A few weeks before the regulations were introduced here in Dublin, Airbnb's "Pro Co-Host Partner", Pass The Keys (one of only 5 property management companies worldwide publicly endorsed as such by Airbnb) started advertising all over social media for someone to open a Dublin office for them.
As part of my research, I called them up and made out I was interested in the gig. Gave them my credentials - 10 yrs on Airbnb, long term superhost, 5000 guests through my door, blah blah blah..
Anyway, turns out they're running a franchise operation now (although they did admit at the time to not being registered with the British Franchise Association), and by the figures the mentioned, obviously make a hefty wedge for the privilege. I asked how many places they expect the franchisee to take on and was told, "Oh you should be able to manage up to 100 by yourself, but any more than that and you'd probably need to take someone on to help". I expressed a little surprise, while trying to suppress the snort of derision I wanted to unleash (and in my head, I was thinking "Are you f**king kidding me?!" It's hard enough to keep manners on just two lots of guests these days, never mind 100)
I asked what the situation would be if say, 2 or 3 of the guest groups were experiencing issues at the same time, in the middle of the night, and there was just me to deal with things. The rep delightedly exclaimed, "Oh that's the best bit! Pass the Keys have their very own 24 hour helpline to deal with any issues!!". I replied, "Cool. So where's that then?". Answer..."Bulgaria". Right. Because some poorly-paid kid in a cubicle in Bulgaria is really going to be much help if the "host" is having major issues with several different groups of guests at 3 or 4am, (or even 3 or 4pm), in a city hundreds, or thousands, of miles away, aren't they?
I also attented a Pass the Keys webinar, which was an eye-opener in itself. Lots of talk about maximising bookings and returns, and hitting targets and projections, and how PTK has special, privileged access to Airbnb's data, processes and advisors, and could route you so many more bookings than if you were just some randomer amateur host trying to make a go of it on your own (I'm paraphrasing there of course, but that was the jist of it). Surprise, surprise though.. there was barely a mention of the word "hospitality" in the entire presentation. Funny, that...
Oddly, during my initial 2 hour call to them - at around 4pm on a Thursday afternoon - the PTK exec I spoke with couldn't get enough of me, and was full of excited chatter about how I sounded just what they were looking for, how they'd bring me over to London for special training, show me all the ropes, and all that palaver. However, at 9.00am the next morning, they were back on the phone to me with a completely different attitude - brusque, evasive, vague - and all of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue, they'd developed concerns "about the new regulations in Dublin" (yet they didn't appear to have had too many concerns about such issues just the previous evening, or for the previous several weeks that they'd been advertising the franchisee role all over the internet here - which, being one of Airbnb's Preferred Co-Host Partners, and with Airbnb's non-US HQ being based here, you'd think they'd have been fully aware of).
Anyway, they informed me that they were now shelving plans to enter the Dublin market "for the time being". So, that was my hopes and dreams of joining the big league, dashed, in one fell swoop. Not to worry though, it was a still a very useful experience and a source of rich material for me. 🙂
I did, of course, give my real name when I called, but I can only surmise as to the reasons for Pass The Keys overnight change of heart as regards coming to Dublin to join the likes of the huge VC-funded mega-hosts like Sonder (who moved in right next door to Airbnb HQ - how chummy!), Sweet Inn, and the hordes of other "rentrepreneurs" and commercial operators, who all appear to be going from strength to strength here in our little city, since the regulations decimated the small local host community. (Indeed, Sonder only moved in here, just as the regulations were closing us little guys down)
It's a funny old world, isn't it?
