Multicalendar redesign now needs 6 listings to work!

Lubo2
Level 3
Hollywood, FL

Multicalendar redesign now needs 6 listings to work!

This morning, (Oct 28 2018) multicalendar stopped working for me accross all platforms. I just got off the phone with customer support. After speaking with two different reps, and going through all the troubleshooting, I was finally told that the multicalendar is undergoing a 'redesign' and is currently available only to hosts with 6 or more properties. The link to access the calendar is still on my account, but it just defaults back to my first listing's month-view calendar. No error, no explanation to that effect, nothing.

 

This is just ridiculous. I don't see any reason they could have for enacting this minimum. Bandwidth conservation? 'encouraging' people to add more listings? On the current documentation page it states that accounts with multiple listings will be able to use the multicalendar (as in, more than one). It has worked for years when I had 2 listings, and now that I have 4. This is an indispensible tool for serious hosts who host rooms full time, and anyone who hosts mutiple, short term reservations back to back, all year round. It is a huge hassle to try to fit longer reservations when you have to switch them from listing to listing without being able to see all listings next to each other with a bird's eye view. Changing prices, seeing when listings are to be cleaned was much easier. Quickly being able to see when no properties were booked so you could plan a vacation. I mean, the uses are just endless! There's a reason all regular rental and hotel software platforms have this feature!

 

The rep said that they may or may not keep the 6 listing requirement once the feature is fully rolled out, and that there's no way to know for sure, but for now it's 'broken.' Even if they are doing testing to determine this, I don't see why the current multicalendar has to be inacessible. He said it should work with properties with more than 6 listings. So that means all of these hosts who have less than 4 suddenly have no access to this tool, even if the redesign is still not finalized and rolled out?

 

I just wanted to get this out there since it's something that happened recently and I'm sure other serious hosts would find frustrating. It has happened before, and it has been fixed. I know that there are alternatives to this, such as Google calendar or management software, but you either have to a). pay for it, or b). it just doesn't work well (does not show picture or enough info, not visually easy to see check ins and outs because it doesn't place reservations halfway over the next day as typical hotel calendar software does).

 

They really need to fix this, and allow people with more than one listing to use this feature. And if they're doing a redesign or something else, please at least don't break this feature while updating it!

49 Replies 49
Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

@Lubo2  I can barely believe what I am reading - But I DO believe it, because this is happening on a nearly daily basis these days, it seems: Changes to the platform without hosts being notified. Changes that are obviously designed to accommodate large, commercial property managers, not non-commercial and/or home-sharing (traditional) Airbnb hosts. 

 

Clearly, they are done with us and at this point we are just being blatantly disrespected, dismissed, and slapped around. The writing is on the wall - Traditional Airbnb hosts are no longer wanted on the platform. At least, that's how it seems to me. Anyone else?

Exactly. I didn't really want open that can of worms about them preferring larger, whole unit management companies, but that's basically what this seems like. I am aware that the best option, financially, for airbnb would be to have large, whole unit listings managed by companies on a large scale, which are instant-booked and basically run as close to a traditional hotel as possible. It's more profitable, per unit, and there's less liability and complaints, since those companies rarely complain about small issues such as noise or smaller missing items. 

 

They should absolutely notify us at least if they're making a big change such as removing a popular feature. Even if it is temporary, like the rep suggested. My bank warns me of outages to online banking, and road construction always puts up detour signs weeks in advance. It's just the right thing to do, IF you care about your 'employees' that is. That we are not the former, and thus all of this happening, is yet another can of worms I will not open here.

 

I'm not 100% sure that there is this more in-depth conspiracy going on, but it certainly seems that way especially with them pushing instant-book so much -- it makes things 'easier' for the guests, who are after all what makes the bulk of airbnb's profits. So anything to do with less hassle for the guest results in a hit against the hosts, if the issue conflicts, and the guests' side always win for the reasons mentioned above. Instant book also easily deals with their racism issue, which I'm all for dealing with that 100% but this is not the way to do it. This is simply the just the easy way that limits liability for them but inconveniences hosts who screen their guests on featuers which actually matter.

 

Way off topic, but it seems like this multicalendar thing is just another small way in which they want to tailor their site and traffic to be towards the big, non host-occupied, instant-booked, large-volume, whole-multi-unit properties. Another contributing factor is probably that there's a worldwide crackdown on Airbnb's, and in some locales (such as mine) they are making it either outright illegal to host even your own private home on airbnb, or  so difficult that essentially only large companies who are set up as hotel chains and have the resources to be able to deal with it, get licensed and pass all of the hotel level requirements and inspections. So airbnb is not doing anything that surprising, per se, they're just catering to the majority demand and what would make them the most money with the least hassle. I don't really blame them though, that's capitalism for you.

 

I know this is only a vaguely-related rant, but a good start would be for them to bring back the multicalendar functionality the way they describe it in their documentation. *multiple* properties, as in, more than 1. We can deal with splitting the atom later, when I have more time... 

@Lubo0  @Rebecca

"So airbnb is not doing anything that surprising, per se, they're just catering to the majority demand and what would make them the most money with the least hassle"

 

Completely agree on that point. The problem is though, that Airbnb is systematically using small traditional hosts as their weapon of choice in regulatory battles with lawmakers and regulators  across the world, in a desperate (but mostly futile now) effort to convince authorities that they're absolutely not responsible for stripping city after city of long-term housing stock and driving up local rents. They're using every dodgy trick in the book to hide the proliferation of huge commercial operators on the platform behind the small traditional hosts, which is the reason they steadfastly refuse to seperate and clearly delineate the traditional hosts from the "professionals" on the platform (despite the fact that the professionals get many perks and benefits denied to us) 

 

Unfortunately, the policymakers aren't swallowing that line anymore and they really dont like being played for fools, so the end result in most jurisdictions now is blanket bans and draconian regulations that wipe us all out. 

