Airbnb Plus - Dont Do It

[Elizabeth24]

I, like many of you thought I needed to go on plus to get back at the top of the listings bc I was getting buried under the plus listings. So I got approved and very shortly realized it was a bad idea, I’m still looking for that “leave Airbnb plus” button. The photographer that comes is under very strict guidelines of what they can photograph. So he missed 50% of the things that make my rental unique and desirable and that people comment on most. I was there during the shoot, so I told him what additional photos I wanted. He was very reluctant and did some of them, kind of, in the way Airbnb wanted - aka only full room shots from a straight on angle. Then, when your listing is put up by them, they are the ones to pick the photos used - not the owner. Which is nuts, bc the owner knows the space best and what the guests gravitate to regarding the listing. Not only that, you can’t move the photos around in different orders and they chose the cover picture - of which was a ridiculous choice in my case. Oh, and they want you to re-word your whole new listing rather than transferring over your old and allowing you to make changes - much easier. (After several emails they finally got it and somehow transferred my old descriptions over - not sure if they’ve made that standard yet.) On top of that, in my listing in general, I tended to under promise and over deliver naturally. Guests were always surprised by the unexpected touches and amenities. Now, bc its a plus listing I feel like I am having to over promise and am under delivering - even though I’ve changed nothing. Everything is the exact same as before except these guests come with a new set of expectations and more entitled attitude. Not to mention, I didn’t even raise my rate when I changed to plus so it’s not as if they are paying any sort of premium for their heightened expectations. So, if that wasn’t enough - I went from being booked 28 days last month prior to plus, to getting 2 - 2 day bookings - after being on plus. My guess is bc they dont pick the most alluring cover photos. By the looks of it, they default to a bedroom shot. My kitchen, living room are way more beautiful and appealing to the average guest. And last but not least, guests used to leave reviews immediately, without me ever asking bc they were so excited and in love with their stay. They were communicative when they got there and it was an actual pleasure to host them bc I knew they were grateful and loved my home. The few plus guests I’ve had... radio silence and no reviews. Oh, and I’ve rec,d more spam/ annoying questions from random people that put in a fake set of booking requests just to ask me questions or try to wheel and deal than ever before. Anyway, I preferred the early Airbnb days of humble house guests who felt the community of the experience, who were grateful and gracious - rather than the snobby guests plus attracts. Bottom line, don’t feel bad that you are not plus. Just keep being a superhost, pick your best cover shot, and reply quickly and you will make your way back to the top. Plus has been a headache and killed my bookings by 80% ... still searching for that dang button.

[Roderick8]

Being a Superhost does not mean you have a top notch property. Grade inflation is the norm on AirBnB and it is encouraged by the 1-5 grading system. I have been a Superhost since the beginning - five straight quarters. But I do want recognition that my properties, featured in interior design magazines, are superior to the common lot. I had hoped that AirBnB Plus might be the solution, but the Communist style central control mentality is a complete turn off. This property received an unsolicited invitation into AirBnB Plus. But the qualification process and loss of control has dampened my spirits. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26453179/?guests=1&adults=1.

[Helen444]

AMEN!

[Kristi106]

Ug, You sound so pompous.

[Kristi106]

Roderick not Pete. "Superior to the common lot." Please! Airbnb Plus sounds snobbish and repugnant. I hope it dies a sudden death, and soon. This kind of snobbery ...on both ends (from some people) is really quite laughable.

[Harriet5]

I did not sign up for Airbnb Plus.  After 8 years of hosting, I have done what I think is needed to improve and maintain the property, and didn't want "professionals?" to tell me to make changes.  However Airbnb is adding hosts as fast as possible, and after ALWAYS having a reasonable number of guests, considering the season, I have had 3 guests for December, and there is one for January!  And all are paying the lowest prices I've ever used.  Seattle is a booming city, with visitors, and potential employes just pouring in, and pretty high hotel prices.  So, gee whiz, what could be going on?  

And yes, I've been a superhost since they started it. Too many others are seeing the same problem, and in other locations.

[Roderick8]

Yes, Budapest is subject to overcapacity. It does not affect me in the high season, but November and January are terrible.

[Kathleen1]

I completely agree with you Pete......I am also in Seattle.  I am 1 mile from UW......I have not had one inquiry about UW graduation.  Before Plus came to town, I was always booked the minute I opening up the graduation dates. 

[Jacquie4]

I agree with Susan in Ireland - this Airbnb Plus is a total scam and I'm writing Airbnb my thoughts on it.  They need to get rid of it as it's costing regular hosts business. 

