An Idea for Value Added Services for Guests. Thoughts?

[Cyrus32]

Happy Holiday All.  I am a frequent user of ABNB.  Our digital marketplace business is building a service for ABNB guests seeking a dedicated/local healthcare or security services professional when staying at an ABNB place.  It is a dedicated concierge service to deliver healthcare services including local info, medical supply deliveries, tests, diagnosis, and treatment.  Security professionals will provide physical security among other services. Thoughts?  Thank you.

[Inna22]

@Cyrus32 which side will be paying for your services? Guests? Hosts? Airbnb? Physicians?

[Cyrus32]

Thanks for reaching out, @Inna22  Mutli-payor business model. Guests and others for a variety of value we plan to bring to them. 

[Inna22]

@Cyrus32 this is a host discussion platform. Please provide more clarity to how we will benefiting from this service or our involvement. you going to pay us to advertise the service to our guests? Do you expect us to pay a fee? In return for what? Have you done any research as to how many people would need your service while traveling? This would be a subset that does not need 911 and does not have a primary care they can call for a quick advice on something like a skin rash or small fever. Chicago also had urgent care clinics on every corner. I guess not everyone knows they exist though.  

[Cyrus32]

Good questions.  In our model guest pays X per reservation for defined on-demand services. No need for guest to drive or walk to clinic especially in that cold Chicago weather. 🙂  Many primary care docs may not be available for a chat depending on time of day. We think the take rate will be 2-5 percent of reservations.  Split fee with host and platform.  

[Helen3]

We have free healthcare in the uk @Cyrus32 

What sort of security services do you think guests staying in STR accommodation would need ? 

[Cyrus32]

Hey there @Helen3 Thanks for reaching out. Lived in uk a couple years in many bnbs. STR? 

[Inna22]

@Cyrus32 it has potential. There are some free platforms for on demand televisits that are free and some will want to televisit their regular physician. I wonder if someone will be able to extend liability to hosts in case something goes wrong. That would be my concern. I would actually probably use it as a traveler, particularly in another country. 

[Sarah977]

You aren't really explaining this very well. What would be the advantage for guest? Or for hosts? Seems to me that if this is an online chat service, why couldn't a guest just contact their own doctor if they had an issue?? Why would I, as a host, pay for this service? 

[Cyrus32]

Hey Sarah - Guest is guaranteed service delivery.  Maybe their provider is not assessible in a different time zone.  Maybe someone needs immediate delivery of supplies and medications.   

[Sarah977]

Okay, I can see where this might be desirable to some guests travelling far outside their own time zone, or in a foreign country. 

But why would a host financially contribute to this?  And what do you mean "split fee with host and platform?" You think Airbnb is going to pay for this? It seems like a sort of travel insurance for the guest. Why would anyone but the guest pay for it? @Cyrus32

[Cyrus32]

Yes, the guest purchases during signup effectively an insurance or warranty policy of services provided .  Hosts can earn not pay fees.  

[Anonymous]

@Cyrus32  I would never advise an Airbnb host to offer services to guests through a third party.  Simple rule of sensible hosting: never make an offering for something beyond your control. 

I'm still failing to see why anyone would pay for this instead of comprehensive travel insurance. And why would someone book an Airbnb if they anticipate it being so unsafe that they'll need a "security professional" at their disposal?

[Cyrus32]

Thanks for reaching out @Anonymous  

VIP's seek out personal security for a variety of reasons regardless of location.  The market is large and growing as more and more wealthy households form.  Travel insurance is only for emergencies.  Our service provisions deeper and broader on-demand services and products and a better experience than exists today.  Thank you for your POV. Cheers! Love Berlin.

[Anonymous]

@Cyrus32  Not disputing that there are people who want security services and other on-demand services while traveling, but I'm just not seeing people wanting this specifically in conjunction with their Airbnb. Bearing in mind, luxury listings serving the wealthiest clientele comprise an extremely tiny percentage of Airbnb listings, and guests who require a broad range of on-demand services are not a natural fit for Airbnb's brand.

When Airbnb was still a very new company, it briefly offered a "concierge" hotline to guests, but this was one of the first features to be phased out - it's not the kind of thing that could be realistically scaled to thousands of cities. You weren't getting local expertise or special deals, you were just calling a number and waiting on hold for an operator in a call-center thousands of miles from your destination to Google something for you. 

Perhaps you already have a plan to scale this project up to the kind of workforce you'd need to have localized services in a wide range of locations. But if your target market is rich people, it would severely devalue your brand if the product was perceived as an Airbnb plug-in or an app startup. Can you realistically compete with the standard benefits of an Amex Platinum card?