I have a dream..

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

I have a dream..

Covid-19 has happened and if anything else it has presented all of us with a rare opportunity to slow down and think and do things in a better way in the future. Since we have hosting in common,  what I wish for Airbnb are as follow >

 

1. Drop the $1m Host Guarantee, go $1m Host Liability route like VRBO if you wish. The HG program is a death knell, it shifts the responsibility from host to Airbnb oftentimes for poor decisions by hosts; it surely must be the source of 1/2 Airbnb's problems and hassles. 

 

2. Offer an easy way for guests to link to travel insurance and  property insurance companies, meaning be also an information conduit, but stay focus on lodging, and do it well. 

 

3. Put on notice all existing hosts that already have a listing that are a potential 'landmine'; i.e. unclean, or absentee owners to the point that disasters occur because no one is there or watching. Example, any listings that are pandering to high numbers to get booked by charging say $200, but allowing 20 people to stay, should have raised a red flag from the outset. The outcome for such places is usually the same - party occurs eventually, then damages are claimed, then the crazy HG nightmare begins. The other day I read once again - "Shooting at Airbnb Rental party ... "

 

4. Appeal to a better clientele by emphasis on behavior, stop pandering to the dregs of society because you are so afraid of what they may post on social media, its like a hostage situation. Besides, when hustlers post nowadays and try to act like the victim (the standard ploy which most people are now wise to), subconsciously the sane readers look favorably to those that held the hustler responsible. 

 

5. Drop the incessant 'charge-the-lowest-price' campaigns, it brings a worse clientele to Airbnb & hosts, not a better one.

 

6. Empower hosts to make wiser decisions by allowing them to be able to receive more information about the applicant. 

 

7. Rethink the review system, it is a great idea, but not so when it is obviously abused by a guest leaving a 'bombshell' review because the host made a claim via the security deposit (or HG in the past). Not allowing a review altogether because a claim has been made by the host is also subject to abuse - by the host; if he suspects a bad review, he files a claim. I have no answer to this one.

 

8. Allow a true damage deposit, but a conservative one, not to spook new potential clients. It will also keep hosts honest by reminding them there is a ceiling to their taking their eyes off their place.

 

9. Remake the brand by making booking with an Airbnb host almost a guarantee of staying in a well-kept place, welcoming hosts and consistent in manner. Trying to be all things to all people always cheapens the brand and rarely works, the spectrum of humanity is too wide.

 

10. And lastly, give some thought to your college socialist/capitalist combo mentality that your whole generation (and somewhat even the previous one) seems to adhere to - everyone is beautiful & the same, we are a business but also on a social crusade, etc, etc. Wonderful, but you are in business whose health others are dependent on, run it in an honest fashion and give a good example and that in itself is a major contribution to society. 

 

That is my dream, what's yours?

32 Replies 32
Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Fred13 with respect to your number 7 above. I think if the host makes a claim AND the claim is upheld then it would be fair to delete any review from the guest. This way a guest cannot leave a revenge review and a host cannot just get a review deleted by making a frivolous claim.

That one is a tricky one, because it can be abused both ways, but if I had to choose one side, I would on the side of the host, yes because oif the 'revenge factor'. Aboslutely.

 

@Fred13 

 

1,2, and 3 - I'd gladly get on board with all of these.

 

4 and 5 -  I would do away with "Smart" Pricing and the whole race-to-the-bottom trend of driving accommodations down to rates far below their worth. Granted, many hosts struggling in an oversaturated market will do this of their own free will, but Airbnb should take its thumb off the scale. 

 

A big part of the pricing argument is often marred by some not-so-subliminal classism, which is unnecessary. Budget travelers and low-income people are not the dregs of society, and one great thing about Airbnb that I don't want to change is that it opens up a lot of destinations to people who can't afford conventional travel. But I would draw a big distinction between people who responsibly choose options that fit their budget, and those who work the system to get refunds and discounts. I'd like to see companies like Airbnb stop coddling entitled people and enabling this kind of behavior.

