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pay for the human resources involved, and all associated costs (aside from marketing) may feel the Airbnb platform no longer represents good value for money?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 this idea

Speaking for the US, Id say that MOST areas not only have some sort of State charged tax, (hotel, occupancy, sales, use etc), but also have some form of city, county or local assesment zone that also has a madatory tax/assesment that needs to be collected.   The current suggested solutions to this are: Add the amount of the charge to the rate.  This is a poor option as then that additional amount is taxed for the state tax that AirBnb charges which is incorrect. You can exempt that amount on your annual statement but that is a huge pain. Also it inflates what it looks like your charging when infact it is a mandatory tax.  Also legally in many state an invoice to customers has to have these diferent taxes broken out. Send the guest a "Special Offer".  Seriously?  What kind of PR is that to send a customer a "Special Offer" saying that you owe more money? Put in your description/rules that the customer  will be charged more in person once you arrive. On the outside this seams like an option except that if everyone in your area doesnt do this on their listing chances are you lost that booking. My Suggestions: Just scrap Airbnb tax collection.  Allow the hosts to add a couple % charges so that the customer sees what these charges are that Airbnb is collecting and flowing through to me and let me file and pay the taxes. Similar to suggestion 1 just let AirBnb continue to collect the state portion as its the same throughout each state but still allow hosts the option of an addition % based assesment that is not taxed for the state portion so that our customers have a clear sense of exactly what they are being charged and the host doesnt have to have a complicated tax formula to pay a simple tax.   View this idea

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 this idea

It would be amazing to have a filter that would only show listings that have a piano available for the guests. I'm sure other fellow pianists who love to travel would agree! View this idea

I recently received an Instant Book, along with a message from Airbnb that "Guest's  check-in time is: 2PM - 4PM"   Which is nice, except that my stated check-in is after 3pm.   Guests should ONLY be allowed to pick a check-in time that is within the host's already specified window. The current set-up gives the guests the mistaken impression that they can select any time. If a guest needs something outside of a hosts' stated offering, that needs to be sent through as an inquiry, not an InstantBooking.   On another forum an IB guest selected a noon check-in on a listing with a 3pm check-in and ended up waiting in a cafe for 3 hours. As a host, I do all I can to set reasonable expectations and delight guests by exceeding them. Airbnb is working against hosts by setting expectations we can't reasonably meet. How can a host possibly have a listing prepped by noon when checkout is 11am and it takes 2-3 hours to clean?   Please fix this issue ASAP! View this idea

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 this idea

During the phase where a guest completes their reservation please have them list info for EVERY guest. So if they have made a reservation for 6 people, they would be provided with 5 additional fields to list the names (I'd love to have age as well, but I'd settle for a name).      This would also be an ideal place to add a note about this host does or does not allow additional unregistered guests on property  There could also be a note here that says "notify your host if this guest list needs to change" View this idea

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 this idea

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 this idea

In the city we live in guests tend to book last minute, and I have been checking to see where our listing appears in the search results and for the past little while ONLY Instant Book listings have been appearing. I searched for tomorrow and from 8 pages of results, EVERY SINGLE ONE was Instant Book. Our listing is available tomorrow but it did not appear, and only appeared once I zoomed in on the map.  Airbnb claims to offer a unique experience since you stay in people's actual homes. There are those of us who actually live in the homes we rent out and for various reasons (scheduling, making sure the guests will respect our house rules, and that we can meet them to give them the keys when they arrive) we want to communicate with them before accepting them into our home. So why are we being discriminated against in the search results when we actually offer what Airbnb claims is the biggest differentiator between them and the competition?  View this idea

I have just found out today that Instant Book (going forward IB) is a DEFAULT search parameter for potential guests.  The only reason I found this out is that in the last 60 days or so my viewings and reservation requests have completely dropped to ZERO.  The person searching for a place to stay has to turn IB off to see ALL LISTINGS otherwise they will see ONLY IB listings.  Once again Airbnb has decided for us and is FORCING us to be IB Hosts or your listing will not be seen by potential guests, unless they actively turn IB off.  My contention is that most searchers don't even know what IB is or if they care.  They are getting search results and that's all they care about and that's also the reason I am not getting bookings or views for my listing.   How can they not understand that IB is NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL?  I have another job, I do not always have my place ready for guests nor does my schedule allow me to drop other responsibilities to clean and prep for guests.   I can't help but feel Airbnb is discriminating against me and it's pretty overt.  If you feel the same, please "Like" this comment so we can get this escalated up the Airbnb chain.  They are giving Instant Book listings priority.  Why don't they give priority to Super Hosts, Hosts with Zero Cancellations, Hosts with Years of Experience?     View this idea

