Has the world changed, or have I changed?

[Ben205]

That's how Morrissey put it. My questions is, are your Airbnb guests getting worse?

I ask because, in the first 4 years as an Airbnb host, I probably only had 1 guest that I wouldn't host again. But I've had 3 in the past 6 months that I've clicked 'No' for when writing their review.

Maybe I'm just getting a bit jaded with hosting? But I also think there are changes that have made hosting on ABB less enjoyable and more stressful, and the system doesn't work in our favour.

All thoughts much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

@Ben205   Now you've gone and gotten The Queen Is Dead stuck in my head 🙂

I think when Airbnb was still a novel, niche product, it had a particular kind of guest, but now it's mainstream enough that you see the same trends with guests that you have in travel/hospitality at large. Over the past year, airlines have been reporting record numbers of air-rage incidents and assaults by passengers. And anecdotally, I've been hearing more restaurant, bar, and hotel and workers talking about shifts that left them in tears (though staff shortages are part of the picture there too). The pandemic years have left everyone feeling like they need a vacation, but travel in general seems to be causing more stress than ever. 

The difference that I notice most is that almost every foreign tourist I encounter here in Berlin lately is doing some kind of remote work during their trip, so their heads are never fully out of work mode. As a host, I've always preferred guests who were here purely for leisure, and now that Airbnb is at the forefront of this "work anywhere" concept, it no longer fits my brand. Nothing against business travelers, but they often take their frustrations out on whoever's serving them in hospitality. If I were to resume offering my guestroom, I'd remove the workspace altogether and take only weekend bookings.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ben205 I think we had a 'dip' in guests about 12 months ago but so far this year (touch wood) all has been fine.

[Ben205]

@Mike-And-Jane0@AnonymousThanks for your thoughts. I'm thinking it might be time to take a break from ABB and let out our place for 6-12 months. Guests are getting less predictable and less tolerant, it seems.

[Dale711]

Hi @Ben205 ,

That’s spot on, you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Perhaps, the worst is yet to come….

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ben205 if you rent for 6-12 maths you'll have to pay council tax and lose the furnished holiday let tax advantages.

[Ben205]

@Mike-And-Jane0Thanks for that. My calcs are, I'll lose about 3-4k in income but get back 10 weeks of my life. Well worth it if my stress levels fall, too.

[Gillian166]

funny, it's the opposite on the Gold Coast (australia), STR pay the most taxes. 

[Rachel574]

That is exactly how I'm feeling.. 

I had a wonderful experience on Airbnb before Corona. But now it's terrible.. the type of people I used to get completely changed.. most people I get now don't understand the concept of Airbnb expect to get hotel standards for a fraction of the price.. 

Also getting a lot of young people around to the age of 20 that's for some reason don't know how to read a listing.. I have never before gotten so many cancellations rudeness and clueless people as I get now.. 

I'm thinking of leaving the platform even though I have a five-star rating. It's just just not worth the aggravation and stress.. 

Also Airbnb as a company may change it to their policy and I feel like they're not there for us anymore as hosts.. 

[Ben205]

@Rachel574Agreed, more concellations, more changes to dates, fewer intro messages, guests not telling me they are bringing pets (a house rule), not adding infants to the list of guests, etc.

Perhaps worst of all, more dog s**t left in the garden!

[Rachel574]

That's really terrible! 

So frustrating! 

And there is not much we can do about it.. 

I am really sorry that you have to deal with all that... 

[Huma0]

@Ben205 

Yes, I certainly have noticed this too. While I still get mostly lovely guests, the percentage of problematic, unpredictable ones has risen dramatically and my reviews/ratings have suffered as a result, as have my nerves.

I think @Anonymous makes several very valid points. As I host long term guests, I can't really avoid people who are here to work/study as that makes up the bulk of my customers. The difference now though is that they are not going somewhere else to work/study and using my place for accommodation, but using it as their office too and are often here the majority of the time. Some of these are completely fine, but many bring with them not only their frustrations but a lot of unrealistic expectations and demands.

I decided to focus on long term guests because they were almost always the opposite of the type described above, but now I am getting more and more people booking who are a poor fit. I try to vet guest and look for red flags, but sometimes the signals are not there or are very subtle and you only realise when it's too late.

[Anonymous]

@Huma0   Even when friends are visiting, I now have to gently ask that they do their home-office hours somewhere else, like the cafe downstairs. This had never really come up before 2020.

I suspect that Airbnb's efforts to redistribute bookings are really just pushing guests to book places that don't fit their needs. The perfect search system would generate the best matches first, but Brian has been explicit about how they're engineering it to do the opposite. 

[Ben205]

@AnonymousThat's interesting about the mismatch between searches and results. I've long suspected we get people who really want to be on the coast in Dorset but don't want to pay those prices. What I think is happening now is people don't read the listing fully.

[Anonymous]

@Ben205 People not reading the listing has always been an issue, but I've mostly been able to correct the expectations in the pre booking correspondence. I'd rather decline or have a request withdrawn than field disappointment on my doorstep.

Being outside of the conventional tourist area, you're the kind of host that Airbnb insists will benefit from the summer redesign. They should take note of how that's turning out.