Airbnb Plus - Dont Do It

[Elizabeth24]

I, like many of you thought I needed to go on plus to get back at the top of the listings bc I was getting buried under the plus listings. So I got approved and very shortly realized it was a bad idea, I’m still looking for that “leave Airbnb plus” button. The photographer that comes is under very strict guidelines of what they can photograph. So he missed 50% of the things that make my rental unique and desirable and that people comment on most. I was there during the shoot, so I told him what additional photos I wanted. He was very reluctant and did some of them, kind of, in the way Airbnb wanted - aka only full room shots from a straight on angle. Then, when your listing is put up by them, they are the ones to pick the photos used - not the owner. Which is nuts, bc the owner knows the space best and what the guests gravitate to regarding the listing. Not only that, you can’t move the photos around in different orders and they chose the cover picture - of which was a ridiculous choice in my case. Oh, and they want you to re-word your whole new listing rather than transferring over your old and allowing you to make changes - much easier. (After several emails they finally got it and somehow transferred my old descriptions over - not sure if they’ve made that standard yet.) On top of that, in my listing in general, I tended to under promise and over deliver naturally. Guests were always surprised by the unexpected touches and amenities. Now, bc its a plus listing I feel like I am having to over promise and am under delivering - even though I’ve changed nothing. Everything is the exact same as before except these guests come with a new set of expectations and more entitled attitude. Not to mention, I didn’t even raise my rate when I changed to plus so it’s not as if they are paying any sort of premium for their heightened expectations. So, if that wasn’t enough - I went from being booked 28 days last month prior to plus, to getting 2 - 2 day bookings - after being on plus. My guess is bc they dont pick the most alluring cover photos. By the looks of it, they default to a bedroom shot. My kitchen, living room are way more beautiful and appealing to the average guest. And last but not least, guests used to leave reviews immediately, without me ever asking bc they were so excited and in love with their stay. They were communicative when they got there and it was an actual pleasure to host them bc I knew they were grateful and loved my home. The few plus guests I’ve had... radio silence and no reviews. Oh, and I’ve rec,d more spam/ annoying questions from random people that put in a fake set of booking requests just to ask me questions or try to wheel and deal than ever before. Anyway, I preferred the early Airbnb days of humble house guests who felt the community of the experience, who were grateful and gracious - rather than the snobby guests plus attracts. Bottom line, don’t feel bad that you are not plus. Just keep being a superhost, pick your best cover shot, and reply quickly and you will make your way back to the top. Plus has been a headache and killed my bookings by 80% ... still searching for that dang button.

[Kris76]

Hey everyone, I am on Plus and to be honest I haven’t seen any material benefits in terms of occupancy or rates. The only good thing that I had to implement was a self check in method and luckily I found an app called GuestHug which has an automated check in function which enabled me to meet the criteria and improved my guests’ experience. To be honest, I am not sure it was worth all the effort getting on the scheme!

[Ryan688]

Thanks for starting this off Elizabeth. I too am very frustrated with the Plus process. I feel that most of the control over the listing's appearance has been taken away from me, and I wasn't told this prior to enrolling in it. I'm upset that I spent quite a bit of money getting my home ready for Plus, to now know that I might have to turn it off - I've gotten considerably FEWER bookings now that I'm on Plus (although this could be due to the time of year). 

Hopefully AirBnB will grant hosts come more agency over their listing appearance moving forward! 

[Melissa811]

Thank you for this post. I was just debating if I should apply for Plus, but because of your experience, I'll hold off on it. I'm brand new, this is our first month and we just had our first guest check out! So far, so fun!

[Stephen-and-Adam0]

I can add another positive perspective on Plus.  We found the process relatively simple and are happy with the photos and refreshed look of the advert.  Stephen is a professional photographer so our old photos were very good but it was nice to see the place through another lens.  I appreciate it could feel rather invasive as it is your baby and the loss of some control will not be for everybody.  

I suspect it will depend on your local market.  We have seen an upsurge in views and bookings.  Our calendar was pretty well booked up already but we have been able to close gaps with higher rates than before.  

Worth a try if you think it might be worthwhile.  

Adam

[Francesco95]

I have the same experience of you, it has been a Hell from the moment the photgrapher arrived. Previously airbnb had their own photographers, but now the use exterior company as French Meero that is completely unorganised. The angles are fine for me, but the problem is that they shoot twice and they completely skipped the first shooting set with the higlhlight of the house! in my case a beautiful terrace facing the sea and the main bedroom! I'll go back to my original listig soon if there is no reply from their side... they are super slow to answer correctly on this matter... and nobody knows how to answer me. quite a bad service!