Under the House Rules settings, if a host selects NO to either or both of the settings concerning suitabilty for children (one for ages 2-12 and the other for ages 0-2), that clearly indicates that the property is NOT suitable for those ages. However, on the listing page itself, which guests see, the rule reads "MAY not be suitable..." (emphasis mine). This is 100% incorrect and is highly misleading.   The fix for this is incredibly simple, not involving the underlying code logic, but some simple text edits. Simply delete the word "May", change the first letter of "not" to uppercase, and delete the word "be". Done! Of course, I suppose the identical fix might have to be made in three separate locations, which is still not all that hard.   By the way, fellow hosts, if this affects your listing, PLEASE click the Thumbs-Up button. If this item doesn't receive the required number of "votes", then it will be "archived" by AirBnB. ("Archived" means it will be removed from here and ignored.)   View this idea

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 this idea

I have read with great interest posts from hosts all over about the rating/review system, yes it needs fixing and it is skewed to allow the guests to nit pick. I have also wondered if we have created our own problem. I look at many listings and think, they are beautiful rooms/apartments, who wouldn't want to go stay in them. They are what I will call over the top listings. We have all gone to a lot of trouble to create warm and welcoming spaces to share with travellers, but do the travellers really appreciate what you have created for them? Some do apparently, and give your glowing reviews, but many do not. I also look at the rates you are choosing to ask for a stay in the beautiful spaces, and again I am wondering why you are under rating your space and service. In some locations this ends up being a pricing war spiralling downwards.   Lets get back to basics - Airbnb was created by some young people desperate to raise the rent money for the next week and they indentified an opportunity because there was a need during that particular week for places to stay. "Air beds on the floor with a basic breakfast" we have moved a long way from those beginings.   Therefore we have created guest expectations of "luxury for less", when actually we should have gone the other way "Private luxury for more". You, the guest, get to stay in some fantastic locations around the world, in someone elses home, and in some cases have that host at your bec and call, (like a butler!) and you don't think you should pay for the priviledge.   Many guests do not understand, the concept of Airbnb, and become a demanding guest, like they were in an hotel. Expecting pillow selections, bathrobes, slippers, complimentary luxury toiletries, fresh flowers, chocolates, wine, gourmet breakfasts, and the list goes on. Then the host is quivering in his boots because he does not want a bad review and if he doesn't supply these things the guests will not be happy.  STOP this syndrome please.   Hosts please ask yourselves, Am I under valuing my service? Truly answer.   Airbnb ask yourselves, Are we being fair to the hosts with the current review system?         View this idea

I have been a host for over 5 years and in 2017 customer service has gone so far down hill that I have to reconsider my association with the platform.   Literally every customer service request that I have made this year has been bungled at best and met with hostile and inappropriate communication from CS managers at worst (it was shocking!).   This is occuring at a time when platforms to support customer and host success (Zendesk, Gainsight) have never been better at automating an exceptional CS experience.   Hire a new lead to spin up a host / customer success program.   If funding is a barriar, shut down the failed and confusing experiences division.  Lack of attention to CS is going to tank AirBnB and we deserve better.   Long gone are the days of AirBnB hosting local dinners for hosts and I really miss both feeling like a part of a cool community (at best) and even basic customer service no longer seems to be a focus.    I want to see you succeed!   Please do better by your community.  View this idea

From the November newsletter: "Infants (under 2 years of age) will not count toward your guest maximum"   Please, please don't do this! I charge for extra guests because they mean more work for me. I have no problem with babies at all, but my experience has been that parents of babies leave the place messier, I assume because they are busy with baby-related matters. That's totally understandable, so I don't want to downrate them for it. I just want to be compensated for the work I do.   This is not giving us "more control" -- it's taking away control. Under this policy we would not even know if there is a baby. It's just another surprise guest and more work for us. I would either have to say "no babies" which is unfair to parents, or write in some complicated, awkward workaround in my rules.   This change is totally unnecessary. Let the guests fill in the ages of any children and let us set who we count as extra, so the guests can make their choice. View this idea

