The $38 Billion Question - "What Even Is Airbnb Anymore?"

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Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

The $38 Billion Question - "What Even Is Airbnb Anymore?"

They could have dug a little deeper, but overall, excellent article. 

 

https://qz.com/quartzy/1574182/ahead-of-its-ipo-what-even-is-airbnb-anymore/

 

"In the gauzy parlance of corporate tech, it is an “end-to-end” travel platform that “combines where you stay, what you do, and how you get there, all in one place.” But in becoming that, it has moved further and further away from the thing it was when its founders started it"

 

"That’s fine, of course. There was never a guarantee that Airbnb would remain what it once was—a clever, well-executed, and game-changing idea in the halcyon days of the early sharing economy. Venture capitalism-fueled growth demands that good ideas must scale up to a precarious size, and requires shifts in approach and mission. But in the transformation of Airbnb, it has become less and less clear what the company itself wants to be"

 

Very simple solution -  #AirbnbHome  #AirbnbPro

1 Best Answer
Cathie19
Level 10
Darwin, Australia

Thanks @Susan17 for creating this thread and bringing to light, both articles  linked here from Quartzy. Both articles are balanced and I think, on point!  

The fact that Airbnb keeps its figures surrounding the professional types of listings and experiences and the home grown renters such as myself tight to the chest, is telling...... 

 

So yes, where to from here is the BIG question. Airbnb “home” “or professional”? Can they remain symbiotic and the balance improve? Too many hiccups for now, to tell....

 

I’m not sure that the “mom and pop” phrase is one I would want to wear! (in all seriousness.......)

lol...

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13 Replies 13
Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

Airbnb is just a booking platform, a mediator and a place to add your property in order a specific group of people that need a place to stay will see it. I don't see Airbnb any differently than any other platform I could advertise my property on. I don't expect anything from any platform I use, I am prepared to fix any damage myself because I know  that all companies are a bit hard about giving money away. I don' t expect guests to treat my property differently because of the platform they made the booking on. I don't care if I need to remove someone from my property if they brake rules. But I equally care for every guest to have the best experience no matter where they booked, I do care about the impression I make, I do want them to feel comfortable and if they want, I do want to spend time with them. Airbnb for me is the same as my local web pages where I advertise that only a few people see, I am gratefull to have such a platform to advertise, I give them percentage in order to do so, but only that, I don't feel like Airbnb is loosing something. They, as any other business, have to change their model over time in order to stay relevant. Everything changes so fast these days, only the businesses who adapt to the changes can endure the pressure of the growing competition.

@Ana1136 I appreciate the way you feel, but I recently had a problem with a renter who turned out to be a criminal.  AirBnB knew this immediately before they checked into my unit.  If they had just updated me and warned me it would have saved thousands in damages to my unit.  They knew this information and I feel had a responsibility to inform me, just as I have a responsibility to leave honest feedback for the rest of the community to make informed judgements with.    No after all these problem I still can't get AirBnB to pay me for the nights these criminals were in my unit.  Because I had them evicted the second day and AirBnB banned them from their site - they say there is a software "IT Glitch" paying me out.  after 2 weeks I think that excuse is getting a little old.  AirBnB does have a responsibility to pay me the money that was collected for my rental.

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Marc715 I am so sorry you had to go through that. If they knew I agree they should inform you and you for sure need to get the money for the rental. But what if the guest booked through another platform? Who would inform you then? I get the personal info from all my guests upon arrival and I report a temporary place of stay to the police station, not even the police informs me if they are a criminal. I monitor their behavior and I will remove them from my property as soon as they try to do something they are not supposed to do. I have had guests that are not criminals and do as much damage as if they were. And I am sure there are criminals who won't do anything. And what kind of criminal was he? A fugitive? How did you found out he is a criminal? I am pretty sure that you will get the money from the rental since Airbnb is aware of the situation.

