PLUS MEANS MINUS
I tried the service for 6 months. It failed in almost every category. Let me list why it's worse:
1. Total loss of control of your listing: You cannot change INNACURATE Photos or descriptions, You cannot contact them to change them.
2 ZERO customer service. You cannot call them - customer service at Airbnb tells you they will "forward your message so they may get back to you" and then nothing happens. They will not respond to emails. If you thought regualr airbnb custoimer service was abysmaly difficult, fasten your seat belt for this Soviet style experience. Kafkaesque, I would say.
3. DID I SAY REALLY BAD PHOTOGRAPHY?. They tell their photographers to take flat, straight-on, zoomed-in, really weird shots that they say is part of their "brand". Well gues what? That's not my brand. It doesn't describe the best parts of my spaces accurately, looks cold and remote and actually makes you home look less appealing to most guests. Guests can't understand what the layout is and you spend extra time trying to explain what you have to offer. Result? Fewer bookings, not more.
4. DID I SAY REALLY BAD DESCRIPTIONS? They put "expert editors" to the task to describe a space they've never seen before and are clueless to describe it. My hawaiian Ohana in a national park was labelled an "apartment" as if it were somehow part of an urban complex. Result? Guests confused and fewer bookings.
5. Really EXPENSIVE to meet their standards. Your costs will increase because they want strsange things like carbon monoxide sensors in a tropical outdoor space not required by any local codes, mouldings added to a minimalist modern house? There is no upside as you really can't ask for more $$. They will promise you $500 in writing if you make thousands of dollars of improvements by their deadline they ask for, then refuse to pay it when you do it.
6. FEWER GUESTS = LESS INCOME: If you want more guests, why would you create a "brand" that is confusing, with no customer service for the host to adjust the site, that costs the host an arm and a leg, and miscommunicates what you offer?. The business model just doesn't work.