Key takeaways from CEO Brian Chesky’s message to our hosts

[Airbnb]

Over the past three weeks, we've held more than 50 online listening sessions with hosts from around the world, tracking every suggestion to learn where you’re hurting the most and how Airbnb can support you. 

Speaking from his home in San Francisco on Monday, CEO Brian Chesky announced three key initiatives and programs aimed specifically at helping our hosts:

1. We’re investing $250 million USD to share in the cost of COVID-19 cancellations.

We’re providing updated coverage under our extenuating circumstances policy for accommodation reservations booked on or before March 14 and with a check-in between March 14 and May 31, 2020. If a guest cancels an eligible reservation in this window, we’ll pay you 25% of what you would normally receive through your cancellation policy. For example, if you would’ve received $400 USD for a normal cancellation, we'll pay you 25% of that—or $100 USD. This cost will be covered entirely by Airbnb, with no impact to the guest. We view this as an investment in our future together.

Reservations booked after March 14 will not qualify for the COVID-19-related extenuating circumstances cancellations. Learn more at Airbnb.com/250MSupport.

2. We’re creating a $10 million USD relief fund for Superhosts and Airbnb Experiences hosts.

We know some of you are facing serious financial hardships, and we want to help. This fund will offer grants to Superhosts and Experiences hosts who need money to stay in the homes they live in. 

Our employees started the fund by raising the first $1 million USD, and our founders contributed the additional $9 million USD. Learn more about who is eligible at Airbnb.com/superhostrelief.

3. We’re making it easy for your previous guests to add contributions that go to you directly.

Just a few weeks ago, our global community was bringing more than 2 million people together every day. Collectively, you've made many millions of people feel at home. And thousands of them have told us how grateful they are for your flexibility—so we’re making it easy for them to help. We'll reach out to guests who’ve stayed with you recently and left 5-star reviews to ask if they want to send a note and a contribution in connection with a previous reservation. You will receive 100% of any guest contributions. 

This is just a start

We know many of you want—or need—to host right now, whether on the front lines or for people who live nearby. To help further support you, we’re also working on the following:

• Insurance options for you and your guests
• Programs to drive demand during the recovery period
• Airbnb housing for COVID-19 responders
• Cleaning guidelines and protocols informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 We will get through this together

Airbnb and our community are facing this challenging time together. We’ll continue working day and night toward solutions, and we’ll communicate regularly and transparently on the steps we’re taking to help you. We’re adapting in real time to the changing situation, but what doesn’t change is that when travel returns, your homes are the places where people want to stay.

At the core of our business is what is core to the human experience—that fundamental desire to connect and explore. It will take time to bounce back, but we will bounce back together. As always, thank you for being part of the Airbnb community, and thank you for all that you do to help us create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. 

[Michael293]

@Jude7  I'd try to contact the guest, explain the situation and ask them to cancel

[Jude7]

Thank you,  @Michael293 and @Huma0.  It took some persistence on my part, and forwarding the governor's mandates about unnecessary travel, before the customer service rep cancelled my reservation on their end with no penalty to myself or my guest.  If that hadn't occurred, and I was unable to reason with my guest, I would have cancelled and taken the penalties, since the safety of my family is my priority.  I was glad it didn't have to come to that.

Lesson to others - know the rules, know where you stand, and be persistent if you know you're right.  I also might add to stay kind and appreciative.  I can only image the load these reps are carrying right now, and the amount of frustration they're dealing with.  I believe it was my persistence, in addition to maintaining a tone of kindness, that ended up resolving this situation in my favor.  And actually - in favor of the guest as well, as this is not the time for leisure travel.

Thank you, Michael and Huma, for responding.  Wishing you all the best during these times. 

[Sarah977]

@Jude7  I have mentioned this several times in the past, and I'm glad you are saying it as well- the best way to get a decent response from CS is to clearly state the issue, remain firm, be patient, and stay polite and appreciative. Far too many hosts and guests take their frustrations out on the CS reps. It's important to keep in mind that they don't create policy, that it's not their fault if their supervisors don't give them adequate training, and that they have a job that few of us would want. I can't imagine having to be on the front line, getting yelled at by angry, frustrated people all day about situations I had no part in creating. 

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

Yes, of course, you are absolutely right. I didn't actually use the wording in my responses to the reps as stated above (that was more what I was thinking). Rather, I've explained it over and over politely, but firmly.

I only lost my temper with one of the numerous reps I've been dealing with over the last few weeks and that was because she made a monumental error and when I asked why, she lied and tried to blame the guest. She then lied to the guest and tried to blame me! I was getting really fed up of her destroying the very friendly and close relationship I had with that guest.

In the last couple of days, I have been dealing with a very responsive rep. She contacted me regarding a small matter of some payouts that seemed to be pending on my account forever and managed to get answers for me very quickly (although processing the payment will be passed onto someone else so let's see).

I decided then to ask her if she could help with a more major problem (guest being overcharged and me being paid out £0 at the same time). She got back to me with an answer so hopefully that will also be resolved.

Poor lady, I am now approaching her with another case, which I've been waiting for answers to for 2.5 weeks. She probably wishes that she had never been put on my case(s), but I really hope that someone is going to finally help me.

