Idea for an AirBnb loyalty program

[Juanita23]

We really appreciate the AirBnb platform for many reasons which I will not go into now. Prior to covid it was our primary source of bookings but for 2 years now it has come a distant second to one of the other major platforms. I am not sure of the reasons for this but would really like to increase our AirBnb business again.

One of the major contributors to this change I believe is that AirBnb do not have a loyalty program which gives an extra discount to their frequent clients. The opposition do have a loyalty program where we allow them to give a 10% discount. We would gladly allow AirBnb a 10% discount to give to frequent guests of the platform. I am sure this would help to level the playing field and enable AirBnb to get a greater market share.

We host in the lovely town of Langebaan, South Africa.

[Robbie54]

@Juanita23 there's nothing stopping you giving a discount to repeat guests, it's just not an automatic option. Also, what would you class as a frequent guest? Someone who has stayed more than 3 times? 4 times? Out of interest which other platform do you use? 

[Anonymous]

@Juanita23  Airbnb doesn't have an in-platform loyalty program, but it is partnered with various reward programs (credit cards, airlines, supermarkets) through which they can either earn or redeem points/miles on Airbnb. 

It's possible that Airbnb might introduce some kind of "frequent guest" bonus scheme, but surely it would apply across all stays, and not just repeat stays with one host.

But if you'd like to incentivize an Airbnb guest returning to stay with you, of course you can invite them to book directly with you or through the other platform. Cutting out Airbnb's service fee on future stays would represent a better savings to the guest than a 10% discount.

[Juanita23]

My suggestion is for a loyalty discount for AirBnb frequent users, regardless of where they book, not just frequent guests at one establishment. That is how the other platform I referred to operate. They give a discount to an guest on their loyalty program which is deducted from the hosts account. I am suggesting AirBnb do the same to level the pricing playing field with their competition.

[Sarah977]

@Juanita23  You are essentially suggesting that Airbnb force hosts to give what Airbnb would determine to be a "frequent guest", a 10% discount?

No thank you. Not interested in not having control over my own pricing.

[Juanita23]

No. Hosts could opt in or out. 

[Anonymous]

@Juanita23  Sorry, I'm just not seeing the benefits of creating a loyalty program where discounts can be applied to some listings but not to others. That just sounds confusing and frustrating for the customers. There are a lot of creative ways that individual hosts can encourage repeat business from their guests, but I think direct communication with them is far more effective than any program the platform could create.

As a guest, of all the reasons I might choose to return to a beloved vacation home for another stay, a discount coupon from a website doesn't rank at all. In fact, if I loved somewhere so much that I would rather go back there than have a new experience, I'd pay extra to secure it. The personal connection with the host and the memorable touches that made the visit so special make all the difference. 

As a host, I've never found frequent Airbnb users to be preferable as guests, so I wouldn't take a pay cut for the privilege of hosting them. But Airbnb sends people vouchers for various reasons (e.g. Superhost) all the time and I'm sure it will continue doing so.

[Sarah977]

@Juanita23  "Hosts could opt in or out.".

And how would that work? Guests with 10% discount "loyalty rewards" would only be shown listings of hosts who were opted in? 

Or they would see on a listing that it doesn't accept the loyalty discount? I can just imagine how that would go. 

"I'm interested in booking your listing, but I see you won't accept my loyalty reward discount. What's wrong with you?A measly 10% off isn't going to affect you, you hosts are rich, but I'm a student- it helps me a lot. You should be banned from hosting."

And then it would be one more thing that Airbnb factors into its search algoritm, like all the other things they want hosts to agree to, like using IB, never declining, and never cancelling, accepting long term or last minute bookings. Want to opt out of the loyalty program? Your choice, but don't be surprised if your listing goes from page 1 to page 10.