Host Voice

It's 2016 and video is critical to the success of a vacation rental. Please allow hosts to either upload video, include a YouTube or Vimeo link or insert corresponding embed code to our listings. This feature is already available on other popular platforms and Airbnb should be leading the charge in this area! ... View more

Many guests (including myself) want to have a totally private pool. only used only by themselves. It would be great to be able to filter on 'Private pool'. ... View more

Gardens, Patios, Balconies, Roof Terraces, Courtyards, Outdoor kitchens and dining areas, BBQ facilities, Secure Bicycle Storage etc. - these are very important features of a property which are currently overlooked in the Amenities list. I'd like to see these outside spaces added in a new section of the amenities area which could include parking spaces, garages etc. (everything OUTSIDE of the actual living accommodation). Bizarrely, swimming pools (a relatively rare luxury!) are listed, but the humble yet desirable garden is not. Having access to an outside space would be particularly important to: - guests with pets - guests with children - guests who want to relax in a garden or other outside space - guests with bicycles / pushchairs / mobility scooters etc. - long-term guests who want 'lifestyle' choices - guests who want to smoke but only outdoors - any guest who enjoys fresh air! There would need to be a distinction between private and communal facilities. Who wants to wade through every single potential listing to find these gems when a simple amenity filter can do this for you? ... View more

I am hoping that Airbnb can add a feature to the calendar setting in which the host can choose specific dates to have a minimum night stay.  The only thing I have found is the setting to make all weekends have a minimum stay, which doesn't fit what I'm looking for.  I am really looking for the ability to set a minimum stay (say 2 nights) on dates that I know there is a high demand in the area (holiday weekends, festival weekends, etc).     It is prefereable to have the minimum stay automatic in the booking process so that a renter doesn't get disappointed after hitting the "book now" button, only to have the host reject the booking and say "sorry, we have a minimum 2 night stay that weekend." ... View more

I think it would be useful to guests to have two more filters: one for 'En-suite bathroom' and one for 'Private bathroom'. A good definition for 'en-suite bathroom' is a bathroom you can go to without needing to get dressed.  ... View more

There is such a diversity of properties on Airbnb that one size fits all for cancellation policy is never going to work. Why not let hosts choose the % of cancellation fee and timing of penalty to suit their particular context? Rationale: The policy is now global of having 100% refund to guests for hosts with Flex or Moderate cancellation policy - ie there used to be a disincentive of paying Airbnb service fee, but that is now refunded to guest. The only option to provide disincentive is to have a Strict cancellation policy that means that guests pay at least 50% on cancellation - a harsh penalty, and a glaring gap between this and other policies. Home lettings are not hotels! Some hosts will be affected much more than others with this ease of cancellation, especially remote, seasonal locations. ... View more

Hello All.   I wanted to share some information I recently received from Airbnb about their increases in service fees. I decided to find out what the guest was actually paying for my accommodation as this is not immediately apparent on the Host platform. I went in to the Airbnb site with an incognito tab and discovered that Airbnb was adding on a 14 to 15%% service fee. I was a bit surprised as they advertised that they charged between 5% and 12% (sometimes starting at 6%). I then went in and looked at a wide range of scenarios - different guest numbers, different days, and so on. In every case the service fee was well above the advertised maximum of 12%.   I had not received any notification from Airbnb that they had increased their service fees to guests, so I decided to ring them and ask about it. I felt that this was important information to inform my price settings. The customer service representative first re-stated the advertised service fee of 5% to 12%, but when I told them that mine was well above that rate, consistently, they confirmed that Airbnb had put up their service fees in August 2017 and told me they were receiving feedback about the issue and were reviewing the policy. I have been monitoring this forum and have never seen another comment about this. I invite you all to check how much Airbnb is charging from your guests so you can see clearly what is going on. This can only be done via an incognito tab, or to ask the guests directly which I have also started doing.   I have a few points I would like to communicate to Airbnb. Perhaps if any of you are experiencing the same issue we could come together to ask for further clarification.   Why did Airbnb not inform me about this significant increase? Price setting is a fundamental aspect of managing my small business. Why does Airbnb documentation still state 5% to 12%, when my customers are being charged well over this amount, on every booking? What proportion of guests are being charged at the low end of the advertised service fee - say 6%? What circumstances trigger a low service fee? Is Airbnb preparing to float the company, and therefore needs to show a greater level of profit? Is there a risk that hosts, who own the actual assets, pay for the human resources involved, and all associated costs (aside from marketing) may feel the Airbnb platform no longer represents good value for money? Price elasticity is just as important to hosts as guests. Is this leaving the market open to another major operator who feels they can offer a similar service for much less? Airbnb has already prepared the market with a huge number of enthusiastic hosts with a great deal of experience, all looking to increase their own profitability. It would seem careless to hand them over to another company willing to offer more for less. Why not take great care to preserve brand loyalty from Hosts? Does Airbnb recognise that, in the past, the brand has been associated with the "feel-good-factor" with ideas of community and sharing. When that community is faced with behaviours that may be associated with corporate greed, positive perceptions could change in a flash. We know from elections around the world that the global community is fatiguing of actions of corporate greed. Over to you hosts. In case we don't get an answer from Airbnb, we might have a go at informing each other. What's happening in your world?   Susan ... View more

Since several days when searching a place you get only results with instant booking as results. This means all the hosts that don't use instant booking will get a lot less bookings. I totally understand that AirBnB wants to make it easy for guests to book a room, but not really nice for hosts that have good reasons to not use instant booking. It makes me think again that AirBnB pushes instant book even more.    I suggest to do it different. Not instant booking is relevant for the results of your search but the time a host takes to react. I will always react in less than one hour, so a guests nows almost immediately if I will accept his or her inquiry. Hosts that are not so fast are lower in the search results. That would be more nice for all the host that wants to know more about their potential guests.    And besides that AirBnB can give guests the option to book instant (but not make it default). ... View more

We offer a chemical free/synthetic fragrance free space. In part due to our own chemical sensitivities and in part because of our desire to protect and preserve the environment.   As an airbnb guest anyone with chemical sensitivities or who is environementally conscientious  would have to contact each host directly or hope that info was in the detail/description. This takes a huge amount of time! Please open up a "green" category for your guests! I think you would find there are a lot of people out there who would use it! ... View more