"..it's not luxurious.."

[Patricia55]

I've read with interest the various posts and comments regarding Airbnb Plus and feel like putting some thoughts in writing.

We've been hosting with Airbnb for 2 years now and have been 99% happy with the experience. We really didn't know how (or if) it would work out for us. We didn't spend a lot of money before starting (new mattress, new linen & towels...) but as we got bookings, we spent a little more on a kitchen update (which our place needed anyway). So, basically, there wasn't a huge start-up cost. We love our flat, and the area, and our city, so we thought there were bound to be other people who'd feel the same way. Guests have the best bedroom and bathroom while we make do with the servants' quarters 😉

Regarding Airbnb Plus, I can totally understand why hosts in the places where it's been brought in, are feeling … miffed, belittled, pushed out, worried about their livelihoods. It hasn't been brought in in our area so I don't know exactly how I'd react. However, there's something that keeps niggling at me: why do we all (I fall into this trap myself, as well) assume that more luxury, more amenities, equals “better”? How much luxury, how many amenities, do we really need in our lives?! How much effort/money do we want to spend to “keep up with the Jones's”? Do guests really want all of this stuff?! I assume that the majority of our guests are visiting to see the city, attend an event, get together with their kids who are attending uni, for work... I mean, they're not going to be spending much time in our home* other than sleeping, eating, showering...

*There have been exceptions – it always surprises me (pleasantly) when guests just want to spend time in the flat, or sleep!

Of course, there's a huge variety of guests who want different things from a home; hopefully Airbnb can cater for many different requirements, without sidelining/belittling some of us. Oh, but I LOVED the initial spirit of Airbnb, the sharing of our homes (call me an old hippie) and would be very sad if that spirit were lost!

Vive la difference!

PS The title of this post is from a review (actually a very nice one) which initially made us think: “oh, what is she implying?” (...it's a British thing!) Then, we decided, yeah, we aint luxurious and that's absolutely fine 🙂

PPS We're also a bit Green, so, you know, trying to help the planet 🙂

[Robin4]

@Patricia55 @Rachel0 @Paul154 @Amy38

A part of me says, I am with you guys!

When I started with Airbnb I had the feeling that Airbnb genuinely wanted me on board, they were happy to push my listing along for a while to get me started. The world semed to be in love with Airbnb and the bookings came. I gradually left my other hosting avenues and concentrated where I thought I was a part of a global phenomenon.

The last year has seen me pushed into IB, all the time cajoled to keep my standards up and yet receiving weekly emails and site prompts to lower my prices, meeting new business ready benchmarks, and now the risk of being virtually ostracised if I don't make my listing spectacular and pay the company yet more money to belong to where I have earned a rightful place to be!

We are told we are important....but when the chips are down, we don't see any evidence of it, we just see a bit more pressure to 'perform'.....or get out!

So, yeah, I totally understand what you are saying @Patricia55

But the other part of me says, I am happy with the deal I have had. Every payment has arrived on time, almost all the guests have been great and Airbnb are bringing me all the business I can handle. Compare my calendar with that of a year ago....

March last year I had 22 unbooked days, March this year I have 4. I don't get a lot of bookings far in advance like @Fred does....but they come, and I know I will only have a handful of unbooked days over the next few months

I have found contact with Airbnb to be outstanding. Since becoming a Superhost I have never had to wait more than 45 seconds to actually talk to someone....I wish a few government departments and larger businesses here would take a leaf out of Airbnb's book as far as contact is concerned.

Maybe I have just been lucky, I have never been a 'nuisance' to Airbnb, I have never taken a problem to them! I have just let them take their cut and then done my bit, got on and hosted and the graph is all the time going up. I haven't given them a reason to hound me or penalise me!

I hope there will always be a place for me on Airbnb, as long as they keep on doing their bit I will keep on doing mine. You and I @Rachel0, we just get on with what we have to do, I think, regardless of what the company may do or have planned, we are survivors!

But just one thing @Patricia55, don't equate 'luxurious' with 'amenities'....luxurious is something many of us can't be, but we can go out of our way to provide the best we can for our guests.....even with a limited budget and facilities.

I would not for an instant call my listing luxurious....but I do offer 50 amenities!

Cheers....Rob

[Jacqueline8]

Hi All

If the luxurious accomodations have a PLUS rating, why can't the budget minded host have an EXTRA rating they can aspire to.  This would be for hosts who repeatedly have clean linens, hot showers, easy checkin and comfortable accomodations.  "Keep you memory green", Brian, that is how you started.  There are still most of us who do this to pay the bills the way you did!

Warm Regrds,

Jackie

[Patricia55]

@Jacqueline8I like that reminder to Brian! (if he was on here, I would @ him 😉 )

[Patricia55]

Hey @Robin0 you're cooking on gas! re all of your bookings, and you deserve it.

I'm in agreement: I'm broadly happy with the Airbnb deal too - the website, the payments, the customer care, have been exemplary. I mean, we don't have a strict contract; if they're not happy with me, they can dump me, and vice versa!

Maybe I'm just an inverted snob or summat, a minimalist, a Green... just didn't much admire the Plus thing, no offence to those who are in it.  Hey, I can cope with a little luxury occasionally 😉

PS Ohmigiddy, you have Fifty amenities?! ... I didn't know there were so many!