Very good point, Susan. Yet anoghter angle in the multifaceted polyhedron of issues. I think it is up to the 'traditional' hosts to raise and speak up about issues like this. I have no problem with the big companies being on the platform along with me -- they simply can never provide the personal attention, security, amenities and level of cleanliness that an on-site owner doing it all themselves at their own property can, so it's not that I feel threatened by them -- it's just that they're spoiling the bunch for the rest of us. Years ago, when I mentioned I do airbnb to people they would say "oh, how nice of you to share your home". Nowadays, the first reaction I usually get is "Oh, aren't you worried about your neighbors? how do you deal with all of the noise complaints?" This is because of all of these corporate whole unit vacation rentals with owners who don't even live in the same state and could care less about the community, giving free range to guests and sans any supervision whatsoever.


Back on topic with the OP issue, they moved it [the multicalendar] to 'professional' tools, which now let you do a bunch of other things like *copy and paste properties*... LOL! We see who they're targeting with features like this! See above.

 

But it's ok, airbnb still helps me put bread on the table, and it would be a lot harder without them. So I'm thankful for it all, but they really need to let thesmall guys with the original HOME sharing idea do their thing without getting a bad rep. A guy with 25 listings is not a 'host' or sharing a 'home' of any kind -- He's a manager at a hotel, sharing a 'unit' as they call it. Nothing homey about it, it is no different from the Holiday Inn down the street.

I noticed mine not working. So I checked here. Glad I did. This saved me a lot of time. I depend on the multifiew calandar on a daily basis. To make this only available to host with 6 or more, is ridiculous!! It should be available to anyone with more than 1 listing. I often have to compare my listings, I have (3), to see what days empty the listings have in common so I can plan my cleaner to come in, accordingly. I also use it to see when guest want to book more than one of my listings for the same dates. AirBnB has me really thinking about switching to another platform that actually needs hosts and recognize the hosts and their homes are why they are a billion dollar industry.  

 

It seems they constantly are changing the layout of the sight. You get used to the changes, some really good, and it works great for everything and then they change it, again. IF IT IS NOT BROKE DONT FIX IT!!

 

I WANT MY MULTIVIEW BACK!

Kevin616
Level 9
Western Australia, Australia

Have to agree in the absence of any evidence to the contrary!


@Rebecca181 wrote:

@Lubo2  I can barely believe what I am reading - But I DO believe it, because this is happening on a nearly daily basis these days, it seems: Changes to the platform without hosts being notified. Changes that are obviously designed to accommodate large, commercial property managers, not non-commercial and/or home-sharing (traditional) Airbnb hosts. 

 

Clearly, they are done with us and at this point we are just being blatantly disrespected, dismissed, and slapped around. The writing is on the wall - Traditional Airbnb hosts are no longer wanted on the platform. At least, that's how it seems to me. Anyone else?


 

Tony134
Level 10
Sarasota, FL

So I guess Airbnb has finally broken me because I saw this news and laughed instead of being grumpy.

 

I have 3 active listings right now and 4 more inactive ones(because airbnb support drove me mad, shut some down). My multiplexer is still there. Just as some ghost listings Ann's keep them inactive.

Tony, thanks for the input. I almost considered making 2 extra fake or long term listings for my existing rooms just to get this feature back. Ridiculous. For such a large company their web design team needs a little common sense -- if you remove a feature, then remove the buttons and links to the feature too! And if you are keeping the links, and removing the feature, at least put a notice when the link is clicked. It's just super basic UI design principles. You need to provide user feedback to all actions!

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Lubo2 and @Susan17 (Rebecca & Tony, I've @ mentioned you in other threads on the same topic),

 

I am sorry to hear your concern around this feature.

 

We have spoken with the tech team on this as I have been hearing quite a lot of confusion around this and so I wondering if you could try the below please:

 

Please go to:

 

Account Settings > Settings > and select to Opt-in to the 'Use professional tools' there.

 

Several other hosts have mentioned this has worked for them, so if you could let me know that would be great.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Thanks Lizzie! Finally, a straightforward answer that addresses the issue with a good resolution. I spoke with several reps about this issue, and one of the reps didn't even know what the multi calendar was! So, it does work for me, but I still think this should be placed back as a regular feature. It's confusing to have to do all of that to find it again.

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

I'm really glad to hear this is working for your @Lubo2 and I am sorry that you have had to spend so much time on this. 

 

A few hosts have mentioned this, so I'm going to feed this back to the team. 

 

Thanks for getting back to me. 

 

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

I guess I stuck my foot in my mouth by not reading the whole thread. That worked for me!

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Aw no worries @Martin-And-Jamie0. I'm really glad this works for you. Enjoy! 🙂


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Yes, PLEASE get the multicalendar back for us! It is too time consuming to toggle back and forth between calendars for all listings to schedule cleanings etc.  It would also be amazing to have access to multicalendar feature on my phone or tablet!!! 

Please help us because non of the reps that I have called seem to care!

Thank you,

Jena