[Doug-And-Diane0]

Francesco,

It seems that the majority of the comments on this message board are negative, mainly because of the photography. Good luck!

Diane

[Julia1189]

They have HORRIBLE service and their photos are bad in my opinion. We are on it and I hate them 

[Genoveva2]

This makes me feel a ton better, as I had also previously got denied. 

[Tom600]

PLUS MEANS MINUS

I tried the service for 6 months. It failed in almost every category. Let me list why it's worse:

1. Total loss of control of your listing: You cannot change INNACURATE Photos or descriptions, You cannot contact them to change them.

2 ZERO customer service. You cannot call them - customer service at Airbnb tells you they will "forward your message so they may get back to you" and then nothing happens. They will not respond to emails. If you thought regualr airbnb custoimer service was abysmaly difficult, fasten your seat belt for this Soviet style experience. Kafkaesque, I would say.

3. DID I SAY REALLY BAD PHOTOGRAPHY?. They tell their photographers to take flat, straight-on, zoomed-in, really weird shots that they say is part of their "brand". Well gues what? That's not my brand. It doesn't describe the best parts of my spaces accurately, looks cold and remote and actually makes you home look less appealing to most guests. Guests can't understand what the layout is and you spend extra time trying to explain what you have to offer. Result? Fewer bookings, not more.

4. DID I SAY REALLY BAD DESCRIPTIONS?  They put "expert editors" to the task to describe a space they've never seen before and are clueless to describe it. My hawaiian Ohana in a national park was labelled an "apartment" as if it were somehow part of an urban complex. Result? Guests confused and fewer bookings.

5. Really EXPENSIVE to meet their standards. Your costs will increase because they want strsange things like carbon monoxide sensors in a tropical outdoor space not required by any local codes, mouldings added to a minimalist modern house? There is no upside as you really can't ask for more $$. They will promise you $500 in writing if you make thousands of dollars of improvements by their deadline they ask for, then refuse to pay it when you do it.

6. FEWER GUESTS = LESS INCOME: If you want more guests, why would you  create a "brand" that is confusing, with no customer service for the host to adjust the site, that costs the host an arm and a leg, and miscommunicates what you offer?. The business model just doesn't work.

[Ann72]

Thanks, Tom (can't tag).  I've been invited to Plus but having read this thread and others, I haven't accepted.  Your post confirms every negative thing I've heard in one place.

I've seen Plus listings with ungrammatical descriptions and assumed the host wrote them.  Did not know they were written by Airbnb and that you can't rewrite them.  That would drive me nuts.

I believe they will also insist I install a smart lock on my entry door.  The door won't take a smart lock, although the manufacturer has put out a new version of the door that I could buy for a few thousand dollars.  Not really feeling that!

Thanks again.

[Julia1189]

You just described my appalling experience with them now. We have two on Plus and next one they offer us to do I will decline. HORRIBLE experience!!!!

[Al-And-Leslie0]

This rings 100% true with us too.

[Tammi10]

I've been a superhost for 3 years now and was just invited into the Plus program. I know other hosts who went through the process but haven't earned more money so I'm just torn on whether it's worth it. I'm generally the second home listed after the Plus home so I'm getting proper visibility and bookings but should I do it for the status? Has anyone had a great experience with Plus and believe that it's increased your profits? Thanks!

[Julia1189]

It’s pretty much all awful and you get much more obnoxious guests too. I haven’t seen any changes in our income since joining.

[Catarina84]

Hi,

Was invited to Airbnb plus and got excited as I suppose everyone else.

When I realized that 7 days passed since I sent them photos  of my last fix and the incentive date deadline ends tomorrow and the fix isn’t approved yet, my immediate thoughts were they are stalling me. They will not approve the last fix before the deadline. They never intended to. All fixes took at the most 2 days to be approved, the last one 7 days passed and nothing. 

Then I googled “Plus” and found all your discussions. 

Thank you Google. I now know I don’t want to be a part of Airbnb Plus and will try to stop this process as it is still going on. Hopefully I will can. 

This is the message I just sent to Airbnb help:

“Good morning, still waiting for a response for 2 days.

My last fix for Airbnb plus is still waiting for approval since 11 May. Three windows exactly the same needed repair. Repair was done and photos were sent 11th May. Two were approved at 12th May. One is still waiting for approval. This is the last step so that we can receive the incentive. The incentive deadline is tomorrow,19th May, and the last fix is waiting for approval for 7 days now. This is ridiculous, an obvious way for not having to pay the incentive.

If becoming Plus is this, saying that you have an incentive and then take more than a week to approve the last fix so that you don’t have to pay the incentive, we do not want to be part of Plus, that is misleading people, creating expectations that will never happen.

Never thought Airbnb will do that.”