Airbnb Plus Results - Do Participants Experience Increased Revenue?

[Colin-And-Christie0]

I wondered if anyone has seen an increase in revenue as a result of being part of the Airbnb Plus program.

Have your bookings increased?

Have you been able to increase your average nightly rate while maintaining historical occupancy levels?

We have been part of the Plus program in Los Angeles since it launched in February. For us, listing views are tracking at roughly double pre-Plus program levels but this has not translated into increased revenue - either through increased bookings or being able to command even a slight rate premium.

Appreciate any first hand experience from other Plus participants.

[Shelley127]

This is good to read. I have a great place in Denver that is almost always booked. We changed the listing to Airbnb Plus two weeks ago at their invitation. So far...yikes!

Airbnb gave it a new, less appealing title and photos that are far lower quality than the original professional photos I had taken and I have had ZERO new bookings. 

How do I get out of this program? 

Airbnb totally messed up how the photos represent my place and there is not a single contact person that can help me so far. I would be grateful for any and all feedback. There is nothing like investing more money into something that was already working great to find that it actually now isn't working at all. 

[Marykay0]

Hi Shelley,

I am in the Atlanta area and have just passed the few adjustments Airbnb required for our listing being designated Airbnb Plus. This morning I received an email asking if I wanted my Airbnb Plus listing to be 'fast-tracked'. It basically means that they will write the copy and send it to me for review. 

For some reason this email gave me pause and, although I thought it was pretty clear on what it would mean to have an Airbnb Plus listing, I'm digging further.

The one piece of information I cannot find anywhere is who sets the price for an Airbnb Plus listing? Is it me or is it Airbnb?

My listing is about 2 years old and we grew 50% this year by using dynamic pricing. Given that we offer a one-bedroom guest Cottage on an urban alpaca farm, we don't fit the standard pricing model for a one-bedroom listing, so being able to manage our pricing has been a key part of our growth.

I wrote Airbnb this morning, but am skeptical that I will hear back and without this piece of information, I will not move forward in the process.

Thanks in advance for your help! Wishing you all the best in your hosting!

[Marjorie-And-Melissa0]

Confirmation phone call at 4:54am to confirm a photo session that was already confirmed and is a redo because the App from the Photographer inspector did not work.. Opps you mean you have to look at what time it might be when you call from the UK to The USA.  

[Ryan-and-Natalie0]

Just read through the whole conversation after having the Airbnb plus photographer out today. 

Not one positive word has been said about the Plus program. Makes me wonder if the guests feel like they are paying too much of a premium for a Plus listing, there is obviously a physcology behind it. 

Would you rather stay in a non Plus property but with a super host? On a budget I’d say the answe is yes!? 

Or does it only work in premium high end inner city suburbs and not in the outer suburbs? 

Will be interesting to see what happens. I’ll opt out after 14 days if there are less bookings. 

P.S Airbnb said they are waiving my Plus fee, I think as a promotion. 

[Rob-and-Bob0]

We got the plus program offered to us free too. But having just received their photos and pproperty description , we’re opting out. It’s all just awful! Posting their photos and description will lead to less bookings. And because their description includes almost no information, guests may be disappointed or have different expectations when they arrive. 

[Cormac0]

@Colin-And-Christie0

At what point in your conversation with Airbnb about the Plus programme did a discussion about increased revenue and occupancy levels come up, let me guess it didn't...

If hosts can't increase our prices or have more guest pushed to our listings, what's the point other then an advantage for Airbnb effectively taking over the running of your property with hosts as free labour.

Don’t get me wrong I agree with granulation or categorising of properties to facilitate a proper price matrix. But the plus programme is not the way to go about it, all it will do is confuse the guest into what exactly Airbnb is.

Most Airbnb guest I suspect want more for less and increasing host cost is not the way to achieve this, five-star accommodation standards at bargain basement prices.