 

6. Agree 100%

 

7. Easy - allow the text review but remove star ratings, when the stay involves a damage claim, rule violation, or payment dispute. It would inevitably cause some rating inflation, but at least those looking to make an informed decision would not be barricaded by censorship.

 

8. I can see the merit in this, but it comes down to proportionality. Perhaps the ceiling for the deposit should be not a flat dollar value but rather the equivalent of, say, 5 nights' room rental.

 

9. They already tried that with the Plus program, and it was a total failure. Problem is, whatever criteria are used to make this kind of assessment are bound to reflect the biases of a small number of millennials in an office in San Francisco, whose idea of what constitutes a "well-kept property" would certainly exclude thousands of hosts who can offer genuinely unique and memorable cultural experiences. Instead of intervening with some heavy-handed quality control measures, I would keep the focus on accuracy - whether the listing is a dirt-floor hut or Versailles, it should be held to a high standard of accuracy so that guests can book with accurate expectations. 

 

10. I just hear some air flapping out of a balloon there.

 

 

 

 

 

The 'dregs of society', to me, are those whose behavior is off the charts, irrelevant to economic 'class', but I do get your meaning. 

 

LoL. I knew #10 would get your attention and was included more for the raz of it than anything else. 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Just a random early-morning 'wish' list of areas I hope Airbnb works on and improves post-Covid-19. Not holding my breath mind you.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

A requirement that guests must first create an account and have their ID and payment methods verified before they can book anything, rather than the host having their calendar blocked "awaiting payment" or ID.

 

A consistency between what Airbnb tells guests about reviews and how they actually apply that to hosts. Don't tell guests that 4*s means "Good" and then turn around and tell hosts they need to pull up their socks for 4* ratings. Why is "good" bad?

 

Actually do away with star ratings altogether. They are too subjective to be of value.

 

Get rid of all the techies who don't seem to be able to go a week without there being some new glitch on the platform and hire competent tech staff whose first priority is the fixing of bugs, not creating slick advertising and changing our hosting pages for no discernible reason.

 

Hire and train CS reps so that they are consistent and knowledgeable. Stop lying about giving a call-back and stop with the feel-good "Thanks for being such a great host" instead of just dealing with the issue in a timely and competent manner.

I’ll second that!!!

Cheryl

No kidding, get rid of the star system altogether. The whole thing is in a way a duplicate of written reviews, which is what most interested parties go by anyway.

Ute42
Level 10
Germany

.

removed

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

Here's one more thing on my dream list:

 

A clear separation in search between listings which are self-check-in, never have to meet the host, anonymous entire place listings, and those which appeal to guests who like the hands-on-host-live-like -a- local approach.

I like that, yes no implied judgement made, but yes, a check box on Hosts Meets Guest' or 'Self-Check-In" ; some guests like one or the other.

@Fred13  Well, there are some situations where hands-on hosts do have self-check-in. Maybe the host works during the day and wants to let the guests check in from 2PM on. Or the guests are arriving late after the host has gone to bed, and have okayed that with the host.

 

I don't know how it could be worded, but basically it would separate the guests who are almost offended by the idea of having to meet the host, and those who would be happy to spend time chatting out in the yard over a beer and would love the host to walk them down the block to point out the eagle's nest or clue them in that the little hole-in-the-wall corner store around the corner is well worth going into because they stock the best cinnamon buns you've ever had, baked fresh daily by a local baker.

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

@Fred13 ! Your dream #2 has come true! Well done 🙂

I just booked as a guest. I have to travel within my province this week for work. 

On the confirmation screen AND in the email is this:

Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

Clicking on Learn more took me here: https://www.airbnb.ca/d/travel-insurance

 

.

@Lawrene0 

 

I can't believe what I'm seeing on the screen. After all these years we've been asking for it, they are now doing it? Are You sure this promt isn't a glitch?