[Ruth267]

Patricia,

Thanks so much for making this post. I totally agree with you and all those who have responded. Sandra your comment to use the word 'value' is great. I pride myself on the value I offer my guests, much more than any over and above luxuries can provide. I too am surprised by the numbers of guests who just want to stay in the flat and sleep or watch tv!! The initial philosophy of sharing our space with others is being drowned out in a world where 'luxuries' are being demanded at all levels. I 'do' the home baked goods etc but that's the way we live anyway-simple things like biscuits on arrival, home made muesli in breakfast basket etc. What do we value as a luxury?? For some of us it's simplicity, to live in a quiet space of a rural community, our accommodation set in our organic garden with sheep in the paddock behind us or parrots wheeling overhead at sunset, ability to walk in safety for a pleasant meal at a local pub or a shared chat of travel experiences. We enjoy having guests and sharing our space and environment. Sad that the need to provide 'luxury' is becoming a value on which Airbnb is starting to pride itself. Thanks to so many of you who affirm that there are plenty out there who value the original foundations of airnbnb.

Ruth ****, Barossa Valley, Australia.

[Robin4]

@Ruth267

I know your area extremely well Ruth! Although I am in Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills these days, my family (the Shannon's) background was a farming one. I grew up on the family's 2,000 acre property 3 Kms out of Kapunda on the Eudunda road and spent my first 15 years there. Ferrying back and forth through the Barossa we spent a lot of time in Nuri.

Relations of mine, the Salter family have a big wine history there and I, with my sister and other kids spent some of our younger years in this particular house at the Angaston property!....

Just keep doing what you are doing Ruth, you are an assett to the community.

Cheers.....Rob

[Ruth267]

Thanks for taking the time to contact me. Much appreciated. We came here searching for family history and bought this property. Love the region and love sharing it with others. Thought your comments were fantastic on this blog and it's certainly been my experience too.

Cheers, Ruth

[Sandra126]

I used to live a couple of mins from Saltram's!

[Patricia55]

@Ruth0 I'm on the same page as you, your place sounds absolutely idyllic. I'm grateful too, to know that there are warm and welcoming people in the world who value the non-materialistic things in life 🙂

[Cindy290]

I couldn't agree more Patricia. I certainly don't thnk we need to be rewarding hosts for providing extra luxuries a the expence of those of us who provide basic, clean comfortabe accommodation at a realistic price.

My beach house is exactly that. A beach house. it is simple and basic and people can get sand on the floor and hang wet towels from the verandah.

My feedback suggests that this is what the majoirty of my guests want, no baked goods, soaps or fancy decor.

To quote one of my guest's feedback "No frills - just how I like it".

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Patricia55

Right there with you!!! My listing is a private room&bath in my home.....due to my proximity to several local universities, I have been very popular with exchange students. Seoul real estate prices are killer (just like any major city around the world) and compared to other countries require a very significant deposit (usually at least 6 months worth rent as a deposit which you get back when your lease is up) plus most landlords prefer a 1 year contract so finding a place for only 3~5 months really limits your options. Many exchange students end up with the option of a shared room dormitory (2~3 people per room, private dorm rooms are rare in Korea), a home stay, or  "goshiwon" (https://blog.goshipages.com/housing-faq-ff5f15c7e3a7). Although what I offer is waaaaa~y better, I'd never be considered "luxurious" but I'm confident I'd get full points for "great value".

[Robin4]

@Jessica-and-Henry0

Unfortunately I never managed to get to Seoul, Jess & Henry....We did get to spend a lovely couple of days in Busan though! From it's architecture it is probably a considerabaly more modern city than Seoul. Those buildings around the dock area are amazing. We had a few days there when we cruised on the Diamond Princess from Tiangin through south east Asia ending up in Bangkok in 2013.

We loved the markets, particularly the fish markets....and you people have the right idea....in Busan you buy your fish live, swimming in tanks....not dead as a piece of 'roadkill' lying in a refrigerated cabinet with eyes all foggy and glazed over. I would have loved to have eaten out more in Korea, your food is wonderful.

Maybe I will get back there again one day..

Because, like you, our location borders the local high school we have been in the International Student Education program and have hosted students from around the world previously. We hosted an Italian student here with us for 10 weeks in 2016....

She was the loveliest girl to host and there were many tears when we had to put her on the plane to return to Italy so, we have honoured her by calling the hosting cottage after her.

I am not using the student education service again because Ade is no longer able to participate in any way and student hosting involves all meals and a lot more intensive hosting than Airbnb hosting, and I think student hosting needs to be done by a family unit rather than an individual.

All the best Jess and Henry.

Cheers.....Rob

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Robin4

If you ever decide to visit Seoul, please let us know~~!!!!!! Henry and I would love to help you plan your trip 🙂

Busan and Seoul have a very different "air" -  I've lived in Seoul most of my life but have been working in Changwon for the past year which is about 1hr from Busan so I've gotten to see quite a bit of Busan on weekends I don't make it home. Korea is a tiny country and sometimes it's surprising how different things can be between 2 cities that are only a 4~5hr drive away. (1hr by plane!) 

[Patricia55]

Hey @Jessica-and-Henry0 We too get a lot of academics (2 universities in Newcastle) - went thru a phase of having so many PhD people, we thought we'd accidentally put a sign up saying "PhDs only!" Even though we're not exactly intellectual ourselves (!) we enjoy hosting such people - they just seem to be happy and enthusiastic about their chosen paths in life... and not materialistic, which I like 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Patricia55   Nice post and fully agree with your sentiments. I offer much the same as you, and all my guests have been appreciative and not looking for "more". They are charmed to wake to the sound of tropical birds, can watch the resident hummingbird flitting about the flowers while eating their breakfast, and look out their windows at a peaceful, and lushly green view, and hear the ocean at night.

Regarding those guests who don't go anywhere- for some people, taking a vacation may just mean getting away from their busy lives, complicated relationships, and stressful jobs. They may have no interest in taking in the local sites and activities, and are quite content to just be able to relax, read a book, or watch TV or movies without pressure from any quarter, having to keep to a schedule, or thinking about what they have to accomplish next.