New Requirement of 4.7 or Get Delisted?

[Rebecca160]

Hey Fellow Hosts,

Have you taken the time to really consider the new minimum requirements to take effect July 1?  In particular,  the minimum 4.7 star average to host and 4.8 to remain a superhost, or face getting delisted.  There are a few other things, too, but the most concerning to me is the star ratings. This puts our livelihood in the slippery fingers of a harried happy guest, a calm happy guest , or an unhappy, vindicative guest.  Anyone can deliberately or inadvertantly click on a low star rating for a host, even when the host was outstanding. A low rating is almost impossible to remove, according to many testimonials on this forum.

I just clicked on London and discovered that the average star rating there is 4.5. Sorry London hosts, but looks like most of you are going to be leaving the plaform very soon...

My dashboardTarget description

I have not found any way to recover from actually being delisted. Is it a temporary suspension? Permanent?

Are you worried about the new targets? Outraged? Might want to think about it, before the bots get us.

As for me, I am pretty outraged.

[Mike340]

"No one is going to get delisted automatically just because they go below 4.7, without Airbnb taking into consideration many, many factors; locale, average area host performance, absolute desired numbers in a given area, etc."

@Fred13

Airbnb isnt going to take anything into consideration Fred..the computer bots will do it. 

You cant believe that there will some kind of "discussion" with each and every host about scores/reviews what is fair/what isnt ...no way.....the computer says...that will be it ..in my opinion

And the system is so primitive that all these "considerations" will...not happen 

[Fred13]

We are now into the 'Takeover by the Bot', where a machine will do all the thinking. Makes for a great movie, but it is not reality.

[Trevor77]

Then we should be rated by bot , not human! heh heh

[Marlene76]

@Fred in Placecencia, Spain -- I hope you are right; my gut feeling says you are not.

[Rebecca181]

@Rebecca160 Given the increasing 'power' of the algorithm (e.g., we now have Airbnb Customer Service reps actually saying to us hosts that they wish they could change or fix something that presents as unjust or unfair but it is "out of my hands" because it is "all driven by the algorithms now") I agree with you that this new 4.7 standard for all hosts should be of great concern to anybody who cares about their short term rental business, given that Airbnb still allows retaliatory / revenge reviews to stand (Customer Service Rep: "I wish I could remove it, but I can't") that can drop a listings stats from high to low in a New York minute.

To me, this new 'Target' with informational icon presents as a deliberately manipulative mind-game as there is no clear statement as to what exactly happens if you fall below 4.7. And, given that we know that the algorithm is controlling much of the activity in regard to the issuance of warnings (e.g., admonishments we need to 'improve'), I would think that a clear definition of the words 'consistently' and the phrase 'your listing could be removed' would be of critical importance to us hosts. Meaning, it clearly states we may be removed for falling below a 4.7. Not just suspended. Not temporarily deactivated. REMOVED. With no additional information included regarding how to get reinstated. How might a host reinstate themselves if delisted? Will a human C/S rep have the power to intervene so as to reinstate a listing if it was delisted by the Bot due to an unfair review dropping one's overall rating? Can a Case Manager intervene? Or is it irreversible because it is Bot-driven, as in other cases we have read about here in the forums? Who knows?!

I know of no other large booking site that is so myopic regarding it's standards. I have never received a warning, threat, or been told I need to 'improve' by VRBO / Homeaway, Trip Advisor, or other places I list. While they are not perfect, I do feel I am a valued BUSINESS partner and that I am treated as an adult, versus being treated like a dependent child that has no business sense whatsoever ("Sure, Computer Bot, I'll rent out my 3-Story Beach House for $39.00 a night in the high season, thanks for the price tip!") and needs to be pushed and prodded to perform and 'achieve goals' (Airbnb's goals - not mine). It may get to a point where people who take their business most seriously will just not want to deal with these shenanigans anymore. Maybe @Mike340 is right - Out with the old (hosts) and in with the new - New hosts that don't know any different, and can be more easily controlled so as to carry out the vision of the new, post-IPO Airbnb. Or, alternatively, maybe someone really stupid way up at the top of Airbnb is allowed to make these kinds of REALLY big and important decisions and so this 4.7 thing was able to be spewed out and turned into policy and we'd all just go along with it without challenging it too much. Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens.

[Ute42]

Hi @Rebecca181 , You wrote:

„there is no clear statement as to what exactly happens if you fall below 4.7.“

Well, there will never be a clear statement. In areas with an oversupply of airbnb's the may delist everybody below 4.7, in rural or beach areas You may get away with 4.2, in areas with strong HomeAway competition where they don't have enough inventory You may stay listed with 3.9. The new 4.7 requirement is not a border that if You cross it You're dead. The new 4.7 requirement is a new tool to threaten hosts to behave well, how they are going to handle it will never be disclosed till the end of time.

And there will never be a „clear definition of the words 'consistently' and the phrase 'your listing could be removed'“ They will never tell us.

„.....suspended. Not temporarily deactivated. REMOVED“ and how to get reinstated?

