Airbnb Plus

[Angela608]

Just listened to the new updates for Airbnb on their FB Live and feel discouraged as a Host.

I don't have an emaculately designed modern home with features that "WOW" guests. I have a humble space for budget seeking travelers in a very expensive city (San Francisco).

Is Airbnb weeding people out instead of including everyone?

[Maxine0]

I agree with @Angela0 and many others concerns raised in this thread. Like @Kim0 I too have a lower ground airbnb space in a beautiful Regency House which as a period property is very old. The City of Brighton UK, is world famous for it's regency architecture. My airbnb space within my property has it's own entrance, the 12 steps down to access are nearly 200 years old and the red quarry tile floor (mostly covered by large rugs) is around 80 years old - neither feature would likely qualify under airbnb Plus as they show some of the wear and tear expected of decades old original flooring. The steps and floor are thoroughly clean and undamaged (not cracked).

I have high quality artworks on the walls and quality designers furniture - neither of which is covered by airbnb host guarantee scheme (artworks specifically excluded) but is demanded to meet airbnb Plus status.

Huummmm do they think people with money don't cause damage, accidental or otherwise, and would those guests own up to damage and make good with payment?  ............ most rental insurance policies do not cover artworks or collectibles, they simply would not expect owners of properties to put such valuables at risk ........... most of us do under the airbnb brand of 'trust' and in most instances that trust has been upheld by guests ....... but not all of them. My place is in a superb location, guests love it, several have returned more than once. All linens, bedding, furnishings, crockery, etc is high quality. I stock the fridge with breakfast items and provide teas, coffees, spices, cereals etc, adapting provisions for Vegan guests. The bathroom cabinet is stocked with everything a guest might need from toothpaste to plasters. And yet I would still be unlikely to qualify for Plus despite a 4.9 rating, continuous Superhost status and 0 cancellations ........... just because my space is lower level accessed by steps and no sea view or outside space (apart from a small lightwell area).

It troubles me that the priority given to Plus properties is very first world order and discriminates by default against other locations and lower income families. And what happened to the 'don't just go there, live there' philosophy if Plus means making all properties a sanitised offering of one nations view of quality, taste and superiority?

It'll be interesting to see what happens should guests expectations be raised too high. 

One other thought popped into my mind and that was whether airbnb itself will start a property portfolio under the Plus brand and become gamekeeper turned poacher ...........

[Fred13]

^^^ "but is demanded to meet airbnb Plus status." How so @Maxine0?

   As far as I am concerned, Airbnb Plus is none of my business; it is appealing to a specific higher-end picky clientele (in only specific locales), that I would welcome going to dinner with for the sake of possible-interesting conversation, but I would definitely not want to host since it will spare me a heart attack.

[Maxine0]

@Fred13in the 100 plus criteria list for Airbnb Plus standard, artwork and quality furnishings are amongst the list, high up in fact.

I meet most of the criteria as part of my standard offer already, but like you I probably won't be bothering with it as I would not wish to attract the self-entitled types. 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Fred13

Oh God spare me from high end picky guests! 

[Pete28]

I think the Airbnb market will split into two, the danger is mainly to those who would charge higher end but for whatever reason can't get past the plus barrier 

- who is doing the inspections ?

- any appeal process ? 

- what happens if you review rating drops - kicked out of plus ? What will you future guests then do if they expect plus but find none ?

- why not allow every property to meet a core set of criteria - most of which is what plus claims it is, but leave out the aesthetics etc.

unless you qualify for plus, or compete strongly on price (i.e. At a price level that lacks plus properties which would be lower 10%)  it is only making life harder. 

[David126]

I assume that if you no longer meet Plus you will be moved to the regular Community unless it is bad enough to booted out, it would be logical for any existing bookings to be automatically cancelled, Guest booked a Plus accomodation, fundamental breach.

Obviously Plus is high risk, certainly not for everybody who would otherwise apply.

Does make me wonder if there will be different policies for Plus, Cancellation, Security Deposit etc.

[Pete28]

Well I guess they would cancel everything since the guest is paying for plus  - would certainly like to know before I spent any $$ on upgrades. Maybe they even charge you to cancel everything. Would be an utter nightmare to suddenly have your calendar emptied, kicked out of plus, and drop your superhost all at once 😞

The other problem is that with a new breed of super picky guests looking for plus, you could easily drop down - indeed the entire rating system makes it harder over time to succeed.

