Have any Superhosts received an invite to apply for the $5,000 grant scheme?

Robin4
Top Contributor
Mount Barker, Australia

Have any Superhosts received an invite to apply for the $5,000 grant scheme?

It seems each time the CEO has a video session he has some grand offers he is so exited to share with his partners.

I believe some hosts who are active here on the CC have received the promised compensation for reservation cancellations from a $250 M  compensation fund.

I can understand that the $25-$50 offered here or there would not be too onerous for the company to honour baring in mind the claimable window was set to very narrow parameters.

What I would be interested to find out, has any Superhost received an invitation to apply for the (up to $5,000) compensation grant that the CEO went to great pains to promote back at the start of April. 

Superhost relief fund 2.png

There is a certain psychology behinds words and statements and the way they are formed!

I smelled a rat when I read the first line of the eligibility criteria........

Superhost relief fund.png

 

"There are hundreds of thousands of Superhosts around the world"........really!! All reliable estimates suggest their are between 650,000 and 700,000 Airbnb hosts around the world of which 10-15% are Superhosts.

Obviously an opening statement like that is designed to prime Superhosts up not to be too disappointed if that invite doesn't come.....there after all 'hundreds of thousands' of Superhosts in the mix here.

 

There may have been a dollar or two on offer here robbed from the employees incentive scheme but it would be really interesting to hear if any one of Superhosts who are active here on the CC have received that illusive invite! 

I am active on a couple of other sites so I will keep hosts here posted if I should actually come across anyone who has received one of these mysterious invites!

 

Cheers......Rob

  

115 Replies 115

@Fred13  Well, they eliminated a whole bunch of Superhosts right away by saying it was limited to those with no more than 2 listings. Then they amended that to say you could have more than 2 listings if they were all at the same address, like a host that rents out 3 private rooms in their home, or 2 with a 3rd listing that incorporates both. Then they pared it down even further by saying that they were only looking at those who had been Superhosts for at least 4 years. 

No matter how good you are at math, it's about as futile to try to figure this out as to have any accurate count of coronavirus numbers, since so many infected are asymptomatic and there aren't enough test kits anywhere.

Update: So we are now to (thus far, but stay tuned): 150,000 Superhosts....

 

- those with more than 2 listings

+ more than two listings IF they are in the same address

- been a Superhost at least 4 years

-----------

Who the heck knows what we down to!

 

P.S. I was talking to someone last night at Airbnb, if you think we are confused. 

John2406
Level 10
Swansea, United Kingdom

@Robin4  and everyone else. Hi, and hope you're all well, and haven't (physically) been affected by this pernicious Covid-19 virus (mentally and financially however, we've all been affected to varying degrees!)

The following isn't directed at anyone in particular, unless your name is @BrianChesky but rather is highlighting what I believe the majority of SuperHosts' may well be feeling in the absence of any email advising that part of the SuperHost Grant is coming their way.

I too have been wondering when the desperately required Airbnb email will pop into my inbox, but with only 4 days left until the sort-of-promise thingamajig finishes, I can't really hold my breath any longer, so will probably not be around (as an Airbnb SuperHost host) for when UK Tourism businesses' will be allowed to reopen (which, here in Wales, UK, won't be until after 26September2020 at the earliest (that date being written in stone, even if it will be reviewed every 21 days!)

 

So whilst it may well be that in certain parts of the world Governments of those Countries might have relaxed restrictions on the Tourism Trade, allowing people once more to move around, and stay in all sorts of places, such "freedom" isn't available everywhere, and certainly isn't in any Country still being affected by the number of cases of infections/deaths.

 

Whatever one's opinions of Airbnb, one has to recognise that none of us are "owned" or "employed" by them. Furthermore, unless something happened in everyone else's Hosting lifetimes, I would imagine/believe that we ALL, as one, signed up to be part of the Airbnb phenomenon by agreeing to their Terms & Conditions - possibly with many who signed, not having read every single word, phrase, nor - in certain instances - understanding exactly what it was "we" were agreeing to!?!