I just went in and searched for my home via my small home town, and all three of the Airbnb houses in our tiny town were located several pages back, starting as the 41st property in the specific town name search!  All three Superhost houses - with plenty of reviews - were lost, including mine, behind dozens of homes that are located as much as 50 miles away!  I do understsand why Airbnb would include other homes in the vicinity (although it still hasn't figured out how to do nearby locations very well.)  But, if a Guest is looking for a specific town, then the properties in that town should show first!  Hosts don't list their town names in their title, so Airbnb is not only promoting mis-information, it is punishing those very properties who should show up when people look for a specific placename.  We've been concerned with why we have had very few Views and Inquiries or Requests, when we've been so busy since opening our second home up 18 months ago, and it is because we are multiple pages back in our own home town that has only 3 Airbnb properties!  AND WE ARE SUPERHOSTS WITH 5 STAR RATINGS!  How fair is that! View this idea

Some hosts finds IB good and  convenient and some hosts feels uncofortable to use IB. I had read many of the same discussion as Airbnb favors IB, and those who do not use it are lower ranked in searches. And it is not fair for those who do not feel comfortable useing IB. So Airbnb should make two new check box when guest open Airbnb site: 1)    Listings you can book without waiting for host approval to stay at their place 2)   Listings you can book after host approve your stay a t  their place Hos ts who dont feel confortable useing IB wont be mixed up with hosts who do use it and be pushed down in favor of IB users because they would have their own check box and they will have same starting position.   View this idea

Now that Airbnb has provided a number of options for "risk-free" cancellations before a reservation - including 48 hours to cancel, 3 free a year, the Extenuating Circumstances Policy, split payments, delayed payments, and making the guest agree explicitly to the cancellation policy prior to booking - it's time to modify the middle cancellation policy to be more strict as the date of the reservation is pending.  Today the end of the grace period is at 5 days.  Even your algorithym admits that open reservation dates with less than a week to go are a detriment and Smart Pricing drops those open dates to the minimum long before then.  So a cancellation at 6 days will likely go unfulfilled and the host, after holding that reservation for weeks or months, will receive nothing.  With all the options for the guest to cancel prior to 5 days out or penalty free if they have a legit issue fitting the Extenuating Circumstances policy, the penalty phase of Moderate cancellation should start at 14 days.  2 weeks prior is plenty of time to know if you are not going on a holiday and want to cancel penalty-free.  It will also protect hosts who are popular and could book in advance had the guest not blocked the time.  2 weeks to try to rebook is a reasonable amount of time to get another booking so if the host should, indeed, rebook, the guest would get a full refund, otherwise they would be partially penalized as they are today.  View this idea

Fellow hosts, guests, & the Airbnb team,    After noticing that pending guests’ profile pictures have been greyed out for a time, and after several calls and follow up with Airbnb, I have learned that this is not a glitch, but an “experiment” in which 5% of all global hosts have been enrolled to measure discrimination by censoring guests’ profile pictures.  As a Superhost on Airbnb who has been enrolled without permission or notification…I am disappointed and insulted that Airbnb doesn’t trust me to be non-discriminatory…that as a visual person who enjoys to see the way that people of any race, gender, or ethnicity choose to present themselves and the environment that they frame themselves in are now censored …that Airbnb doesn’t allow me to get to know a stranger a little bit before accepting them into my own home… it makes me feel untrusted…judged…guilty until proven innocent…creeped out (for the guest can see me, my property, and profile, while I can’t see back through that one way window).  To use the cliche “a picture speaks a thousand words”, this move, which did not take into account any feedback, permission, or consensus from hosts, really is a step in the wrong direction. Airbnb is about community and trust. To assume discrimination as a default is really insulting to those of us who are inviting diversity into our own homes.    I have taken the Airbnb pledge to be non-discriminatory, and it is genuine. I enjoy hosting guests of all walks of life, ethnicities, preferences, etc. This should be the default assumption of all hosts until proven otherwise.    When I myself am a guest on Airbnb, in the unlikely but possible circumstance that a host would be discriminatory against me, I’d prefer that host to have the full, unfiltered version of my profile, pictures and all, so that I could avoid being placed in a position where I would be staying in someone’s home who would be discriminatory.    Airbnb, please unblock my guests’ profile pictures. They and I do not deserve to be censored!      Thanks,    -Trevor https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/457547   View this idea

