I think in order to understand what's going on here we should leave the host position for a moment and put ourselfes into the airbnb position.
The problem is, airbnb is getting too successful, they must be getting thousands or tenthousands of new listings every month. But they already do have 4 Million listings, homeaway has 1.6 M and booking claims they have the same. So airbnb has more than twice the inventory compared to the combined inventory of their competition.
In many areas there already is an oversupply of airbnbs. Hosts complain about „quiet times in Toronto“ and elsewere. To stay in business they have to reduce their prices. The big international Cities are a saturated market for airbnb already, they cannot grow in these markets anymore by adding new listings. Also more and more cityregulations are coming up to restrict airbnb rentals or prohibit them alltogether.
So what can airbnb do?
1. They can set almost unachievable goals for superhosts and so force their hosts to unbelievable efforts to remain their status. Hosts have to fulfill the most unappropriate demands of some dudes to keep their SH-status. The new requirements to be a Superhost are a review average of 4.8, that's 96% of the maximum possible 100% wich is 5.0 average. They want the best of the best of the very best hosts only to be SHs.
2. They can set the minimum requirement of 4.7 average review rating to stay listed. Also almost unachievable, two dudes can kill You.
3. They can restrict the number of nights rented out per year. That's what they did in Paris. Maximum of 120 nights rented per year right now. This obviosly does reduce the supply.
Airbnb has no demand in new hosts and they are not concerned about existing hosts leaving as they have too many already. And only the strongest will survive.
How can airbnb increase their business?
1. They can allow hotels as hotels will not be affected by Cityregulations. And they do allow hotels now.
2. They can allow agencies as these also bring in an inventory that is in general not relatet do city appartement rentals and they do allow agencies now.
3. They can go for the classic Vacation rental market, listings that are very common on homeaway eg. and they do go for that market now.
I myself for example do have such a classic vacation rental, in the industry You call that a beach/mountain/Disney rental. I'm out in the country, no regulations from the city (better village) house sleeps 10, average stay one week and expensive compared to a small room in a flat someplace. I'm renting my place through a couple of platforms and have been pretty much booked out the last years. I don't need airbnb and they know that. I have rejected a couple of booking inquiries and never got a warning from airbnb. I have no single guest review so far but I'm always on top of their search results.
We all must try to understand that the focus of airbnb is not to satisfy theirs hosts or superhosts by deleting retaliatory reviews, their focus is how can they handle the oversupply of listings and how can they grow as their traditional city markets are saturated.
I can only warn everybody out there who has a city rental to rely on airbnb as a reliable source of income, the rules can change any minute and You are delisted.
@Tony-and-Tania0, wrote: „can you hear us all? do you care?“ Well, maybe they don't and they won't.
What would You do if You were in the shoes of airbnb?