Maybe they come up with a reinstatement fee. To get You listing back to the platform You may have to pay 200$ and that could happen not only once a year. This would be a replacement to the HomeAway listing fee. There's some money to be made.

„.....that I am treated as an adult, versus being treated like a dependent child“

I don't need anyone to tell me how to run my business. I'm making 40k+ a year, that would be some nice comission for airbnb. If they want that business, fine, but don't bother me. If they don't want it, ok. I'm listing on 3 other platforms and I'm doing well.

And there is google adwords which works well for me. They send an invoice every month, 100 clicks, average cpc 1,32 = 132$, 2 dates sold for 2000$, thank You for Your business, You're welcome. I can decline 90% of the booking inquiries, I have a downpayment in my account, adwords doesn't care about anything except paying for their clicks.

By the way, try to call adwords customer service, that's a world of it's own. Everyone has a university degree, highly intelligent people are looking for ideas how to increase Your business in a 30 minutes phonecall. After the phonecall You are asked to rate the person You talked to. Some of them say: Pls don't forget to rate our phonecall, it's important for me. I think they are all  working to get the "super-rep badge" from google.

Rebecca, don't get too excited about airbnb, don't let them rule Your life. There are enough other companies out there and they are more than happy to take Your money.

[Neil149]

Yes you are correct there are other companies!

[Catherine827]

Hi @Rebecca160, @Ute42, @Rebecca181, @Fred13, @Matthew285... it’s all beginning to feel like a bad dream, or a bad joke. 

I have followed the Airbnb rules and conditions... and more. I’ve never made a claim or sought help to remove a guest or made a damages claim.  I just have to have that one guest who just don’t give a s### about any review process. Nice people, but indifferent to Airbnb micromanagement.

All the good work and efforts, and bouquets from great guests will mean nothing if the one off guest doesn’t care, or is vindictive. Yes, human nature is not in the bot algorithm ... and will never compute.  If Airbnb want a functioning and cohesive long term relationship with good hosts, then they need to nurture this symbiotic relationship and stop biting the hand that feeds us, and also feeds them.  Then, they need to get the experts into their computer system software now and sort out this crazy direction they are heading and pilot the ship again with care. Or the ever decreasing circle will begin to wind into aaction until the last one out... turns off the light. Pretty poor reward system they are going to use to replace a reasonable one. (With the exception of the no grievance platform).

Tongue in cheek over the top response:

Hey, I have an idea... after we are all booted off Airbnb from “the bot”, we could all create a retired super host platform! Lol...

But truthfully, I was thinking, it must have been a wow of a party that the decision makers were enjoying when they came up with this doozy of a business plan. It must have been some amazing sangria or like, to blow out the businesses rational brain cells.... oh and it’s logic! But that would be very unkind to sangria.

Airbnb don’t make changes, just because...

keep the good - revise the bad 

or business model will be sad.

Reward the best

mentor the rest

don’t become a once upon 

they were good, but now they’re gone! 

I remember them that was...

A basic bed a lilo couch

Forgotten values from the past

now they’re just a memory last 

if this change gets launched too fast

implosion may come just as fast....

[Fred13]

"Yes, human nature is not in the bot algorithm ... and will never compute.' Well said, that is where Airbnb  fails miserably; doesn't protect hosts from the occassional mean-spirited, hustlers, nor lunatics.

[Marzena4]

I am in the group of hosts at risk of being delisted myself - mainly thanks to guests with personality disorders, because how to describe someone who: 1. arrives past 22.00 (quiet hours); 2. is greeted outside and asked to keep quiet because of the other guests (two listings); 3. are happy with their stay but give 3* mentioning "cold welcome"; 4. lie about their arrival time.

The only way is to start listing somewhere else so as not to be fully dependent on Airbnb. It happens that Airbnb deciders cannot see into the future and won't lissten to hosts who can.

[Sarah977]

@Marzena4  I have been looking for any other booking sites that list rooms in shared homes and not come up with any, really. There's one out of Europe, I'm not sure where, and I noticed when reading through their hosting info that if you cancel even 1 reservation, the site itself demotes you to a 1*. The only other I know of starts with boo.....but it has a really bad rep where I live. 

[Marzena4]

@Sarah977 There are a few issues you address. One is rating, which purely depends sometimes on the guest's mental condition. And here, we have a huge problem as hosts.

You mentioned rating dropping in the case of cancellation - here I agree 99%. Only force majeur might make me cancel.

[Mike340]

@Rebecca160 @Marzena4

These "warnings " that get sent by the computer bots are a seriously lazy way at trying to get the performance of hosts to improve. However we know that is many many case the performance is actually just fin..it is merely the objective view of a guest.

If 

[Mike340]

@Rebecca160 @Marzena4

If Airbnb needs me to have a glass half full and it asks my guests if it is or not....what can I do if the guest tells me the glass is half empty (which they probably would seeing as they always want more) 

The glass is the same whether they say it it is half full or half empty...but I may well still be thrown out 

[Marzena4]

We'll see, @Mike340... Airbnb will have to revise this current system sooner or later.