November 2014: I was driving from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, for the first Airbnb Open! I was excited about the Open, but frustrated at not being able to connect with other hosts. Having newly opened our rental space, I was naturally eager to connect with other hosts but couldn’t, unless I held other hosts’ calendars hostage. So, during the drive, knowing there were many hosts in my home city, I started a Meetup group. We held our first Meetup the very next month, and every month from then on. Membership quickly grew; we discussed writing and receiving reviews, home insurance, electronic locks, and more. Over the next year, it became clear that we had some great talent and hosting wisdom in our community. We should have the next conference ourselves! From hosts, by hosts and for hosts! 140 people attended.
There are many, many Facebook groups that focus on hosting, and they are great, but actually meeting people in our own communities is amazing. Gathering for social events like picnics and coffee, we get to know each other and our neighbourhoods. Workshops, speakers and presentations increase our knowledge and skills. The level of hosting excellence rises. The number of Superhosts grows.
We have gone on to organize into a nonprofit trade association called Host2Host, and we continue to support each other in ways that make us even better at what we do. We share guest referrals, insights, and information. We teach each other and make lasting friends. While we absolutely love our guests, we respect and help each other in our businesses. Who would have ever thought that hosting could enrich the body and soul like this?
Tough times are eased as well. When regulations changed, and advocacy was needed, the City Council welcomed our input versus only being lobbied by the Online Travel Associations (OTAs). Our Advocacy team has been asked to review and comment on draft regulations and offer expert testimony in City Council. We hold a seat on the board of directors of our local tourism association, Travel Portland. There is still work to do, but we are being heard, we do have a voice in our local government.
We have now had over 65 meetups, a well-attended conference, a vendor fair and most recently, a celebratory fundraiser we named “HostFest”. Our community is vibrant and growing, in many ways. It’s totally amazing to me what you can do when you just want to meet people and talk with them. Although I founded this non-profit group, it takes many of us to keep it going. The talent, wisdom, and willingness offered are amazing. If you want to create a host community where you are, please feel free to reach out to me, and I invite you to check out our website Host2Host. If we can do it, you can do it!!!
That's fantastic Clara! It's great to hear that other communities are gathering and sharing. I neglected to mention that we are SO fortunate to have an Airbnb office downtown, and their community outreach people have been super helpful! We have been able to have some meetups with their staff to explain things like Instant Book, Insurance, Reviews, etc. When we had our big 'coming out party' in 2014 our keynote speaker was one of the Airbnb staff.
This photo is taken from our 1st Birthday Party last year.
@Debi1 this is so successful! In my hometown Chiang Mai, for a home host, most of us meet online But for Airbnb Experiences, we try meetups and it is great as you mentioned when you know each other. I hope that we can be as successful as you. Thank you very much, it is so inspiring!