[Daisy167]

Is their any guidelines or qualifications for hosts to be qualified to receive these assistances? Or all hosts should automatically qualify as long as the canceled booking falls under Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstance Policy?

[Vanessa344]

This is more than any other platform has offered.  I am very impressed and happy to have this support. 

Going forward I hope that we can encourage our guests to move their dates at the same accommodation.  

I am a property manager in Bali, Indonesia and we are going to try to support our fantastic housekeeping staff throughout this process.  There is no government support for our staff so it will be up to us the property owners to help these families. 

It's going to be a long year for us as we don't have much opportunity to attract guests from other parts of Indonesia and Bali's income comes from overseas tourism.  

Wishing you all the best of health, strength and positivity 

[Jude7]

@Vanessa344  Thank you for those positive comments. Airbnb is a platform that drives business my way. I am grateful for the business I have received over the years. I lost $3000 in income through cancellations and each guest who cancelled, COVID or not, was entitled to cancel without penalty given the cancellation policy I voluntarily chose because it made good business sense for me to choose it. I am responsible for my business decisions. As partners, Airbnb and I have different jobs to fill. They provide a platform for guests to find me. At that point my business model takes over, and part of that model was my choice to have a moderate cancellation policy. 

My $3000 worth of bookings did not cancel because of Airbnb. They cancelled for personal reasons which they are allowed to do under the terms of the cancellation policy I chose. 

I am self-employed in another field as well and my business is sustained by platforms that send me leads. My other business has been devastated as well, but I don’t expect the referral sources to compensate me in any way. Risk is part of being an entrepreneur. 

I am terribly concerned and unhappy by these circumstances. But to transfer my upset to an entity that is not responsible for what is going on is anger misdirected. I’m doing my best to hunker down, to remain informed, and to take advantage of various supports being offered to the business community. At the same time, I’m doing my best to focus on the things that are going well - the sun is shining, spring is coming, I love my family more than ever, we’re all healthy, and I’m seeing my local community respond in amazing and generous ways. 

This is a time to rise up in well-being and to get creative about financial strategies. Anyone care to join me in moving this negativity in a more positive direction?

[Susan1188]

An open letter to Mr Chesky

Dear Mr Chesky,

Thank you for your initiatives, which I appreciate as a token of the company showing it's willingness to improve the relationship with it's best hosts. 

We have all been destroyed by this situation, and unlike many here I don't hold you accountable for my financial devastation.  I appreciate the 25% gesture but what is most important for me, is re-establishing a trustful relationship going forward.

 
By zealously reaching out to guests, sending them an email that invited them to cancel for free, you made a media buzz and many guests happy.  

You moved the goal posts in the STR market and set new expectations about guest cancellations not just on Airbnb but market wide. 

Guests on all platforms reached out from one day to the next demanding full refunds for their non-refundable stay,  whether subject to travel restrictions or not, for stays going through Autumn 2020.  

You influenced guest attitude and expectations, industry wide. You reached guests who had no intention of asking for full refund, and who then clicked on your big red button and got one.  This was felt as a "bait and switch" manoeuvre by many hosts.

By stating that you were waiving the agreed cancellation policies "to protect guest safety", you gave a false argument for guests to use against their service providers. 

Forfeiting a non-refundable deposit, or paying a cancellation fee, does not mean the guest is "forced" to travel in unsafe conditions.  It just means they lose their deposit as they agreed to up front when they booked 8 months ahead on a strict policy without taking travel insurance.

My hope is that perhaps now we can start a more in depth dialogue with your experienced superhosts,  about a number of issues and not just what happened this year. 

Many of the platforms policies, terms of service, and attitudes towards hosts, have contributed over a long term to the feeling of distrust and betrayal among hosts.  

I would love to see a special forum for superhosts where we can propose suggestions by category,  vote for suggestions made by others, and get feedback from management on progress and planning for implementing solutions.  In my opinion, that would restore more confidence then a 10 mio dollar loan relief fund.

In the hopes of mending trust and going forward together,

[Susan17]

Excellent post, excellent points @Susan1188! 

I think the ship has now well and truly sailed on the mending trust issue though.. 

[Irena109]

Very good post, you  gót to the point: it is not cancellation policy problém-it is trust problém. Yesterday Mr. Chesky decided to cancel our non-refundable policy, tomorrow he will decide to transfer our payments for fulfilled nights to organisation dealing with boosting tourism...Seriously it is like a bank stealing our money from our account and you think that your money put in bank are in séfest place.  

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Susan1188 

I hope Brian got to read your open letter and finds time to consider how his meddling has caused so much distrust amidst his divisive and discriminatory policies.

[Sean321]

I’m so disappointed. Airbnb had an opportunity to make this right and they missed the mark... though I am not surprised. They have always been more focused on the guest experience. This decision will please many brand loyalists. Let’s be honest... if you are a host, you aren’t going anywhere (assuming you can stay in business after this), because this is the platform that changed the game.

If any of you have listed on booking.com or Expedia, you know what I’m talking about. They are the absolute worst.

[Sam163]

Yes, but there's nothing to stop us making a new platform.

[Laura4195]

I have 1 residence with 2 bedrooms & a guest house. Does this qualify? 

[Michael293]

@Laura4195  I would say no because you have 3 listings. I'm in the same boat. One house which we live in and rent out 4 different rooms. It's not fair.