AIRBNB PLUS bad program

France45
Level 3
Montreal, Canada

AIRBNB PLUS bad program

I have experiment to put my apartment on AIRBNB PLUS. I have begin this process beginning of may and we are now end of September and the announce is  not in line.

All the process has been terrible difficult, very long, no support, impossible to join person who working for airbnb plus, even for the personnel who answer you at the phone. They apologize but answer you " we can not reach the airbnb plus team because they are too busy ". They were not ready to put this program on line, they did'nt have enough worker and I have loose my time because of that.

Thit program control all your information. You can not choice the picture who will represent your apartment in the new site. They control all your proposition with out letting you having a personal way to welcome your guest or present your apartment. If you don't do it as they request you can not go further in the process. If you are unhappy as I am, no way to be refund.

When you have problem to complete there request, there is nobody to help you,  no explanation and no tutorial.

If you thinking about join that program, don't do it. You will loose your patience, your time and your money and you will loose the possibility of changing your site as you want. Every thing will be control by AIRBNB  PLUS.

Tell me why having a personal apartment to rent if airbnb take all the control of your presentation and force you to accept all further reservation? and that for 180$.

For myself I have 4 apartement on listing and I will never join AIRBNB PLUS for the 3 other one I have.

 

75 Replies 75

The photos taken by the Airbnb plus agent sent to our apartment are so bad that we have not had a single booking since qualifying for Airbnb Plus.    We have wasted hours trying to change them but Airbnb Plus won't allow us to change them.   We employed the services of a Professional interior and property photographer who took amazing photos which we used on our Airbnb listing.    All we want is to change the overexposed Airbnb Plus photos with our own professional photographs which show the apartment at its best.    It is detrimental to Airbnb and to us that we are not getting bookings so why can't we change the photos.   I have spent hours and hours with Airbnb Support about this matter to no avail.    Airbnb Support either don't respond and when one agent did his English was such that he did not understand my complaint.   His response was that Airbnb can only afford to take one lot of photographs and that I must take professional photos.    I have professional photos and I simply want to be able to replace the bad photos with the good ones so we can get bookings.   Please assist me.

Paul1105
Level 7
Cleveland, OH

I don't see the advantage of joining that program. You're essentially promising the guest "more". If they don't feel like they're getting "more" that can only lead to lower ratings. I'm firmly in the camp of promising less and delivering more. Having the listing exceed their expectations is better than having a guest arrive with high expectations and then be disappointed. I think the super-host badge is enough to let the guest know that they're more likely to get a better experience here.

Kevin557
Level 4
Nashville, TN

Plus was just introduced to our market, and I received an offer to join for free. it looked great and I scheduled an inspection/shoot for tomorrow. In the phone call I received to confirm the appt. I was told that I controlled the pics that were used, I could add some of my own, or not use the professional pics if I disliked them. From reading the negative comments here, that is patently untrue. I was lied to. I also did not understand that they completely control the price, that is a non-starter for me.

 

Today they called me cancelling my appointment for tomorrow because of an issue with the photographer.  I was annoyed because I had blocked the day. However they wanted me to go in and reschedule it, presumably so it wouldn't look like it was the contractors fault, but that it was merely my desire to reschedule.

Anyway, now that I read the negative comments,  I think the cancellation of my appt was a blessing. I now think I'm going to sit this one out as it is a poorly executed program.

Hi Kevin...I am in Nashville as well...I am a superhost with over 200 reviews...I can tell you I do NOT like the Airbnb plus program. I was offered to join for Free when it came out and did...now I am considering the implications of leaving the program. I have not been able to ask more per night (I think Nashville has ridiculously low Airbnb prices overall just because of the massive amounts of Airbnb's available) and you lose ALL control over your photos..which for me is the most frustrating part as I am constantly changing things in the house to reflect the season, not to mention the pictures they took of my place do not showcase the house to its full potential. You get little to no support at all from them. I also didn't realize that you don't have to be a superhost to be an Airbnb plus host which I think is confusing to the consumer.

