Family collection should not include TV's.

Family collection should not include TV's.

I am a superhost of a popular and very family friendly farm cabin.  I meet all the requirements for Family Collection except for a TV.  In this day and age when most every guest has their own laptop or device why would a rental need a TV.  Most of the families that stay at my farm cabin comment on the joy they get from watching the animals.  I purposely did not add a TV so families could enjoy nature and the farm and connect on a personal level.  I provide wifi, games, books, toys, children's cutlery and dishes, crib and a high chair.  There is so much happening around the cabin that a TV would distract from that unique experience and disconnect family time.  I feel it is unfair to be denied Family Collection status based on not having a TV.  Please reconsider this.  

34 Comments
Anonymous

Hear, here. You're a great example of a host with a special environment that is excellent for families but would be marred by the presence of a TV. To that, I would add many of the historical homes that are listed on Airbnb around the world. Supplying WifI is one thing (you need internet to access Airbnb itself, after all), but sticking a TV screen in the middle of a 17th Century villa or a colonial farmhouse is a whole other level of bad taste.

 

As a compromise, Airbnb could consider changing the TV requirement with something broader such as "Entertainment Options," which might include things like a board game collection. Evening activities can be a challenge for travelling families, and for most a TV is not the optimal solution.

 

(Side note: I host in Berlin, and most tourists using Airbnb in this city are not Germans or German speakers. I can't imagine any of these visitors would benefit from access to German TV programming, except for a laugh).

Laura256
Level 2

Increasingly irrelevant, a TV should not be a requirement.  Also, there are many different kinds of TVs so simply having one is meaningless:  I once had guests that were angry that my TV offered only streaming options (no cable or satellite or HD antenna).   The only thing that really matters is fast WiFi with high bandwidth.  Move into 2018, Airbnb!  

Sarah977
Level 10

@Anonymous  I LOVE your line "a whole other level of bad taste"!

Totally agree with all everyone has written. When my kids were young, the last thing I would have wanted to deal with on vacation was constant pestering to be allowed to watch TV.  The amenities provided for children should be clearly stated in the listing description, but what those amenities are, should be left up to the host. If parents find a TV essential to their vacation, they can book a place that offers that.

I agree entirely with all the above.  A family holiday doesn't need to include a TV when there are heaps of things to do out in the world.  Our small 17th Century cottage has good WiFi, a big box of games and jigsaw puzzles (and we offer more if people would like them), a radio and CD player plus a few DVD's for guest to use on their laptops. There is nowhere sensible to put a TV even if we wanted to and it would spoil the character of the cottage.

 

I think the concept of Entertainment Options  would be an excellent alternative (and would enhance the sense of adventure!)

 

We have had seven 5* bookings from families (the criteria is only two) and never had a complaint about the lack of TV.  We make it very clear on our listing that there is no TV.

Ian84
Level 2

I hear you loud and clear in regard to offering glorious accomodation in peaceful rural 

settings, where to your way of thinking, the guest should be outside enjoying every wonderful 

thing that your property has to offer.

I must admit that I felt the same way about my own property until it occurred to me that the best thing we can do is make sure that there is an operational Television available to be watched by the guest , if the guest feels so inclined. 

Some guests enjoy seeing Television programs and news as it helps them get a feel for the country they are visiting. 

If the decor doesnt suit a modern Television then a painting can hook over the screen and be lifted off when the guest would like to view the screen.

Lets try and cater for the guests and not try to tell them what they should and shouldnt do with their hard earned holiday time, and remember, without the guests, there is NO airbnb.

If the travelling community decide that hosts want to control their holidays, then travellers will think twice about booking through Airbnb and look for other accomodation options.

Give them the option to watch the news on TV and if they choose to , instead of being outside enjoying the view, then that is their choice. Thats not so difficult, and it keeps things ticking over and everyone happy.    

 

Sarah977
Level 10

@Ian84  Choosing not to have a TV is not hosts "controlling" the guest's holiday. Guests have the option to choose a property which lists TV as an amenity. Hosts should have the option of choosing whether or not to have one. The issue of this topic is not whether or not to provide a TV for guests, it is that hosts should not be forced to offer one in order to qualify for "family friendly" or any other category.

Ian84
Level 2

Thanks for your reply  Sarah. 

 

Hosts do have the option as to providing a Tv or not.  Many families enjoy Television and some children like to watch cartoons . This is  why Airbnb would have included Tv in the family friendly Category. If hosts request that everything that they conceive to be unsuitable for their property be removed from the categories , then we will have no categories.  You enjoy being a superhost and the benefits of the search engine displaying your property before a non superhost property . Some would say that is unfair . Some people hate video games . The list goes on and on. 

My concern is that since the world now has an extra 3.5 million private hotel owners , the hosts are starting to lose sight of the customer. The Guests. The hosts are becoming more  concerned about their rights to choose what happens in their property than focusing on providing the very best experience possible for the guests.  The Guests currently love airbnb and the word is spreading worlwide but if we lose sight of making them extremely happy then they will stop telling their friends about the huge bennefits of Airbnb. 

In todays world a Television is as important to some guests as a bathroom so lets just give them the television and keep it part of the family friendly category and keep the guests happy.

I listen to my guests and try to provide anything that improves their experience and I treat them as I would love to be treated. They are royalty. They have chosen to come and stay in my house.

They are the guest. The most important ingredient in the process. Airbnb is just a booking platform  trying to deal with massive lightening speed expansion and we are just 3.5 million people with spare houses and rooms.  The hosting community spirit of what extra can I do for my guest is what seperates us from the millions of hotels.   

Sarah977
Level 10

And what about those guests who do not want a TV to be available for themselves or their children while on holiday, yet want a "Family Friendly" listing? Yes, there need to be some guidelines for amenities in the various categories, but how is the necessity of these amenities decided? There are enough posts from hosts here and elsewhere who say they love having families, cater to them, and that they set their place up with lots of things for kids to do, but don't want a TV. So why should those hosts be excluded from "Family Friendly" when they have stacks of games, puzzles, kids books, art supplies, a swing set, a sandbox, etc. simply because "some children" want to watch TV? My kids would have been bummed out if there was a TV provided for their entertainment and nothing else. They didn't want to watch TV. Some kids like chocolate cookies and some like vanilla-should hosts have to provide both?

And many hosts are saying that their guests told them they APPRECIATED the fact that there was no TV.

Ian84
Level 2

Hello again Sarah. 

I think you have missed my point.

Television is a universal medium of communication . Whilst I was vacationing in Ireland I wanted to watch Australia play Ireland on Australian soil so I would have been dissapointed if there was no Television.  Every item you have mentioned in your family friendly list will have a group of hosts who dont believe that those items should be there.  The swing is a legal nightmare if someone falls off and gets hurt and sandpits have been removed from all schools as they attract cats  and are unclean .

Some people obviously dislike Television . They dont have to turn it on. But if someone would like television and its not there then they cant turn it on.  Just remember that these categories are being formed to try to make it easier for guests to choose which property that suits them without having to look through every detail for each property to see whats in and whats not. In Australia a property is not deemed safe without a hard wired Fire alarm and smoke detector and fines are substantial.

Any way I think we will have to agree to disagree as there are two points of view . I will leave you to be a superhost in your own way and I will do the same.

Cheers Ian     

Lisa723
Level 10

We have WiFi and chromecast so guests can stream whatever they want. TV (satellite) is prohibitively expense for our listing value. Our guests are at least 30% families and they give us five star reviews. It’s too bad our listing can’t appear in the family category as it will therefore be effectively hidden from families for whom it would be perfect. The idea that families require tv service is just ridiculous.