Airbnb plus

[Neaw-and-Stephen0]

Good day

I have been invited to join Airbnb plus with  my villas, the idea is very attractive and i can see how it could be a positve thing. However i have read the forums and can find nothing positive. I have also noted that by going with ABNBPLUS i can not advertise through other mediums Abnb only represents sixty five percent of reservations. So of course i am concerned of loss versus actual gain. As this is my wifes and my main income(semi retired) this is important.

Now the thing is I am reading the forums as a person called me yesterday to confirm photographers visit. I asked why do i need photographer when mine are professional. I found the person arrogent and a little rude and was duly put in my place. Having worked hospitality for all my life I was a little put out.

So my question is, before comitting ourselves to this path, is there ANYONE who can give me a positive experience regarding their switch over to PLUS. Or should i be running and jumping for cover?

Thank you in advance for your feedback

Neaw,Stephen,Serenity

[Emilia42]

ANYONE??

[Rachel177]

@Emilia42 lol! The silence is deafening when it comes to positive Plus experiences!

@Neaw-and-Stephen0 you need to seriously do your sums to ensure that going with Plus is financially viable. Losing 35% of your bookings by not being able to advertise on other platforms is not great, and there is no guarantee that you'll pick up those extra bookings through the Plus program.

[Sarah977]

@Neaw-and-Stephen0  I suspect that hosts that are pleased with being on Plus are not posting here on the forums, only the ones who are upset and disappointed. But what being part of Plus entails has been well-explained here. No ability to choose the photos, no control over your listing description which Airbnb rewrites to something extremely brief, photographers are instructed to take photos in a certain way which hosts feel don't showcase their property for what it is, and often leave out the most attractive amenities, like a beautifully landscaped property or the pool. And hosts have spent thousands of dollars to upgrade their properties to what Airbnb tells them they have to do to be in Plus, with no corresponding rise in bookings to offset the expenses.

If you think the person you talked to was arrogant, pushy and rude, just wait until they start telling you all the things you need to do to live up to their standards.

The fact that they started off charging $149 for the privilege of being included in Plus, and are now not charging, and contacting hosts to try to get them to sign up, tells me a lot. It's just all about getting their site filled with all those up-scale, slick photos because hosts who originally went for it have opted out and Airbnb can't seem to ever admit they had a bad idea.

If hosting is going well for you, and you're geting 35% of your bookings elsewhere, I can't see why you'd even be considering this. I'd say cut and run. I doubt you need aggravation at this point in your lives.

[Neaw-and-Stephen0]

I agree with most of yor comments. I was laughing about it with my wife earlier. I did point out that most comments would be gripes as people are hard wired to complain. I also said what a horrible job it must be telling people their homes do not comply.Weve built our little nests and are exposing them to others. Our house Serenity(named after our daughter) was originally being remodelled for us to live in and has many personal items. When it came to moving back in my wife decided 350 square metres to big for the three of us and it would be better rented out.We Already rented out properties so why not.The house has personal things in it.

First guests broke a vase and laughed about it, said had no value. A family vase several generations etc,value not cash. That was nearly the end of the road with ABNB. So i asked my wife today what you going to di if they make critiszms. It was decided she wouldnt come LOL. Point being ABNB need to remember that in many cases these are homes(not houses) with stories to tell, not  little boxes to be shelved in a certain way. The idea is great though i am learning quickly the execution seems to be a mess.

[Susie111]

@Neaw-and-Stephen0 

One good thing to remenber is that Airbnb Plus is all about the house. So no personal feelings is a must, I think if you want to go down that road...

[Sarah977]

@Neaw-and-Stephen0  I think that the posts we see on this forum regarding hosts' frustration with Plus is because most of the people who post here are hands-on hosts whose places they have put love, care and feeling into. People who you seem to be like. @Susie111 is spot on- Plus is just about the house, not the host. So if you're only in it for the money, and you just bought a house for the sole purpose of listing it on Airbnb, and don't mind gutting your home to fill it with bland, modern, soulless, furnishing and decor and don't mind having guests who would prefer to self check-in and don't ever want to have to see or speak to the host (unless something isn't working properly, then I'm sure they'll be on the phone demanding that someone come over and deal with it immediately, as it's absolutely ruining their holiday) then Plus is probably a reasonable goal. But it's definitely not for those who think of their homes as "little nests" 🙂

[Neaw-and-Stephen0]

HI

Ok ive just stopped laughing............Been a host all my life in one way or other. And when i designed my hotel i deliberatly made every room/villa different. It was very upsetting selling it years later and watching it become similar to what you mention.

I think i will follow the proccess with one property see what they produce and pull the plug should it be homogenous, though in all honesty i would be suprised to see them manage that with this place.

As i said i emailed several owners in Phuket, most have been great and responded. Results now are

3 yeah lovin it-but complain about photos

5made no difference- but complain about photos

4 Pulling out as soon as i can been a disaster-especially the photos

Every single comment i have read complains re pictures. It makes sense.

You get put in a banner position -Yeah great seen first time every time!

But then the villas below you on second or third line have a more attractive looking product with fuller content.

Pictures starting to become clearer thanks you all

[Sarah977]

@Neaw-and-Stephen0  What a lot of hosts who tried Plus reported here, in addition to the photo issue, was that they went from getting steady bookings to having their bookings completely stop. Yes, they got top priority in search, but it appeared that guests were just skipping right over the Plus listings without even looking at them, likely assuming the price would be too rich for their pocketbook. That's the part I'd be leery about. Maybe it depends what location the listing is in, maybe Plus listings are better booked in some parts of the world than others.

Mentioning how you made every room in your hotel different- back in the 70's, I stayed in the coolest place in San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico. It was a huge old 4 story building owned by a carpenter. He had his carpentry shop on the first floor, then he had created this total maze of rooms, all different sizes, different shapes, one you had to stoop down to get in the dwarf-size door, which was situated under a staircase. All the furniture was simple pine, that he had built himself, and the sheets and pillowcases were sweet flowered and patterned cotton that his wife had made. The place probably had 30 rooms on 3 floors, with crazy passageways and nooks and crannies everywhere. Then there was a huge rooftop where hotel guests would hang out, do yoga, hang their laundry to dry. It was awesome. I don't whether the place still exists- I plan to go back and see one day.