 

Put another way, IF (and that is a very big IF) Airbnb DO decide to GIVE SuperHosts an amount of money, free from any ties or restrictions, I would imagine that (but have no proof that such would be the case) such financial assistance would only be made/paid to those SuperHosts whose long-term (ie post-Covid-19-pandemic) intentions are to remain with Airbnb and to greatly increase both their own, AND Airbnb's own, profits - as one without the other will most assuredly spell the end of the Company as we have known it!

 

That there inevitably will be SuperHosts' who did manage to make substantial profits, is to their credit (in all senses of the word) BUT in the world I have known since coming on board with Airbnb (February 2019) and with several SuperHost awards under my belt, part of that has been to my financial discredit, as for the last two years, my property had (in real terms) suffered a big financial loss, whilst from the beginning of March this year, right through to at least the end of September, not only aren't I receiving any Income, but I'm also still having to pay out all outgoings (wouldn't mind too much if part of Airbnb's financial help was coming my way, but with a weekly payout of £350 for all outgoings, whether I have any paying Guests or not, perhaps it can be seen that the future existence of my business is looking gloomier by the second of every minute/hour/day/week/month - and that's for a property I totally own, so I have every sympathy for anyone who has a mortgage or other financial call on the property they are letting for holidays or for any other reason!)

 

Will I receive any part or parts of Airbnb's SuperHost Grant? On the basis of not having heard anything to date, possibly not, altho' the saying "never say die til your dead" keeps me hopeful, and will do so right up to the nth second of the last moment of 15May (or whenever the Grant actually ceases to apply to SuperHosts).

 

If I said that there is one VITAL lesson we all HAVE TO take away from this situation, I wonder what others' would say it would be?

 

I made my views known to Airbnb in mid-March, and they were welcomed, and to a certain extent look as though they will be implemented once business returns to some form of "normality", and that is that Holiday Insurance, on which Guests' will have to make their own claims, will HAVE TO BE taken out by Holidaymakers, or included within the cost of Guests' payment, BEFORE any booking is accepted by Hosts.

 

That Airbnb have made "noises" about Holiday Insurance being "optional" and/or it being "suggested" that Guests' actually have an Insurance Policy on place, CANNOT be allowed to become or remain Airbnb's Policy, as otherwise we as both Hosts and SuperHosts will remain in the same position as we are now, should such a situation (or any other cancellation situation) ever raise its head again.

 

Apologies if my reply has gone "off-tack" at all, but for all of us Airbnb-ers who are so appreciative of our SuperHost award, and who so zealously "fight" to retain such, I most sincerely hope that Airbnb WON'T treat us as an algorithm within a faceless, nameless, uncaring computer, but rather WILL grant those SuperHosts' (who have sweated blood to help make & keep Airbnb as THE world's No.1 Online Tourism Agent). THEIR share of the SuperHost Grant.

Remember; Airbnb are as desperate for our support as we are for theirs, and we should also always be mindful of the saying "United we stand; divided we fall"

Airbnb - but more particularly, Brian Chesky - are you listening? 'cos if you are, the time for "jaw, jaw, jaw" has ended; now is the time to "put the money where your mouth is", and "pay, pay, pay"!

Robin4
Top Contributor
Mount Barker, Australia

@John2406 

 

And to the community as an update, I did hear yesterday from a totally reliable contact the following......

 

"I'm contacting you directly to answer the question you posted about the Superhost Fund.  I have a friend who got an invite, applied, and received $5,000.  If you would like to relay this info to the rest of the group, of course, feel free.  I would rather not post myself...it's just not something I do...and would not want you to pass on my name as I don't want to be flooded with messages.   Here are the facts as I know them:

 

--he received an invite to apply on April 23rd

--the invite stated that Airbnb recognized he had significant income loss

--he was asked to write a short paragraph about how his hosting business was affected by Covid 19...he was limited in the amount of words

--he spent about 10 minutes filling out the application

--no bank account info or other personal data was asked for

--He has 1 listing, he has been a Superhost for over 4 years, Airbnb is his only income

--His listing is not a Plus or Luxe listing

--His listing is in xxxxxxxxxxxxx, USA

--He heard back on May 4th and the money was in his account on May 7th.

