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

[Reina7]

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

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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.

[Hanna68]

Agreed

[Hanna68]

This new feature truly seems unfair.

A few suggestions for improvement: (i) Hosts should be allowed to opt out, (ii) Groups should be defined as three people or more, (iii) A non-refundable deposit should be charged that goes to the host in case of non-cancellation, (iv) The payment period should be reduced to 24 hours, and (v) repeated booking by the same group of the same property should be prevented. 

[Ben205]

Definitely want Group Payment as currently featured removed. Locking my calendar while people go off and decide if they want to pay just isn't fair.

Give us an opt out or at least keep our cancellation policy in place during the 'payment period' (which, at 72 hours is ridiculous). If they don't pay the full amount, it becomes a cancellation.

[Jessica654]

I do not understand why a guest who plans to paying in full cannot reserve dates but this group payment feature allows groups to reserve dates. It should be up to the host if they want to reserve dates for inquiries. Does anyone know how close to the check in date guest can use this feature? If check in is 3 days away do they still get 4 days to pay? Even if 4 days to check in, can it be cancelled without a fee that day? This is just one more reason why Airbnb is not fair to host, I’m glad this is being reviewed and really hope they actually do something about it.

[Richard494]

When a group leader makes a booking on their credit card, then get between 30 and 60 interest free days to collect funds from the rest of their group. Whilst I can see that the ability to split the burden of collecting monies from the group helps the lead booker, the 96 hour grace period is totally unnecessary and should be replaced with the 24 hour period as for all other bookings.

There's surely been enough noise on this subject for airbnb to take some action now?

[Claire388]

I strongly agree with Reina. Host should be allowed to select if he/she would like to participate the group paymetn option.

[David2118]

Strongly agree that hosts should have option here. For those it helps, that means more bookings. For those it hurts, which generally means those hosts fill their listings in a diff way, why force it on us?

Win-Win-Win [Guests-Hosts-AirBnB].