There have been lots of posts from hosts who are frustrated that their listing isn't appearing on searches. Last night I had a frustrating experience from the other side of the bed!   I am planning some upcoming trips and wanted to do some research to book accommodations through Airbnb - which will be a first for me, although I am an active host. I was very excited to be able to experience the other side of Airbnb as a guest, after having had such pleasurable experiences as a host.   I put in my dates, the basic features I was given to choose from (entire home, 1 bedroom, Instant Book OFF) and price range. What appeared was what seemed like a completely random, and overwhelming, list of hundreds of options that I then had to laboriously sort through to find what I was looking for.   I would have liked an opportunity to have been able to sort the results.  Things like Superhost status, quality of review, numbers of reviews, price. What should have taken me a relatively short period of time, and given me access to the listings most suited to my needs, instead resulted in an hours long search as I waded through mediocre listings to find the pearls.   My first guest experience was not very satisfying, and I can understand the frustrations of excellent hosts who are not appearing high in the rankings. It is those excellent hosts that I wanted to find! I don't want to wade through pages and pages of mediocre listings from less than committed hosts to find the hosts and the properties that I know will meet my expectations.   Although I was looking forward to an Airbnb experience, it would have been way easier to have used a conventional booking platform to have found accommodations for my upcoming trips. Perhaps not as fun, but definitely more user friendly and efficient. Every major booking site out there allows me to sort my search result by price, stars, and reviews.   I watched the live presentation today from the LA Open about upcoming additions to the Airbnb platform. I wish the creators would spend more time improving what they already have, rather than coming up with new innovations. I definitely had a less than positive experience trying to book as a guest, which impacts all of us as hosts.   Jude   PS Although this isn't a hosting issue - ultimately it is - since the inability of guests to easily find the property that best suits their needs affects every host. I might have been looking for some of YOU, but couldn't find you because you were buried many pages back and it just wasn't feasable for me to continue searching after a certain period of time. Had I been able to sort my results your listing may have moved up to a place where I could easily find it.   If you think the search function needs to be improved, benefitting both guests and hosts, please add your voice and thumbprint. :-) View this idea

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 this idea

@ lizzie admin   Please Help! The new layout is so hard to work with! Please put all those price related management functions back to the side of the calendar!   For example, Calendar vs Availability setting: I can not look at my calendar and design my availability on the new layout! In the previous layout, it is so easy to look at the calendar on the left site and set up special availability on the right side.   Now with the new layout, I have to go to calendar, write down the dates, and click to management setting--- click to ---- availability and click to "special request" to make my changes. And if I forget, I have to go back again!!!!   So hard to do!!!!   Jennifer   Jennifer View this idea

Under the House Rules settings, if a host selects NO to either or both of the settings concerning suitabilty for children (one for ages 2-12 and the other for ages 0-2), that clearly indicates that the property is NOT suitable for those ages. However, on the listing page itself, which guests see, the rule reads "MAY not be suitable..." (emphasis mine). This is 100% incorrect and is highly misleading.   The fix for this is incredibly simple, not involving the underlying code logic. Simply delete the word "May", change the first letter of "not" to uppercase, and delete the word "be". Done! Of course, I suppose the identical fix might have to be made in three separate locations, which is still not all that hard.   Please have someone edit that text, AirBnB.   By the way, when I reported this bug via @AirbnbHelp, the response I received made it clear that the support person didn't even understand the issue. Or didn't read past the first sentence of my brief message.   By the way #2, someone else had posted this same issue here a couple of months ago. That post received only 16 Thumbs-Up, so it got archived instead of being forwarded to AirBnB. If this issue matters to you, please click the thumb! Thanks.   View this idea

Recently, I've had two guests book my otherwise pet-excluded space with therapy animals. I was surprised at the lack of support for hosts in Airbnb's policy and would like to see this policy revised. I am an amimal lover and dog owner, and am totally supportive of the use of assistance animals; but there are issues for hosts that Airbnb's one-sided policy ignores:   1) That the guest doesn't have to disclose the presence of a therapy animal prior to booking. Transparency is fundamental to trust. This is homesharing, these are not commercial spaces. It's only fair that the host is totally prepared and that any questions are resolved prior to a guest stay. 2) That the host cannot charge extra due to the presence of a tharapy animal. This is not a only matter of how well trained the therapy animal is. The next guest may have severe allergies that, being a pet-excluded home, may not come up during the booking process. Spaces should get a "deep clean" to get rid of pet fur and dander that the therapy animal leaves behind. Airbnb may be jeopardizing the host's future guest satisfaction if the host can't afford adequate cleaning after the guest with an animal leaves. 3) That Airbnb requires no documention for assistance animals. Any bona fide assistance animal should have documnentation that describes what services it provides and how it has beeen trained. As for Emotial Support Animals (ESA's) it's worth noting that ANY animal can be considered an ESA (birds, pigs, etc.) and it's particularly easy to get a letter or vest online. Property managers are allowed to ask for a letter from a doctor or a licensed therapist if an animal is considered an ESA. 4) Just because an animal is good with humans doesn't mean it gets along with other animals. This should be self-explanatory, but animal-to-animal dynamics can be unpredictable and it's not fair to the host, the hosts pets or the guest's animal that unfamilar animals be foisted upon each other.   You need to do better on this one, Airbnb. View this idea