A few of my friends tried finding my listing via a regular search on their phones and they were immediately directed into Airbnb Plus properties only! What the?!  I was there with them watching this and we had to figure out what was going on, then tried to get out of Airbnb Plus (which only shows those properties) and get to the main site, which took several tries. 

This is completely misleading and not good, ethical business acumen.  Airbnb Plus needs to deleted now.

[Kathleen1]

I could not agree with you more........it is the reason I am doing only 15% of my bookings on other sites. 

[Mark116]

I think airbnb Plus is here to stay, airbnb is hedging its bets.  They are creating a line of allegedly high end personalized listings....such listings are also in a bracket where the owner will likely be able to pay all the additional fees, taxes, permit costs, etc. that are probably coming in the future, this gives them a way to compete on the high end.  On the other end, they now have many, many listings from hotels and resorts, as @Susan17 said, a 'superhost' who has hundreds of listings is a property manager, managing a massive bank of units for a corporate entity, another category of listing that will have no trouble to meet any new costs, permits, taxes or regulations.  That seems like the future to me, expensive/unique listings at the top, and generic professionally managed property for the rest.

Sadly, that leaves the original types of hosts..home shares, and more basic listings without all the bells and whistles, as last on the list.  

[Jane593]

Ive just been reading through the letters about the Plus listings and am increasingly horrified by the preferences away from the home-share and home hospitality that I love about my AirBnB.

Seems like there could almost be a category for small, personal listings and another for corporatised accomodation. Failing that, what about just removing the algorythm and the exclusive nonsense and simply listing by location so that regular hosts are not disadvantaged.

[Roderick8]

The AirBnB Plus properties are not top notch. Luxury apartment owners have other uses for their assets such as long term rentals or Booking.com.

I do have top notch properties - 4 interior design features. But I am not likely to hand over editorial control to a recent college graduation with greasy hair sitting at his terminal in San Francisco.

[Kristi106]

"with greasy hair" ?? Wtf? How do you know? You sound oxygen deprived. Seriously dude, you are such a tool.

[Elizabeth24]

Agree! So in the meantime (Airbnb if your listening...) I’ve got a solution for you. For the quick fix to meet in the middle of the road  until you really figure out its final fate - keep the plus status if you must; but REMOVE the entire exclusive category that towers over the rest. Have them mixed in in the same manner that the Superhosts are, Superhost are still happy about their status but you don’t see us feeling entitled to have our own very first category above everyone else. The algorithm of how to climb in the listings is primary based on logical stats that make some sort of sense for the most part. And as guests stumble upon the intermixed plus listings, if they are extra enticed to book bc it’s a plus then great, but at least it didn’t directly take from all the other listings and everyone is still in their fair order of which they’ve worked hard for. And for the supposed guests that they are catering to who only want to stay at a plus listing, make a filter for them that they can see plus options only, but don’t force every single potential guest (who btw may not even know this is a “thing” and look in that category only bc it’s to most obvious and user friendly and seems to end the section of listings as next you have activity options) to essentially only choose their stay from that category. See how logical this sounds? So throw those sparkling clean, fast internet, color coordinated pillow listings (can’t think of any other major requirement above anyone else) in there with the rest of them and let them earn their stripes with the rest of us. Very simple. 

[Robin4]

@Elizabeth24 @Mark116 @Jacquie4 @Susan17 @Pete28

I have been around here long enough to have seen a massive shift in Airbnb company policy.

In early Oct 2015 and between Feb 7th-15th 2016 Airbnb delisted many hundreds, possibly thousands of hosts listings and accounts for...."Not providing an authentic Airbnb experience"!  These 'victims'were all hosts who had multiple listings. There was post after post here on the CC about outrage over Airbnb unilaterally taking action like this against successful hosts!

Now they are promoting as a 'pin-up' boy a host with 129 listings!

The problem is, where any fast growing company is concerned, it's like a turbulent river, people are moving from position to position, new ones are created or added to and with a change in faces, idiologies change and this is why I take virtually no notice of company brouhaha and Q&A's. I would never bother to watch a Q&A!

We need to return to some stable values here, d*m back this turbulent river!

Now I would not mind Plus so much if it has some degree of genuine background to what it espouses, namely that you are going to get the best that company can offer! But seriously.....

Can somebody please explain to me how a host with 11 reviews in total, one of which is a host cancellation can be classified as the best the company has to offer! How exactly did this become 'verified', who looked the other way where that cancellation was concerned!.....It is an insult to all of us who have worked so hard for this company!

And that is why I want to see it fail!

Cheers.....Rob