The switch to a lifetime score (from 3 month snap shot) - if I understand it correctly, will make this more inevitable since over time you have bad guests etc.

Anyway, I believe if you game it, those charging more in their market that don't comply with plus will be hurt big time by this looking at listings in LA where this is already active. If you dial down the price, all of the plus goes away and you are back to classic Airbnb.  Unless you like running a deluxe resort, I might stick to the no frills low price end....

[Jeff158]

I've no objection to "Plus" or "Beyond", with a bit of luck it will filter out the picky guests I don't want.

I would like to see a filter to stop "SUPERGUESTS" booking. I don't need or want the hassle that title's going to bring.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

...with a bit of luck it will filter out the picky guests I don't want.

LOL @Jeff0 😄 I also hope it will 

[Fiona-and-Keith-and-Fami0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  BINGO!! (I'd also rather the self-entitled went somewhere else, whether they're a paid guest or ANYONE who enters my life.)

[Adam-and-Ike-0]

Here's the thing I'm not understanding, and maybe someone here could help enlighten me a bit about Plus, because it's totally possible/probable that I'm being totally reactionary about it 🙂

Based on how it's being framed by AirBnb... "pay more for a different/more trusted/luxury experience"... That only works if the Plus listings are ACTUALLY priced higher. This seems to be a myth that has been created and already debunked in the span of a week...

For instance, I'm a host in Austin, which is one of the first cities to get Plus. If you look at how much an apartment is priced per night that is "Plus" verified, and ones that aren't Plus verified, they are essentially the same price. And sure there might be some discrepencies to that here and there, but in general, this seems to be the case. 

So this would lead me to think that the Plus program is really just about paying $149 to get a new format to your listing and to be ranked higher in search --the latter of which we all know is incredibly important. The thing is that if that's the case, then if you are in a "Plus" city and you CAN take part because you meet the criteria, you basically have to. (And yes, I understand all the aruguments as to those criteria being fair or not, but setting those aside for a moment and just looking at the larger picture of the program's purpose...) This is like when Google updates their search algorithyms, businesses need to respond accordingly with their SEO practices because it's understood today how important it is to rank highly in Google search. The only thing is that you never pay Google to rank higher (unless it's an advertisement)... you work harder on your SEO practices so Google recognizes why your business is relevant. Just like all of us hosts that work our tails off to appear high in AirBnb rankings.

It seems like once a city gets saturated in "Plus" listings and they are priced the same as non-Plus listings, it's no longer about the guest "paying more for a luxury experience," it's about the host paying for a new "Plus" badge so it can be ranked alongside everyone else with that exact same badge. And in the end, things kind of go back to how they have been, but AirBnb walks away with a killing of cash.

So that's my rationale and I would really like to hear how this isn't the case. Not trying to be saarcastic or snarky... I just really don't buy how this is being sold to us, when Plus homes are not being priced higher. Seems like a very convenient flaw that at the end of the day AirBnb could wash their hands and say, "well that's up to hosts how they want to price things... even though we decide how things are ranked in search."

OK... end of rant. Looking forward to hearing from people 🙂 Thank you for listening.

[Pete28]

The upper bound of price is unlikely to expand just because you have a plus badge - indeed go too high and you run into hotels. It's still the same set of price conscious and sadly picky Airbnb customers.

Also WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LOSE YOUR PLUS RATING ?! Everything gets cancelled ?! Then you are taking a huge risk...

Anyway, in the land of the lower level MIL apt, I prefer to compete on price - indeed I am happy to be in the bottom couple of % on price and still make good money with less picky customers and a less luxe offering. Indeed I think the carnage will happen in the middle- upper price range...

[Maureen116]

When I look for places to stay, I look for good quality at an affordable cost. I'm sure I'm not unique in this. 

My BnB is a bit fancy in comparison to others in my area, but I'd never bother with reaching "plus" status. There are fancy schmancy hotels for that.

I have no worries about getting bookings. There is always a market for a comfortable place to stay at an affordable cost. 

[Fred13]

 Aye Maureem - 'Value'.

[Sion2]

Also hello from SF, CA!  I do qualify for Plus with one excpetion and it really vexes me a great deal. I insist on greeting personally each guest so that I create a welcoming feeling ( guests love that in my reviews) and I get a look at who is going to be coming and going at all hours so I don't confuse them with a burgler. I think private rooms in family homes should be exept from "blind anytime lock box check ins. " Of course once met and given keys, they can come and go as they please.