Sorry about all the posts but I just found this forum and have had time to collect a lot of suggestions over the years!   Star system--The most common complaint I see from hosts is about the ratings system. It even inspired a magazine article, of which I am sure that Airbnb is aware. The current system where only a 5 star review is acceptable does not work, and is obviously not understood by guests. When a couple of four star listings causes a host to get a warning, then something is very, very wrong. Guests are not going to understand that they are actually penalizing a host with a four star review. In most places a four star review is pretty darn good. If Airnbnb is going to continue to use the five star system, they need to make sure that guests understand that the rating is based on expectations, and it's not a hotel rating of ameneties. When a guest leaves a four (or three or two) star rating, they are actually taking away one or two stars, not awarding them.   Lack of Feedback-- Although Airbnb thanfully FINALLY made it so you can see which overall rating a guest left, they took away the ability to see the rating in individual categories. Now we have no way of knowing which guest left a lesser individual rating, or why. The system is currently set up to punish hosts, not to create a platform for improvement. There should be a note that says: "If you left a review that is less than 5 stars, please explain why" so that hosts can know exactly where they need to improve.  View this idea

I never knew this features even existed, but I'm co-host for a friend and she just lost Superhost status because of the following.    I know about guest cancellations and how they work. I know about guests wanting to cancel but putting it in as a 'booking change' with 'today' as the check-out date as a faux-cancellation with more refund and bypassing the cancellation polcy.    But the following process just seems wrong, or broken:      So this is the GUEST requesting that the HOST cancels.      Do people understand that this is not the same as the host deciding to go on holiday or whatever and cancelling a booking, leaving the guest in difficulty?   Clearly that sort of cancellation by a host warrants a penalty and loss of Superhost status.   But why is a guest changing his mind and requesting that the host cancels considered the same thing when the host doesn't accept (and doesn't respond to) the cancel request?   Again: if you don't accept that cancellation and don't actively deny it then it will expire, and it will come up as a HOST cancellation, along with full loss of income, penalites and loss of superhost status.  You could argue that a host shouldn't every let any request expire, but either way, why is this guest-initiated cancellation request treated the same as a host cancelling on a guest who still wants to stay?    If anythign the host would be doing the guest an huge favor by allowing the cancellation and full refund, yet she is penalized.     View this idea

Our town is about to require short-term rental (STR) hosts to collect a 9 percent hotel occupancy tax (HOT). Some citites cal it a lodging tax.   Because we live in a small town, Airbnb doesn't automaticallly collect HOT taxes and remit them to the local taxing authority. I get that; you can't provide that service everywhere you have hosts.   But at the very least, please add a line in our pricing settings that would allow us to include the HOT tax as part of the up-front total price that guests will be paying, and identify that amount as a tax.   The current options for doing this are terrible: either respond to every guest booking request with the unwelcome news that we'll be charging 9 percent more than what they thought they were paying and then ask them to accept a "Special Offer" for a higher amount, or handle the HOT tax transaction off the books with an in-person transaction, which utterly obliterates one of the key advantages of Airbnb as a reservation platform.   I realize I'll have to pass those dollars on to the city; that's my responsibility as a host and I'm fine with it. But if the tax amount is built into the platform, then we can avoid a lot of hassle with guests. (Honestly, if I sent a booking request to an Airbnb host and received a response saying they want 9 percent more "for taxes" and I can pay in person, I'd probably pass on that listing. This is just bad business.)   Seriously, guys. Is that THAT HARD to just add a line for occupancy tax percentages? You do it for extra guests and deposits. How about one more?      At least one of your competitors, HomeAway, provides this option for hosts. It's mystifying to me why Airbnb doesn't. View this idea

I was really looking forward to having my listing professionally photographed by Airbnb, however, after seeing the results I was deeply disappointed with the outcome.  I removed all of the professionally taken photographs from my listing as I think they present my listing in a bad light:  the listing looked sterile and uninviting.  I had no control over which pictures would be selected and yet I am expected to pay for this service. I was not allowed to select the pictures that were taken whilst they were being taken, I also advised the photographer about items I didn't want in the pictures. He assured me those items would not be there. And yet, when the pictures were uploaded those items were present.  I would not recommend this service to any other Airbnb host as hosts have no say in the process and yet are expected to pay for it.  The photographer had the attitude that he was working for Airbnb and not for me. There is an old expression that "he who pays the piper calls the tune", however in this case I had paid the piper and I have no say in the music.  I would like to offer the following suggestions to improve this service: 1. Hosts should be allowed to see previous work of the photographer so they can select the photographer who best suits their style  2. Give hosts more control over the process 3. Only charge hosts once they're happy with the photographs 4. Allow hosts to select the pictures whilst the photographer is actually taking the photographs   I contacted Airbnb about this on November 11, 2017, and now, nearly 2 weeks later I still haven't received a decision regarding a refund.    View this idea