Maxine0
Level 10
Brighton, United Kingdom

Airbnb Plus is not yet available in our City (Brighton, UK) - but based on the comments here it appears not to be a success with guests or hosts. Its useful to know, in advance, that airbnb takes control of your listing including photo's, text, price ...... yet property owners remain at the delivery front line to live up to the promises made to guests by airbnb as well as take all responsibility for maintenance and risks. Airbnb effectively become the 'agent' deciding on all content with little or no knowledge of local area and its tourist attractions etc. As Rebecca QR said in an earlier comment, airbnb should have focused on top performing Superhosts and / or designed a verification service that could be implemented locally (each City). I have rescued 4 sets of guests this year who arrived at airbnbs to find them sub-standard (by a long way) probably due to inexperienced people not understanding the difference between a mate staying over and paying guests and thereby paying little attention to quality and cleanliness. Airbnb needs to re-consider what quality, value and living like a local means in real terms - its not about making everything look like the same Instagram photo shoot and imprinting USA sense of entitlement on rest of world. Back to the drawing Board airbnb. 

@Maxine0  I have also taken in guests that either got canceled last minute or arrived to find the place unfit. I still haven't figured out why AirBnB only does this for some of the guests and let the majority fend for themselves finding something else. I also have not figured out how I got on the list for them to call me to help out lol... I am not a fan of the Plus program and have stated from the begining it was going to be a bad idea for any hosts. You only needed to read to see it, but everyone was afraid they would no longer be in the search without having it. AirBnB had so many hosts spend a fortune to meet the Plus level on amenities/decor and then the hosts in turn got nothing back for the investment. ROI is what should matter to a host, not how many views which is about all the benefits they get from the Plus program. No host is screaming I have double the bookings now, just the opposite actually plenty of veiws and no bookings. 

@Maxine0 Indeed, I stand by that comment I made a long while ago. Super Hosts could have been easily elevated on the platform,  benefiting everybody, including financially. I'll never understand why this did not happen. What a waste of 'tried and true' (and reliable) resources.

AGREE!!! Airbnb Plus should have been next level Superhost. People who had a proven track record. I have over 200 five star reviews and work really hard to be superhost (11 times in a row) I didn't realize that anyone could be Airbnb Plus (Superhost not required) Personally as a guest I would rather stay with a superhost than an Airbnb Host..but I think this isn't really understood by guest. I am considering leaving the Plus program because I have seen no real benefit and in exchange for all my hard work, I get no control over my listing and NO support

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

    Silly idea and and one that undoubtedly cames from their too inbred 'culture' vs. the real world. What they should have done is spend the same time on an intelligent list of criterias and then go out and select the existing listings that match it, and if not call it Superhost Plus, then something else.

    They have 1,000,000 hosts and 4,000,000 listings to pick from.

Andrew592
Level 2
Toronto, Canada

Spent thousands of dollars. Dragged in this BS process for over a year. Plus team Ghosts us. Designer selected poor furniture. We stressed functional furniture!! Our Ikea futon, never had a complaint, we bought a sofa couch from Wayfair and guest complained it was uncomfortable (this was seened a mile away). Had to re sell that couch and beg the designer to pick something else. 

 

Ughhh.. Over 1 month since we completed the last step. Still no Plus. 

Michael2126
Level 3
Seattle, WA

I am also frustrated with the A Plus program and will likely drop it.

 

I have the same issues many have stated: deleted my pictures, changed my copy and my headline (even adding typos, so I changed it back myself), uninteresting photographs, selected a generic picture of a headboard for my cover photo not the shot of the kitchen that got all the great comments and bookings.

 

I am now getting 50% of my bookings on Home Away (and the guests pay higher rates and fees). I waited on hold for 30+ minutes only to have AirBnB help finally pick up and immediatly (accidentally I hope) hang up on me while attempting to answer. They know my name and number, but no call back? Nope. I have never had a response to an email that I've sent to the A Plus team.

 

The "Plus" seems to mean plus a lot of extra hassles for hosts with no benefit.

Kate221
Level 5
Atlanta, GA

I am lucky that I only have 2-4 days a month available on my listing, my views are reasonably high (12,000+PM for 3 listings) & my reviews are great. I also took the time to ensure professional photography was used for my listings.

