet pooch who then eats through the drywall, pools and pees on the hardwood floors (without being cleaned up after) and tears apart the carpet, hosts are often told pet damage is not covered:

“Excluded Property” means any of the following ........

Animals, including, but not limited to, livestock and pets.

This is exactly what the host guarantee SHOULD cover.  If you do not accept animals, and a guest sneaks one in, why should the damages be left for the host to deal with?  Frankly, even if a listing is pet-friendly, that is not a license for guests to allow their animals to destroy the property.  

[Connor60]

Oh, I just remembered one more worrisome issue:

I have heard from more than a few hosts that their listing(s) have been shut down, immediately, with no communication whatsoever as to why.  This has happened to superhosts who have hosted 1,000+ stays, and they do not receive ANY information about why the listing has been shut down.  

I think from time to time this happens because some first time guest sees a smoke detector in the bedroom and reports it as a camera.  Or because there was some sort of conflict with a guest, who then makes up something about being physically threatened, called a racist term or something else.

I always have in the back of my mind that at any time, airbnb could just shut me down for no reason, with no explanation.  😞