@Ana1136 AirBnB knew there was a problem with this guest.  That is why they blocked their account.  As the owner of that property I should have also been immediately informed of the problem - if not the details, at least that AirBnB had suspended their account.  Every other digital platform that I work on in business lets me know when a users account is suspended.  This "heads Up" give you a chance to take a closer look at every tenant.   As part of the fee that I pay AirBnB I expect them to do a few things for this fee other than just list the unit.  That is why they have a Trust and Safety department - and they stongely push the host guarentee and insurance as part of their product.  So I expect this.  I make sure that the guest has verified their ID with AirBnB, Has reviews, and has verified info.  However, in my case when the guests account was suspended AirBnB blocked all that info - I can't even veryify there was every a reservation let alone see any of this crooks info.  YES, I expect more from AirBnB and it is part of what I pay for and implied in the way their advertise their platform.

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Ana

Ana, you are spot on.......There are risks attached to what we do!

I don't expect anyone else (including Airbnb) to be my 'fairy Godmother'....I am the one inviting strangers onto my property, and it is up to me to accept the risks that may go with that invite!

 

Airbnb are a booking platform, they put A (the guest) in touch with B (the host) and that is it!

Where they made things difficult for themselves was telling everyone, they would pick up, the pieces when things didn't go as planned. That was a mistake, and one I am sure they regret!

 

Ana, I charge a cleaning fee....but it is not as such a cleaning fee! I allow for the cleaning of my property in my listing amount, just as hotels and other accommodation institutions do!

My cleaning fee goes straight into a seperate damage fund to cover damage that the odd guest will do. I am a long way ahead....a guest would have to destroy the entire inside of my cottage to overtake the amount I have currently set aside.

When something gets broken or taken....I don't raise Cain, lodge a claim with Airbnb and fight over pittances. I just put the damage right, get ready for the next guest, and concentrate on the business of making money!

 

Cheers......Rob

Ana,

 You're point of view and you're taking respsonsibitliy is refreshing, so although I have not been feeling that way lately, it did make me think.  Then I read Marc's experience here, and THAT is more what I've been dealing with and why I do think airbnb should be repsonsible in more or further ways than you state.  Becase of these situations.  I use airbnb becase the are supposed to 'vet' the guests, and also because of their insurance policy or host guarantee.  However, -- their insurance and host guarantee has been almost impossible to use.  I have had inumerable IT glitches with them so that whatever they are trying to help with doesn't even happen. They are setting up their website in a specifc way to be used in such a way;  if the guest puts in the wrong number of guests for instance, it creates big and sometimes very nuanced problems trying to solve them.  What I do take from what you said, is,  if I am to be responsible I have to be on top of it and unlike the friendly old days of sharing....  have to charge for the mishaps, extra people, extra utility use and extra time I put into thier early arrivals and late departures, damages, missing items, burnt out tea kettles and oven explosions.  That's the way it's been for me lately..... 

Cathie19
Level 10
Darwin, Australia

Thanks @Susan17 for creating this thread and bringing to light, both articles  linked here from Quartzy. Both articles are balanced and I think, on point!  

The fact that Airbnb keeps its figures surrounding the professional types of listings and experiences and the home grown renters such as myself tight to the chest, is telling...... 

 

So yes, where to from here is the BIG question. Airbnb “home” “or professional”? Can they remain symbiotic and the balance improve? Too many hiccups for now, to tell....

 

I’m not sure that the “mom and pop” phrase is one I would want to wear! (in all seriousness.......)

lol...

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Cathie19 

 

How about "Uncle & Auntie"?

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

or Auntie and Auntie?

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Susan17 

 

It's also worth highlighting  a quote from the first Quartzy article 2017

 

According to Andy Cunningham, a veteran Silicon Valley marketing and brand strategist, the reason my feelings have changed about this brand I once loved is at least in part because they failed to update their narrative.

