@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