 

 

When I booked with the program, I had to change the date. The Airbnb representative said that it would take 2-3 weeks for the program administration to contact me but assured me that as a part of the following program I would receive:

 

- Professional Photos (Which I already have)

- Faster service when contacting the site (Which I already get as a Superhost)

- More bookings (which is fairly difficult since my calanders are almost always full)

 

Although my visit was due in 3 days, I was told that to re-schedule would take 2-3 weeks since the Plus (whom I now refer to as MINUS) team were overwhelmed.

 

AIRBNB.....SERIOUSLY. YOU HAVE LAUNCHED A SO CALLED "PREMIUM PRODUCT" AND DELIVERED A POOR ONE. 

 

I am furious that I have to spend time on trying to get a refund over this MESS. 

 

FOLLOW UP - BUYER BEWARE:

 

* Airbnb deducted $149 x 2 immediately from my future payouts after I made a booking for 2 listings. The Airbnb representative said that this should never have happened since no one had visited my listing yet. 

* As soon as I read that I am no longer in control of my photos I opted out of the program immediately. Your fee will NOT be returned if you sign up to the program and decided to leave (even if no one entered your listing yet/at all)

* Upon calling the Airbnb team, I have been put forward to mitigate the issue of payment but have been told that it is unlikely I will recieve a refund.

* This product seems to favour those who don't recieve high enough ratings for what they do. I literally adore my product and get great feedback from it. I am aghast that a program can come along and be given a higher listing rating because Airbnb take control of the photography.

* I always paid a pretty penny to have my OWN photos on the listing. Not Airbnb's! The very essence of Airbnb is that you can put your own personal touch on your unique listing. That has now disappeared and my listing placement will suffer as a result of not engaging in the program. 

* Both representatives that I have contacted have expressed the negative feedback recieved from hosts regarding the program. 

 

I am deeply disappointed Airbnb. SUPER HOSTS PLEASE be sure to check if this is a program that will work for your listing. All I see is us getting jacked on account of people who can't list the same as we already do, but will get better placement in search results. It's RIDICULOUS

Julia907
Level 2
Wootton, United Kingdom

I genuinely think what they are doing could be classed as criminal.  I had the viewing and photographs WEEKS ago, I have written to help and get fobbed off constantly - the team are very busy etc.  Well employ more staff then to look after your business in a proper, responsible manner! Airbnb have taken my money and given me NOTHING.  I have seen no photos, no change to my listing, no communication - NOTHING.  And then when it is live, and I had no idea as they don't tell you, they will control my listing which I hate the idea of, as we spend a lot of time crafting it, and tried different things to increase bookings - with success.  I don't want to lose all that hard work - why should I?  And they say we are not ever going to get a refund - why not?  They have not delivered, I do not want the product now I understand what it will mean and they therefore missold as well as failed to deliver.  Totally unacceptable from a huge company with huge profits - it does not need to be this way.  If you are thinking of paying to join Airbnb Plus - DO NOT DO IT.  

Keith236
Level 2
Scottsdale, AZ

I wanted to post a little of my experience with the Plus program. I’ve been a Superhost for a while and we take a lot of pride in the unique home and guest services that we offer.

 

When I was first introduced to the Plus program I thought it was a very good idea and I was interested in it. The more I looked into it and the more time that I’ve invested in it I can tell you that I feel that I’ve wasted a lot of my valuable time and resources. The program does not seem ready for prime time and the implementation of it is lacking, in my professional opinion. It’s easy to get pulled into this program, especially if you are a host who really cares about offering a top notch listing, but then you realize later that the program runs contrary to your goal of being a great host. If your goal is, like mine is, to have a top listing with good photography and great descriptions and excellent reviews, you might want to look elsewhere.

 

To be a great host you need to really think about what makes your particular listing unique and special and market it accordingly. The Plus program, on the other hand, is simply a forms-driven website and interface that is more focused on trying to shoehorn your listing into a format that likely won’t represent your special property in the manner that you feel comfortable with. So much of the inner workings of Airbnb is forms-driven to the point that the organization looses perspective of what makes good common sense. I’ve seen thus over and a very in my communications with Airbnb.

 

The Plus program really needs to be thought through better and needs a lot more flexibility. Just read many of the complaints that other experienced Superhosts have been providing here. I wished I would have studied the community forum posts before getting involved with this program. 