--He has no idea why he was chosen over so many others.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have so feel free to contact me if you like.  Thank you!"

 

I have told this person I will not pass on any personal details so I would please ask that to be respected and refrain from asking me any more details.

 

I just knew there had to be someone out there who would snag an invite, but to the rest of you it is a bit like rubbing salt into the wound, isn't it!

 

Cheers.....Rob

Luís142
Level 2
Porto, Portugal

Hi @Robin4 

Luís from Porto, Portugal here.

It's my first post and since i was looking the forum at my lunchtime i can confirm that until now i also didn't receive any request from Airbnb. I'm super host for 3 years or so.

 

Hope all are good and wish all the best to you and families.

 

Cheers,

Luís

Robin4
Top Contributor
Mount Barker, Australia

@Luís142 

Welcome to the Community Centre hosting forum Luis, it is lovely to see you here and I hope you are managing okay over there in Portugal. My wife and I have had many travels, but unfortunately never managed get to your lovely country.

 

Luis, I am having  contact with many hosts over the past two months around the world and up until yesterday all of them were reporting the same experience as you. It was rumoured here that there were a few hosts who had received an invite for the Superhost grant, but it was only yesterday that I actually received any hard evidence that the scheme actually exists.

The other piece of interesting information is that, from what I have heard the only hosts who have received an invitation are hosts from the USA.

 

Luis I would not place too much faith in receiving an invite. I thinks the odds are about the same as a three legged horse winning the Kentucky Derby!

All the best and stay safe Luis, I look forward to hearing more from you and Portugal!

 

Cheers......Rob

Hi @Robin4 ,

Thanks for the message.

It was only my contribution for the forum. Honestly i'm not expecting anything.

Airbnb is my "only" partner in crime. i have yearly maybe 1 guest from HomeAway (i was not updating the calendar anymore) and 99,9% was Airbnb.

 

Better times will come. Hope you can visit Portugal in the near future.

Wish you a wonderful day!

 

Cheers,

Luís

Jason1350
Level 10
San Diego, CA

The impact to Airbnb corporate and the many employees affected by the layoffs truly saddens me. It’s certainly a tough time for all and my thoughts and prayers are with you all. Regarding the grant initiative—I really needed this grant, I met all the requirements and am disappointed to never have received an invitation but more so by the lack of any clear validation that these allocated funds actually went somewhere.

 

I’m trying to stay positive and understanding to corporates responses but I have to say as a professional and dedicated Superhost for years I think the management and communication of these relief efforts to the community has been poor and really lacking the respect I have come to expect and believe we all deserve. I know there’s a lot of hate being thrown around in the CC and am a firm believer that won’t get us anywhere. So I’m just simply asking with the utmost respect @Airbnb  to please provide some clarity here? Are the relief grant funds liquidated? Clearly what we see / here in CC (a lack of confirmed grant awards) doesn’t reflect what was announced. Was there a change to this process? Any clarification would put a lot of minds at ease. Thank you for the consideration. 

Judy709
Level 1
Catskill, NY

Any one received one??  

Belinda55
Level 10
Bundeena, Australia

Host since 2012, Superhost since the program began (they even sent me a trophy!). All reservations cancelled for April/May/June (100% reduction in income over last year). No refunds, as I have Moderate policy. I am retired and it's my only income.

No invitation, just a newsletter about how to 'evolve your hosting business'!

It's just a small cabin. so I guess I don't make them enough money ...

@Belinda55  Nope, they only use hosts like us to prop up their "live like a local, caring and sharing" image. Otherwise we're pretty much invisible.