It's not uncommon for Michelin star restaurant to prefer to lose a star and make money rather than to pander to ridiculous high standards at which no money can be made.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42872201

wake up host you're being taken for idiots.

[Tonelise0]

my bookings has tanked completely, and the photos are awful. you cannot change them

[Ben551]

I don’t understand why they have used Burgundy as the colour for the Plus listings...

When I did marketing in school we were taught that Red tones are the dominant international colour for “bad”, Green or Blue tones for “good”, and Gold and Platinum for “special”. Yet AirBnb have chosen a colour that (especial to colour blind folk) looks like BAD.

My listing has 5 little green stars after it and there is no way I want them changed to 5 little Red stars... that to the average reader means “bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD”.

[Ankur11]

Has anyone found a way to include detail in your listing?  The new Description section is limited to 600 characters!  That's two paragraphs!  We can't even describe our listing properly.

Also, the new photos that Airbnb took for the Plus program SUCK.  I am extremely not impressed by this new listing page.  It sucks both for the host and for a traveler that has limited access to information.

[Madalena18]

Hi All,

I have never joined a community but since I am so unhappy about the Airbnb Plus support, maybe this helps.

For 3 months, we have sent and called at least 50 times with no response. The support of Airbnb Plus Portugal is inexplicably bad. 

When you go to the map as a guest you see as a 1st photo a sad plant in winter, 2nd photo of the toilet. Who wants to book this flat? We just would like to change the order of the pics.

Cheers,

Desperate Airbnb Plus Host

[Brett3]

Hey @Madalena18 ,

it does indeed look like an odd selection of photos to try and highlight your place. I have to say the apartment does look spotlessly clean which is a 'Plus', but for me I would love to see more focus on the charm and character. I really wanted to see a full view photo from the terrance. So much history and they just ignored it.

I hope it works for you but think you might do better with your own photos and listing description.

[Jilly4]

I do agree with you, the photos they took of my garden (against my request as it was a rainy December day in England!) are AWFUL.  I have offered them professionally taken alternatives but was told not "of suitable quality".  Worse still I am unable to take down the photo of a compost bag leaning against a dead flower bed - WHY the heck the photographer even took it I don't know - as it has the caption of "flower filled garden".   The support is slow (this conversation started in December it is now mid July) and frankly don't listen.  If I could be given a suitable or logical answer that would be fine.  But it is just our way or no way attitude I get.    As their own website offered an exchange of coupon for being a super host or swap for a photographer, I requested that.  But no, it didn't apply for Plus hosts.  What is the point?

Frustrated and furious of East Sussex

[Richard40]

I've had both higher revenue and higher occupancy since joining PLUS.  Encouraged to maintain existing rates into low season to see how it goes.   My location in San Juan, Puerto Rico's Arts District may be the reason - I'm the only PLUS listing in the area...  most are located near the beach or old walled city.

Biggest surprise to me has been the type of guests.  I was afraid that I would get very upscale clients who expected five-star hotel accommodations.  I upgraded linens, ammenities, etc. anticipating this.

However, it turns out that almost all PLUS bookings are 20-something who use PLUS to find unique places and as a short-cut rather than researching numerous options.  Apparently the PLUS brand assures them that it will be good, AND BETTER THAN NEARBY regular listings.  Plus, they get the added caché of PLUS showing up in their social media posts.  If you're booking on a cell-phone while commuting - this is probably a big time-saving factor.

So - even with the frustrations of not being able to control photos and the sometimes quirky 'fixes' to qualify, it has been worth the effort.  This may change once more listings in my neighborhood qualify for PLUS - but for now its working out just fine.

[Nathan92]

question, since you had increased occupancy and revenue -- how were you pricing yourself beforehand? smart pricing, static pricing, or some sort of third party dynamic pricing engine?

[Jilly4]

I'm more frustrated by the loss of control over my listing since being put on the Plus programme.  I cannot say I have received increased bookings and certainly haven't been able to increase my nightly rate.