 

I could think of a number of ways that this program could be improved:

 

+ the experience of working with the Airbnb assigned photographer really needs a considerable makeover. Much more flexibility is needed here to ensure that the host gets a good set of photos that he/she can really use. Most hosts just need a little help with their photos. What they don’t need is someone to come in and take over and produce a set of photos that don’t authentically represen their property. This certainly happened in our case. It’s not just an issue of are the photos simply good or bad. The real issue is that to do marketing properly you need photos that tell your authentic story of your property and listing, and not a “fairytale” version.

 

+ Airbnb needs a much better communication system to explain how the program works and what is really involved in the review/setup process. We had a number of surprises along the way as we went through the process, most of them not at all positive.  The process takes a lot longer than mist people think, it takes up much more if your hosting time, and it is desruptive,but not in a good way. If you do decide to go forward with this program, do expect to invest more time and resources than you might at first think.

 

+ Airbnb needs to be careful about how it markets this program. It is marketed to hosts and guests as a “premium” product/service but in actuality it is more of a search engine and listing format that strips the flexibility from a standard listing. What makes Airbnb work well for many good hosts (over other competitive listing services) is the flexibility and uniqueness of their listings. The Plus program, in the way that it is implemented, turns the clock back and makes a listing less flexible.

 

+accuracy. We found that going through the process of having new photos taken and new formats made avaialable for our text descriptions shoehorned our property into a format that made the listing less accurate and far less authentic. For example, our property is a unique art-filled, stand-alone guesthouse and the listing conversion to the Plus program almost made the listing  look like a room in a house—not at all what we are offering. 

 

+ impact on reviews. We realized that if we went ahead with the conversion to the Plus format and listing that the quality of our marketing and accuracy of our listing would deteriorate and likely our future guests would not be happy and we would get some negative reviews. As a guest I would not be happy. This runs contrary to the type of tools and resources that Airbnb needs to be providing to us as hosts.

 

+ does the program really increase bookings? At the end if the day, this is the question we all have. Airbnb likes to market the program as a revenue enhancer but I really wonder about this. Just commonsense business experience after a lifetime of running very successful high tech businesses  tells me that if the quality and accuracy of my listing deteriorates, that I’m going to loose business over time. Also the quality of my reviews will go down. My customers will simply have expectations that can’t be met due to the misleading format of the Plus program. 

 

I also believe that Airbnb puts out statistics that can be very misleading. The statistics show that Plus listings achieve x% higher bookings. I’m sure however they are comparing this to the bookings of all lustings overall, many of them just average or may be poor listings. Now if you compared the actual bookings of reformatted Plus listings to thise offered by good performing Superhosts (who through their experience have learned how to make good listings), I bet the stats would look quite different. Don’t be mislead into making a decision by misleading data.

 

In summary, I would give the idea of the Plus program 4 or 5 stars. I would give the implementation of the program 2 stars.

 

I do believe that Airbnb needs to involve more experienced hosts in this process of trying to create a program like this, instead of simply relying on the expertise of a set of software engineers. All of the clever programming hacks and latest AI algorithms simply wont get the job done. Trust me, I have a lifetime of experience at this game.

 

i hope these notes help other hard working Superhosts take a more informed crit al look at these programs.

 

 

 

 

Julia907
Level 2
Wootton, United Kingdom

I genuinely think what they are doing could be classed as criminal.  I had the viewing and photographs WEEKS ago, I have written to help and get fobbed off constantly - the team are very busy etc.  Well employ more staff then to look after your business in a proper, responsible manner! Airbnb have taken my money and given me NOTHING.  I have seen no photos, no change to my listing, no communication - NOTHING.  And then when it is live, and I had no idea as they don't tell you, they will control my listing which I hate the idea of, as we spend a lot of time crafting it, and tried different things to increase bookings - with success.  I don't want to lose all that hard work - why should I?  And they say we are not ever going to get a refund - why not?  They have not delivered, I do not want the product now I understand what it will mean and they therefore missold as well as failed to deliver.  Totally unacceptable from a huge company with huge profits - it does not need to be this way.  If you are thinking of paying to join Airbnb Plus - DO NOT DO IT.