Will we get to keep our future reservations?

[Inna22]

In light of @Lizzie  and crew keeping track of our comments, I would like to start a new thread on this particular subject. We were all robbed blind by Airbnb. That is old news now. What I would really really like to know, NEED to know if they are going to continue refunding beyond April 14. Then I can plan. Nothing all of us say here can change what they decide, I get that. But at least if I know what Airbnb is planning, I can plan. 

I will explain why this is so important to me. I already have my summer calendar half full. I have strict policy. If no more money is taken away, even if I do not get a single new reservation, I can survive.

If they will continue with refunds and I know it now, I can regroup now- rent long term, get out of leases, etc. I will be more likely to come back as a host when this is over vs defaulting on properties and being evicted out of rentals. Allowing me to plan is in Airbnb's own interest. 
I understand that I’m not the most favorite or common type of host on this community board – meaning I have multiple properties. But I hope you all agree that we need to have this information in order how to plan for the future.

[#2]

I will explain why this is so important to me. I already have my summer calendar half full. I have strict policy. If no more money is taken away, even if I do not get a single new reservation, I can survive.

If they will continue with refunds and I know it now, I can regroup now- rent long term, get out of leases, etc. I will be more likely to come back as a host when this is over vs defaulting on properties and being evicted out of rentals. Allowing me to plan is in Airbnb's own interest. 
I understand that I’m not the most favorite or common type of host on this community board – meaning I have multiple properties. But I hope you all agree that we need to have this information in order how to plan for the future.

[Inna22]

@Mark116 I have not reached out to anyone and no one has reached out to me with reservations past may. Most of my guests are groups coming for events so these are not easy decisions to make. I think everyone is sitting tight

[Anonymous]

@Inna22   Events? That might be the giveaway of what to expect. It's extremely unlikely that events featuring large gatherings of people are going to be happening this summer. 

[Inna22]

@Anonymous by events I mean weddings and reunions, not concerts. People are not going to stop getting married for foreseeable future

[Anonymous]

@Inna22  I wonder about that actually. People are still getting married in the legal sense, but there's no certainty of when it's going to be OK to get dozens of people (including elderly relatives) together in one room for a catered wedding again. At some point that infection rate is going to start going down, but we'll still have a long period of organizing our lives differently to prevent another outbreak. This will likely entail a big reduction in the size and scope of intimate social gatherings.

[Inna22]

@Anonymous my own daughter has started to plan her wedding (2 years from now). Perhaps I can convince her to make it intimate :). I think people will continue celebrations, perhaps not as lavish. Hopefully this would also mean renting and splitting airbnbs instead of a block of rooms in a nice hotel. I guess I am an optimist.

[Susan17]

@Inna22 @Anonymous 

My cousin just cancelled his wedding which was due to happen on June 27th. Postponed until next summer. I'd imagine a lot of others will be doing the same. 

[Mark116]

@Inna22 @Susan17  Yes, our neighbor's daughter has postponed her wedding until next year, it was due to take place some time in May or June, can't remember. 

[Sheila22]

@Inna22  I am not sure why these posts that are specifically about the situation for Hosts (regular and consistent Hosts) who are being financial decimated by Airbnb right now, are crawling with "occasional" Hosts who are not financially affected by this in the same way.  Why are they on all the posts related to this topic actively putting in their two cents?  Please don't feel belittled or discouraged.

The FB page for only Hosts who have been "thrown under the bus" by Airbnb is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/861430217655400/

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  Just because someone is an"occasional" host (not sure what you would consider that to be) doesn't mean they aren't being financially devastated by cancellations. Some hosts live in areas where business is really only seasonal and they have to get all their bookings in only a several month period, because there just aren't people travelling to those areas in the off-season. In other words, they aren't "occasional" hosts by choice. This might be their normal off-season, but if Airbnb continues to hand out 100% refunds like candy to all cancelling guests, those hosts may indeed be financially devastated come summer, when they might get all their bookings for the year.

And just because a host isn't financially devastated right now doesn't mean they aren't in solidarity with hosts who are, regarding the unfortunate way Airbnb has handled this. I've never had a bad guest or had one leave me a bad review, but that doesn't stop me from strenuously objecting to the way Airbnb allows false bad reviews from bad guests to stand, because it's simply wrong and unfair.

[Sheila22]

Hosts who have been thrown under the bus  by Airbnb go here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/861430217655400/

Sarah, This is not personal (except maybe for the "crawling" part -- take it as you will -- I am crawling too, but the subject matter of this post ACTUALLY pertains to me unlike others). FACTS: these are two different markets (of Hosts) -- I'm sure both equally as viable  and important to Airbnb (well, I guess viable only if they survive).  But these two markets are different and Airbnb knows it.  At this point it is evident that Airbnb made a conscious gamble about hanging Hosts out to dry, KNOWING very well they were destroying and depleting  the 'REGULAR AND CONSISTENT' Hosts.  Again, I use these terms just to differentiate the two different types of hosts from one another -- I'm sure both important to Airbnb (or maybe not, still up for debate -- OK, correction, still important Hosts in the general market place).  Again, not a personal insult, just business.

It is important to me to let that specific portion of the Hosting community (regular and consistent Hosts) from getting discouraged by the other 'Hosts' and monitors of this forum (who are crawling about here even though though the subject does not affect them in the same way, or at all -- so not sure why they are always on these posts -- still perplexing to me). 

That was an over-explanation of something that should seem obvious at this point -- we are far into this situation, and even news articles and professional blogs are explaining this situation -- way better than I can.

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  From all evidence, Airbnb doesn't actually care about any of their hosts, regardless of whether they have multiple listings and generate a lot of income, or whether they are small-time hosts listing a private room in their homes. It's pretty apparent that they consider all of us expendable and have done for quite awhile, long before coronavirus. The fact is that there are more listings than demand (although there may not be after this debacle) and there are, in normal times, more hosts signing up all the time.

[Sheila22]

@Sarah977

Agreed.

[Wendy1071]

In Ontario all churches have been closed and Toronto City hall is not performing weddings so people may indeed be forced to stop getting married for the foreseeable future.   The Canadian Government is shutting businesses and gatherings down more and more each day.  California, and other states, have made it mandatory that everyone stay home, period.  This is uncharted territory and Airbnb bookings, or lack thereof, may be the least of everyone's worries.  Stay safe everyone.  

[Jody79]

@Inna22 We just had a cancellation due to the wedding being postponed, so this is affecting even those that are planning to get married.

[Inna22]

@Jody79 when was the wedding supposed to take place? And sorry you are dealing with yet another cancellation