Did I miss the memo here? Did Airbnb ask hosts about this decision? Okay, I get it that people with infants usually bring portable beds, but once they're up and running, my inclination would be to charge extra rather than not charge for toddlers. Up to a year, sure. We're absentee hosts, but our friend who does our turnovers and reports how people left our cabin often reports having to do extra cleanup, cope with quantities of disposable diapers, etc. And it's totally easy to understand how a mom with teeny-tinies is hard pressed to be out at checkout time, much less tidy up the dishes and mop the squashed blueberries off the floor, and the cupboards, and the furniture...  Fortunately, our accountant recently advised us that our property, on a main road and unfenced on one side, simply isn't appropriate for kids under 6, so we have changed our policy and rent only to adults and people with older children. But I think Airbnb is imposing on hosts with this one, and I'd suggest re-thinking it.   View this idea

It's 2017 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 this idea

The 14 days visibility of reviews is a disservice to hosts especially when some guests are house hopping -destroying property and airbnb does nothing to help with damages. Hosts need to be updated immediately so they can be forewarned.  View this idea

Recently I had to cancel a guest's booking as it was clear that she hadn't read my House Rules and the place was a bad fit for her needs.  She told me that she'd booked via the app and that my additional House Rules (and they are legion...) weren't shown to her.  I checked, and she's right; they aren't. This is crazy.   Please fix it, ASAP. View this idea

I find myself always sending out the same messages over and over. Now the relatively new 'saved messages' is great, but it would be nice if some of it could be automated, so the relevant information can be dished out at the appropriate time:   1. Booking Confirmation: straight after a booking is made, it would be nice to send a confirmation message to say thank you for picking us, along with address and travel tips. 2. Check-in Reminder: 24 or 48 hour before check-in, a message about check-in time and how to obtain keys. 3. Arrival message: on the day of arrival at check-in time, send a welcome message with house menual, rules reminder, wifi password etc.  4. Check-out reminder: the evening before check-out (say 18 hours before your typical 10~11am check-out time), a reminder of the check-out time, how to return key, and good bye have a nice trip etc.   View this idea

By far the most prevalent topic on this forum has been hosts' opposition to Instant Book, which is currently being imposed by means of a default filter -- if you don't have IB turned on, your listing disappears.  At least a dozen threads have addresssed this matter, with basically unanimous opposition to IB for shared homes. Those of us who share our homes -- the founding concept and life blood of Airbnb -- have been objecting strenuously to being forced to accept unvetted guests.   Like many others protesting, I am a Superhost and have been welcoming guests for almost 5 years. I am widowed, 63, and live alone. I depend heavily on Airbnb income, which has been my salvation since my spouse's untimely death.  So, this is crucially important to folks like me, who can't just accept any potential weirdo into our homes.   And depite the importance of this issue, Airbnb is DETERMINED to impose IB, and is now silencing hosts' voices about it. My previous post was at the top of the "Popular" section, with 76 likes and 3 pages of comments, all opposing IB. It was suddenly "archived" -- although it was newer and more commented upon than the remaining threads.  I just noticed that another, very recent thread opposing IB and garnerng lots of support, was similarly "archived" without any apparent reason other than Airbnb's refusal to hear our concerns.   Airbnb, get your head out of the sand and give up this awful imposition of IB!  And stop censoring the very HOSTS' VOICES you say you want to hear on this forum!     View this idea

I get great reviews, positive comments on cleanliness, breakfast, communication, making people feel welcome and so on. I work extremely hard to be a good host. Yet I have 4.8% 5 star rating.   The majority of my 4 stars are for 'overall experience'. This could be because the sun did not shine that weekend, they were disappointed with the museums, perhaps they were not keen on the supermarket nearby, maybe they wished Cambridge were Ibiza ..or in an ideal world their room would have had an en-suite bathroom.. who knows?   'Overall Experience' is unquantifiable. Neither the guest nor the host know exactly what it is. If a guest gives 5 stars for everything else except 'overall experience' what is the host supposed to do to improve? Move house?     View this idea

Could we please have a feature on the Availabiity setting to require bookings on a Friday or Saturday to include both nights? Hosts miss out on weekend only bookings because guests can book Thursday to Friday or Saturday to Monday , leaving only one weekend night available for potential guests. The feature should be expanded to include the option of a Friday and Saturday night , not just Friday or Saturday night.   View this idea

