Features

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

Hi, 

This a thread for leaving some wished features that you would like to see on Airbnb.

Idea: To be possible to change the minimum of nights for specific periods on the calendar. This could be applied between 2 bookings already confirmed the nights left are below the minimum set.  

Feel free to share your thoughts! 

Warm regards, 

Daniel 

[Ken-and-Mark0]

It would be great if video was available for a listing.  You can add a video on your profile but a video for your listing would be a big step forward.  With video content expect to exponentially grow over the next 2 years, Airbnb could get to (or near) the front of the queue.

I'd also like to know how the suggested pricing on Airbnb works.  It help text states that it suggests prices based on comparable listings (amongst a few other metrics).  How does Airbnb determine what are 'comparable' listings?  Also, does the acceptance of pricing suggestions change your ranking in search results?

Mark

[Tina1]

I concur with the ADD VIDEO to your listing suggestion!
It would definitely help hosts pre-emptively address requests for a tour prior to rental.

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

@Lizzie there's a feature that could both solve a security and burocracy problem on the bookings and at the same time exponential increase the database at Airbnb. In Portugal, where i live, and most of the countries we do have to fulfill some paper work about all the guests that we receive (ID, names, during stay, ... ) and deliver to authorities. I do know that a lot of guests have problems to collect this info after they arrive, so this could be fulfilled (like flight tickets) with each name, contact (email, facebook - great for airbnb!) and country of the guests.

Our average number of guests are around 3 for stay, but probably 1 to 2 are in airbnb...so there's about 66 % of potential grow (or more, depending of the world average guests for booking).

[Helga0]

A bit in the same direction, I would like to set a minimum total price. This would allow to override the minimum day requirement but it should show, to avoid questions why the rate differs. Like fi
2 nights at 100 plus 50 cleaning but the minimum price is 300. The guest may decide to book it nevertheless or to add a night. Before airbnb we had that quite often.

[Lizzie]

Thanks @Nuno-Y-Daniel0 for starting this thread. These sound useful ideas.

Keep adding your feature ideas here, it is great to hear them. Also, remember to give a thumbs up (click on the little icon) to any of the previous post ideas you like. 🙂

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

@Lizzie don't know if this option exists in airbnb but i never came acrross: Is it possible for 2 different e-mails (or social networks) to manage the same airbnb account? This could be quite useful between business partners, wife/husband or family members.

This would speed up the time of answer to guests (increase bookings) and improve there experience on airbnb.

[Helga0]

If 2 people have to manage an account but should not get each other's other mails, it would be practical to create a new mail address for only airbnb messages - when you get notifications from the forum too, that is a good idea anyway. 

But watching my young guests, I have seen that many log in via their facebook account. 

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

Thanks for the reply @Helga0. The idea was both be able to access the airbnb site at the same time if possible (this may happen, although that's not the goal). Sometimes i leave the airbnb logged in on my mobile phone or desktop during the day so other should be able to access in this situations. And is truth about the facebook, i personally use it in order to be easier to access several sites this days! 

But imagine i'm away for holidays, or is Business Traveler, client arrives later on, it may be easier to manage with other's help.

[Helga0]

Hi Daniel,
I understand better now what you mean. You can be logged-in on two devices at the same time with the same email. Or via two browsers on the same computer. I do that when I use the forum on the phone. Then get up to write a longer comment on the computer or if I change something in aisting and look up the same point in another listing on another screen. You could test if you can be logged in on one device via mail and on the other via facebook. That would already help you. You just can't change the same point in a listing at exactly the same moment

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

Hi @Helga0 thanks for the thoughts! It's actually possible to be logged both in the mobile and the desktop but they are oftent different IP's. Although don't think that will work fine if it's the same listing. 

[Helga0]

@Nuno-Y-Daniel0 it works for me. If you have set a notification on new connections, you'll get one for every new browser, phone, the same phone connected in a new network, the same computer on a new net, different browsers on the same computer, after updates and if you switch on private navigation. But if you know that it is you or your partner, it's no problem. You can both manage the same listing, but not the same things at exactly the same time. If you happen to change both at the same time fi the Short Description of the same listing, only one can save it. But that's unlikely to happen anyway.

I sometimes start to answer to a guest on the phone, realize I need to write longer, get to the computer and answer there. Taking the phone again I see a half sentence in the reply field. If I go out with the return arrow and then back in, the answer written on the computer shows. The phone was connected the whole time.

[Kelly3]

I love the minimum total price idea. That will make my life way easier - this pricing is more host considerate as well.

I don't mind hosting 2 nights when the rate is high, but when the rate is low (for slow season) I would rather not host just for 2 nights.

I used to make the cleaning fee higher - so I can give cost benefit for longer guests.

That reduced the 1 or 2 night guests, though guests left the place way messier and dirtier thinking that they paid good price for 'cleaning'.

I would like for Airbnb to change the term 'cleaning fee' into something else.

If they start 'minium total price' then I could even run my place without any cleaning fee - which makes guests a little more tidy.

[Nuno-Y-Daniel0]

@Kelly3 don't totally understood if you wished a minimum value for night as it's possible to set with smart pricing. I mix that with 3 nights minimum at the weekends ("Add another requirement") to solve the low season problem of being not profitable for only 2 nights. At the same time most of the bookings i get is from friday to monday ("For reservations that include Fridays or Saturdays, guests must stay minimum 3 nights.") in order to prevent 2 days bookings when i often get more reservations. You can apply this for more nights in the holidays, i do it 4 nights minimum. You can see an example below.

@Lizzie the smart pricing most of the times doesn't really give me the best price for my area. This could be fixed if it was possible to "Add another requirement" to go higher/lower in % of the smart pricing. I could then apply - 10% of the smart pricing during February or + 10% on Summer months.  

Smart pricing is a problem when you have set a different price for extra guests. If it's to low in a season with smart pricing you can select your price for that range of days but you can't activate/deactivate the extra guests.

In other words extra guests can be good in low season but are horrible in high season as in same cases you run the risk of rent your house for the minimum guests a lot of bookings and loose 30-40% . 

My experience is to turn off the extra guests in high season and set for the maximum occupancy and maximum price. But this would take effect in low season as well and would have huge price ending up to not renting at all.

The way to solve this is being possible to activate or deactivate  "extra guest price" (or change the price) for any specific dates.

[Kelly3]

@Nuno-Y-Daniel0 It was a reply to @Helga0's suggestion of the minimum TOTAL price. -- I would like to set a minimum total price. This would allow to override the minimum day requirement but it should show, to avoid questions why the rate differs. Like if 2 nights at 100 plus 50 cleaning but the minimum price is 300. The guest may decide to book it nevertheless or to add a night. Before airbnb we had that quite often.-- This is different from Smart Pricing.

Basic idea is this - checking in and setting the place up for a new guest is a lot of work, I don't want to do that for less than certain amount of payout. 

I know you can set this up with minimum booking dates and pricing and such - but minimum TOTAL price method would be way simpler on host's side. 

Also, (I should have mentioned better) I don't like how one time cleaning fee is called 'cleaning fee'. That gives guests  some entitlement to leave the place messy - this is part of the reason why I failed to adjust my pricing in a way to give more price benefit to my longer term guests.