How to become an AirBnb Ambassador?

[Marilou10]

How can I qualify to become an AirBNB Ambassador? I'm in Short-Term Rental Business since 2011 and would like to promote AirBnb to others and get paid.  Is there a program from this, aside for hosting?

[Alessia323]

Hi @Katrina79, apologies for such a late reply! So far I haven't received any feedback about the program. I sent the application on January 29th and still waiting for a reply...I would like to give my contribution to finding new hosts and maybe helping them advertise successfully their property! 

[Donata12]

It turns out that after being invited you fill out the questionnaire. But they look for a full commitment from you, meaning that your main goal is go recruit and help new hosts. not for me. You then get paid a percentage. 

[Mary419]

I got instructions and tips on how to do this work (tips included mailing handwritten postcards) but after reviewing the efforts expected etc I was confused. Seems you’re recruiting your own competition (as it wants you to be recruiting more hosts in your area?) and pays overall less than the former flat bonus for simply getting a person to sign up as a host.  If I’m wrong on that let me know. 

[Paul1255]

Sounds right @Mary419 

Not to mention that the new local hosts that you recruit will be prioritised in search with a new listing boost.

All in all doesn’t sound like there’s much of an upside for an ambassador- but Airbnb on the other hand.....😊

[Sarah977]

@Mary419  While other hosts aren't necessarily our competition, as a private room listing isn't in competition with an entire house listing that sleeps 6, the rest of your assessment seems spot on. 

Airbnb is working on the premise that the 'prestige' of being something called an Airbnb Ambassador will suck hosts in.

I can't imagine any experienced host falling for this.

And it seems like a desperate move to replace all the hosts who've pulled their listings due to lack of support and disrespect from the company. Nothing like a bunch of new green hosts with unreasonable expectations that Airbnb will have their back.

Airbnb CS can't even manage to answer a host's online message in a timely and on point fashion,  but they want hosts to send handwritten postcards?

[Mary419]

Another interesting angle in this Ambassador program is that you get nothing for recruiting private room or shared room listings/hosts. Only whole home (entire place) listings count.  This is very clear on the terms page (main URL for Airbnb then slash ambassadors should get you to that page let me know if you need a link). I just thought of that when Sarah mentioned it is not her competition. She is right, they are specifically excluding that category entirely from any payout for ambassadors. So this indicates growth/proceeding in the direction of the private room category is not the company's goal. Probably because the volume and profit connected is not scalable on the level they want now? Maybe lots of reasons. The way they reiterate it does not count for a payment, it is clearly NOT the category of listings that they want ambassadors to boost. 

[Paul1255]

Absolutely correct @Mary419  !

Airbnb’s goal certainly used to be growth of the private room category, that’s how they got started after all- but the last few years has been a push to grow entire property listings, especially through hosts/companies/businesses that manage large estates of property.

They are where the real money lies for Airbnb, but they will have taken huge hits during the pandemic- possibly moving their businesses away from Airbnb to long term rentals, so I suppose the ambassador programme is a way of trying to replenish some very valuable lost property stock.

[Sarah977]

@Mary419  Actually it's the entire place listings that aren't my competition-I host a private room home share.

How interesting that Airbnb only wants more entire place listings and is making it so blatantly obvious.

All the while still using the "live like a local, caring and sharing, connecting the world, belonging anywhere" touchy-feely PR rhetoric. 

This company is like a millennial who can't figure out what they want to be when they finally grow up.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 @Mary419 I suspect shared home hosts are not rewarded because an ambassador could easily get all their mates to list spare rooms but never actually host more than 1 person and get the reward paid out. Slightly harder to do this with whole homes (but not impossible.....).

[Katrina79]

@Mary419 @Sara977 @Paul1255 @Mike-And-Jane0 You have all brought good ideas about what’s behind the drive to recruit new hosts and entire homes/apartments. Another reason for recruiting is the decrease in whole home listings as hosts pull their properties from the STR market to abide by city bylaws. Often the traditional market of hotels has been hit in the pocket book by local hosts. Cities are pushed to address the issue by hotel industry reps. It can be expensive for hosts to apply for permits, and the rules put in place under city bylaws are too restrictive (if you can even get civic approval). I’m interested to find out if @Alessia323 @Donata12 @Mary419 have noticed any changes in their market in the past year that would decrease the number of entire homes listed as a STR? Also, if a host had received an invite to the program, it is a signal to raise your rates? To me it suggests that Airbnb is anticipating a shortage of STR properties in that area. 

[Donata12]

@Katrina79 i think that being invited to be an ambassador has nothing to do with prestige but rather with Airbnb needs to recruit new hosts and try to repair the bad name it is often associated with it. They have lost  a lot of listings in big cities where new regulations came in place due to hotel industry lobbies. Personally i welcome this change because bad hosts and bad listings hurt good, professional hosts like us. 

This year has been a very bad year for most of us. Toronto, where i live and hots, has been in lockdown for so long that hosting was almost impossible. I was lucky to manage an overall decent year by doing long terms as i myself was stuck out of the country when the pandemic hit for a few months. As far as i am concerned, i have only 1 booking in the next months from a three time returning guests from canada Atlantic. I have another returning guest from the UK who had to cancel last summer who is hoping to be able to travel here but we all know that might not be possible. 

Pandemic regulations do not allow short term stays. if you are in a condo, other more restrictive rules might apply (for example some condos do not allow even longer stays right now). 

I hope this will be soon over, but in my opinion, Airbnb needs to do way more than inviting guests to be ambassadors. It needs to stand behind the hosts way more than it has done so far.

I have received this invitation yesterday: https://www.airbnb.ca/d/live?src_section=254154&c=.pi80.pkb21uaS80LzQ2MDQ5&euid=0d0abf3d-28d8-f04b-1...

Brian Chesky hopefully will have something intelligent for us.

[Alessia323]

@Katrina79 I agree with you when you say that Airbnb needs to do more than inviting new hosts...like improving the customer support. A few years ago it was absolutely reliable and responsive. Now, if you need anything, there is almost no way to speak with anyone. Only the chat works where most of the time other host replies and not them directly.

About the year in progress, I am quite concerned too. Only a bunch of reservations so far...but I guess this is still due to the current travel restrictions. 

Let's keep in touch 🙂

Warmest greetings from Italy!

[Alessia323]

Hi Everyone! Today I finally became an Airbnb Ambassador. Are there any "new" Ambassadors? To share the next steps and ideas. Thanks, Alessia