I get a text message to my phone when guests message me and I was, until a few days ago, able to just reply right in the text message and it would get sent to the guest. NOW it's telling me to open the bloody app to reply!! If you are busy and all you need to say is, "That's fine." it's UTTERLY ANNOYING to have to launch the app and have it sit there and wait to get to the message and reply. This is a ridiculous innefficiency!  View this idea

Have a way for your hosts to contact you!!!! It is obvious you have made a conscious choice to make contacting you nearly impossible.  Why is there not a link right at the bottom of the page to customer service with an email and a phone option like every other major company operating on the internet. View this idea

Even though we stay 92-96% booked every month, month after month, year after year, the silly "price tips" continue to chime in that we should drop our rates by some percentage (8%, 11%, etc) or by some dollar amount (which always seems randomly made up) because "131 people looked at your listing this week but booked elsewhere for $XX less. Consider reducing your rates by X%". The reason that all those people booked elsewhere is because WE ARE ALWAYS FULLY BOOKED even at the rates we charge. Please add some f'ing intelligence to your simplistic algorithms, AirBnB. For example, try learning how to analyze dates way, way off in the future (3-6 months) and offer suggestions for that. Or figure out how to compare the booking statistics for various places in an area and take into account which ones book up 80% 3 months in advance and 95% 2 months in advance versus those that are only booked 45% for the current month. My point is that your current analysis and algorithms are essentially meaningless and, most likely, leading new, inexperienced hosts astray. Also, they're quite annoying. View this idea

I would like guests to have to include the individual names of all people included in their reservation. I have had times where the Airbnb member makes the reservation, but their guest arrives first to check in. Or other times where the Airbnb member is out working or gone for the day and the person accompanying them stays here all day.  I've never had a problem, but it sometimes makes me feel uneasy that I am letting a total stranger into my home not even knowing who they are. I realize that simply having their name doesn't provide any safety, but it seems logical for hosts to know who's entering their homes, especially for hosts like me who live on the property.   Also, as far as I understand it the insurance coverage by Airbnb for guests only includes people in the reservation. I wonder how this is determined if the additional guests are never listed anywhere.   When I have guests book I always message them to ask who will be with them while they're staying, so at least I have a paper trail of all the names. I think it would be great if when guests enter the "number of guests" on the reservation that a corrolating number of lines would pop up for them to have to enter each individual name.     We are pretty laid back hosts and luckily I haven't heard of problems with guests, but when you really think about it Hosts are pretty vulnerable opening up their homes to perfect strangers sleeping right down the hall - kind of goes against all the safety guidelines that we all hear about never allowing anyone we don't know into our homes.   View this idea

Hi, I currently have a cleaning fee of $60 which the full amount goes to our cleaning lady to make sure the place is immaculate before the guest arrives. For longer term guests, there should be a larger cleaning fee based on a cadence that is added to the listing. For example: Short term guests fee: $60 (under 1 week) Long term guest: 8 week stay, cleaning biweekly= $240 cleaning fee We had guests hat had never used Airbnb and came from India where they had a maid that cleaned DAILY and was paid $1/day. I think if there are clear expectations set for the cleaning cadence as well as the price that goes with it, this would ensure that everyone world wide will know what to expect. View this idea

After noticing that pending guests’ profile pictures have been greyed out for a time, and after several calls and follow up with Airbnb, I have learned that this is not a glitch, but an “experiment” in which 5% of all global hosts have been enrolled to measure discrimination by censoring guests’ profile pictures.  As a Superhost on Airbnb who has been enrolled without permission or notification…I am disappointed and insulted that Airbnb doesn’t trust me to be non-discriminatory…that as a visual person who enjoys to see the way that people of any race, gender, or ethnicity choose to present themselves and the environment that they frame themselves in are now censored …that Airbnb doesn’t allow me to get to know a stranger a little bit before accepting them into my own home… it makes me feel untrusted…judged…guilty until proven innocent…creeped out (for the guest can see me, my property, and profile, while I can’t see back through that one way window).  To use the cliche “a picture speaks a thousand words”, this move, which did not take into account any feedback, permission, or consensus from hosts, really is a step in the wrong direction. Airbnb is about community and trust. To assume discrimination as a default is really insulting to those of us who are inviting diversity into our own homes.    I have taken the Airbnb pledge to be non-discriminatory, and it is genuine. I enjoy hosting guests of all walks of life, ethnicities, preferences, etc. This should be the default assumption of all hosts until proven otherwise.    When I myself am a guest on Airbnb, in the unlikely but possible circumstance that a host would be discriminatory against me, I’d prefer that host to have the full, unfiltered version of my profile, pictures and all, so that I could avoid being placed in a position where I would be staying in someone’s home who would be discriminatory.    Airbnb, please unblock my guests’ profile pictures. They and I do not deserve to be censored!    View this idea