   “Airbnb developed a really great brand strategy early on when they were able to gain a foothold. It was so great that they don’t know how to evolve it as the world changes around them,” Cunningham told me. “When you are one of the forces that is changing the world, like Airbnb, you have an even bigger responsibility to adjust your narrative going forward. Instead, they keep introducing new products, without shifting the narrative of how that connects to the company at all.”

@Susan17 , @Ana1136 , @Marc715 .

Yes @Alon1 , this observation was most definitely a stand out comment.

 

That Airbnb have a responsibility to remain authentic as well as evolve and grow their story over time, is more than logical and a businesses responsibility. The fact that they keep creating new functions, like “experiences”, “plus” “hotels”, but not the core story, is extremely problematic and what is turning individuals away from using the platform. In fact, to maintain and grow the authentic narrative, the home grown hosts should be appearing FIRST in all their listings.

 

This is a statement that says: “this  is what we were and are: true to our beginnings, but evolved with legistlative needs and standards. We forgot who we were for awhile, but now we will stand strong and remind the world we are about sharecommunity accommodation.”

 

“We will prioritise and honour the need for trust, communication and safety. Now, we are grown up, so if you want more, here are our multinational listings, our “experiences” and “Plus” options. These wonderful extras satellite AROUND our heart & core =Airbnb home community stays. We honour our beginnings....”

 

The fact that the “story” is lost, cluttered with unwanted information and filters,  rather than streamlined and maintaining the core community story, is what is becoming the turn off. 

All good stories have a main storyline and plot. Subplots run parallel or off the main story. They do not swamp or take it over.......

 

So for the next chapter or sequel?

A tangible solution is very visible by looking back in their history and also on the horizon. They just need to avoid throwing the baby (home Airbnb hosts) out with the bath water!

SPOT ON.  Thank you for that quote from 2017.    I can imagine the growing pains they are all feeling, but in the first article above they talk about hosts being thier first priority.  Not at all so.  I wish we were.  We built this with them.  Adding hotels on, among other things, just cabashed hosts ( in homes anyway) being their first priority.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is I don't think they know who they are. If you watch how customer service has gone, they simply haven't worked with their first product -- our homes.  They were never really able to catch up to the scale up. They don't know what they're doing.  It's a tech company with some designers from RISD.   They hired Chip Conley and it got all white sheets and crsip fresh towels. Now it's ... I don't know what it is now, and it will be something different tomorrow.  It's led by the nose of the IPO and Brian Chesky hires all sorts of industry giants to " mentor " him because they really dont know who they want to be when they grow up. ... I am just trying to survive the navigational tsunami changes, becasuse yes I am grateful to the platform, but the platform and the CS and all the constant tinkering has made it harder and harder for me to host, taken tons of energy, and created a JOB where it was once a freelance pleasure and a bit easier to do.  I know so many people who are exhausted, working their butts off -- really talented people that turned to this and now feel -- basically swallowed whole. Adding hotels and glutting the market in various ways makes it so that you have to scramble to keep occupied, and keep your rates what they should be, and guests -- they aren't staying in homes in some cases -- but a  property managed building or boutique hotel. Is that taking care of the hosts, or in a case where you get a dangerous or destructive guest -- does it create a NEW job trying to resolve it?

  My boundaries have gone way up.  I was bending over backwards for guests, and need to correct.

Emily603
Level 2
Cross, SC

Every business must have a Mission to stay consistent, even with growth, by still keeping with the integrity of it's Purpose.   Air meaning Internet, B meaning Bed, N meaning Inn, second B meaning Break fast.   What I am hearing after this is said is "Renting" a room or home.  I see this to be conflicting to not only the Hosts but also our Guests.  I am a successful Host and numerous times have to explain to my Guests that this is not a Rental.  Providing a great experience most of my guests request a Monthly rate for renting.   Money will not come in the way of my Purpose, but to some a platform of getting someone permanent.  I will suggest Airbnb make recognition of Personal Hosts bookings and of Business  Host bookings so our Guests can also choose what direction to book according their lodging needs.