Me and my partner have two homes in two different countries and this summer, we started offering them on Airbnb. Our one-bed flat centrally located in a vibrant but not touristy city is doing well, we are usually booked, have great reviews and it earned me superhost status just 12 weeks after I joined the platform.
Our family home in suburban London has proven to be a much harder proposition – we do get booking but not many and when available, the place has often stayed unbooked. I believe this is down to exposure rather than quality and value of our offering so I got very excited when we received the offer to book for free asessment to become part of the London Plus collection.
However, when I loooked up the properties in Plus collection, all I could see were properties set up solely to be rented out by profesional hosts. I couldn't see any properties like ours – real homes set up to be comfortable and beautiful for the use and enjoyment of the real families who live in them. Homes with quiet and organically evolving aesthetic that wasn't designed with Instagram in mind and those with signs of family life with young kids.
Then I read a bit about the programme and it confirmed that it has been set up to offer guests a hotel-like experience and give Airbnb another opportunity to expand beyond their original offering (which I believe our home represents). So I am confused about where is Airbnb heading with this – why would they be seeking out and incentifying someone who doesn't seem to fit with what the programme is about.
Is it worth trying the process? Any other thought on this? I'd especially love to hear from any hosts offering their actual homes as a part of Plus collection or considering doing so.