I posted this( https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Hosts/SAFTEY-Was-the-street-name-and-very-accurate-map-listed-before/m-p/369675#M84371)   last night and is good idea  to also post this concern here.   Ps- i apologize for misspelling "safety" !   The whole post is here also :   I do hosting for few years now, and form what i've knew, without a confirmed booking, potential guests were shown only the radius location of adress. NOW, i see airbnb lists our(hosts) street also, and togheter with that radius location, a host adress can quite easily be found if a potential troubled guest wants to. I've had quite a few, very descriptive, negative and mean messages written after i've had to decline certain potential guests. The adress can not be changed once you save one, only a new listing can have dif. Adress, but thne you loose the reviews... What are your thoughts about this ? View this idea

Please make guests have a profile picture of their face. Really frustrating when waiting for guests and you do not know what they look like.  At times I have been at my front door looking for a bowl of fruit, a horse, a dog and somones back!! View this idea

This was a handy feature on the dashboard notifications page. It would tell me who I have not yet left a review for and how many days are left to review them, as well as the reviews I can review because the guest left theirs too. This is no longer there. Now I just get a notification telling me I can now see a review because we've both left one. The list of those I have forgotten to review isn't there.   Please bring this back!! It was useful! View this idea

Many hosts have voiced concerns regarding the fairness of the location rating.  It is more fair to rate a host based on the accuracy and description of their listing (i.e. communication). Guests often choose locations that are not in "hot neighborhoods" because of the price. It is disparaging to be rated on things that we cannot control, but have often priced fairly as a result of awareness of our location--such as distance to transportation, dining, or other attractions.     My neighborhood is urban, residential, and developing, all of which are stated in the listing. Many travelers seem to want a good deal, and not the price required to pay for staying directly in one of the more popular parts of the city. That is a choice they have the right to make, however, it is not fair to make this choice, get a great value, awesome amenities, and then rate a location poorly, when they were clearly informed about distance to attractions in the city, the type of neighborhood, and the walk to nearest public transportation.  I've had people leave me a low location rating and comment that there was trash in the street as they walked to the metro....which have nothing to do with my efforts as a host! Hosts can't control the litter, particularly not on the way to the listing. Ratings should be based on constructive feedback and factors that we can control and improve upon as necessary, such as listing accuracy and descriptions. Guests who desire to be "in the heart of it all" should either pay for those conveniences, or accept that they have chosen to stay off the beaten path for a place that offers other wonderful amenities and a great value.    The location rating can be seen as unintentionally biased towards certain neighborhoods, such as places that are heavily populated by people of color (such as is the case with many neighborhoods in Washington, DC). It would be encouraging for Airbnb to focus on areas both hosts and guests can improve, such as communication, accuracy, and equity.  A location is not something a host can choose, but a host can accurately describe their space. A guest can be expected to read and make an informed decision. As a company that is centered on inclusion, it is important to spread this to not only guests, but to your hosts. Without hosts who feel valued, included, and who feel that they can take ownership of the criteria that they will be judged on, the Airbnb platform would fail. I hope that along with many of the other wonderful enhancements that have been recently made to the Airbnb platform, some real consideration will be given to how guests should view location, how this review can be merged into areas that host can develop and better manage, and to make the review process one that is fair and unbiased for all who use this platform.  View this idea

Dear Airbnb (are you out there??)   I allow dogs at our rental, but for an extra charge (=more money for YOU!).  I have to send a special offer, which is confusing to the guest.  You guys could make things a lot more user friendly by allowing the guests to check off a box for the pet which shows an extra cleaning fee and adding $X to the security deposit.   Easy fix and super helpful to host AND guest!   Thanks Kristen ** View this idea

Please add the option for guests to tick a box when they want extra amenities (for example we have free street parking but can also rent a parking spot inside the private courtyard, but we have to pay for it and often the guests do not read the description to see this part and then we are put in a really awkward situation when we have to explain that they need to pay more for something they thought was free, and bringing a pet is the other example). If when they book there is an option to tick a box to pay for the "extras" it would make things easier for everyone because the guests will understand what they can expect and we don't have to have an awkward situation where we feel as if we tricked them in some way.  View this idea