Please Vote To Remove/Amend Group Payment Option Unfair to Host

Please Vote To Remove/Amend Group Payment Option Unfair to Host

Dear Fellow Hosts, Happy New Years All! I’m requesting your help as I believe our group voice and oppinions as hosts matter. I’ve communicated with Airbnb this evening and received confirmation that if more than one guest makes a reservation request, guests now have the choice to select “Group Payment” all while blocking the host calendar by selecting this new feature and have not the standard 24 hours hosts and guests nit selecting this option must adhere to but have up to 72 hours to make payment PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 24 hours given to the guest submitting the reservation request to make up for any difference in payment. This essentially means a group of any above 1 person can block a host calendar for 96 hours/ 4 DAYS and then not even book at all, all the while blocking those dates on a hosts calendar for other guests willing and able to pay in a timely fashion of 24 hours. The host presently has no options or recourse on this and wont even know when approving a request if the guest will elect group payment option. Please vote thumbs up to this post if you are in favor of removing the group option payment feature AND/OR reducing to the same 24 hours hosts and anyone else has AND/OR or in the least giving the host the option to remove this feature from their profile to book. We have a voice on this important subject if used together. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration! Best, Reina B

 



Response from Airbnb

Thanks for your feedback on Group Payments. This is a new feature and we know it needs some refining, so we really value your input. We hear your concerns about having your calendars locked while guests complete their payments. We are actively reviewing ways to address this for hosts and are still collecting feedback before we make our next change. We appreciate your patience as we continue working toward a Group Payments feature that works great for hosts and guests.

 

57 Comments

This seems like something that it would be great for hosts to have some control over.  Personally we have a very large listing that sleeps up to 13 so all the time I block out dates for guests so they have time to get their payment together and then I have to unblock those dates so they can complete their booking.  It makes tons of sense for our listing to have group payments like this but I can imagine that it is silly for lots of hosts.  It is a step towards solving a problem in our case. 

I am not sure how it works now but I imagine it would be great if this was something that was only offered for bookings over a certain amount or with a certain number of guests. 

Reina7
Level 8

Thanks so much for your input! It helps to see all sides. Even for group booking though how long do you currently give them to make their payment and finalize their booking while having ur calendar blocked for other guests?  With the way its currently set up are you ok with it automatically blocking your listing for up to 4 days/ 96 hours potentially without even booking because a guest made a request the host thought was to book and confirm within 24 hours only to find the guest is not even sure they can get everyone to make payment? 

Ginny26
Level 2

It should be a listing option that the may or may not offer.

Dave

 

Andrea9
Level 10

@Reina7

 

Top of this page under "Discuss" choose "Host Voice" from the drop down window, and post there.

Best chances of getting enough circulation and necessary thumbs up for consideration is posting the link here for us, and possibly additionally making a new post on Hosting with the direct link.

 

Cheers, Andrea

Lizzie
Former Community Manager

Hello @Reina7

 

Thanks for sharing this. I have moved this thread to the Host Voice board (as @Andrea9) mentions. 

 

I hope this is fine with you.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie

 

Benedetta43
Level 1

Dear Fellow Hosts, I completely agree with @Reina7.

I already have a comprehensive and clear framework of all the aspects and consequences of this new (huge) Airbnb implementation, that I will try to explain in the next few days.

Meanwhile, me too, I vote to fix in 24 hours the maximum limit, to complete the payment.

Benedetta, Rome

Fiona34
Level 2
I think this is an appalling new option, I didn’t realise and my guest with a group booking they have not paid for means my calendar is now tbooked out for 15 days and I can do nothing about it, it is completely unacceptable and I am furious
Mariza16
Level 1

I agree, the idea that potential guests can hold your booking calendar hostage for 72 hours is ridiclous, 24 h max and in addition there should be the optin for hosts to not accept shared payment bookings especialy during peak seasons.

agree.  72 hours is too long

Zappa0
Level 10

Agreed. Lots of last minute bookings potentially lost!!