Letter to Airbnb

[Robin4]

I would ask the company to consider something.

I am never going to be able to host more than one booking per night, I do not have that corporate structure that the company’s philosophy and strategy appears to be driven towards…

I am a core host, one of the few million who got you going, and where you are today!

My desire is to welcome every guest in the best way I can, and make them feel at easy and comfortable with their decision to book, not only with me, but with Airbnb. I welcome every guest in a different way....... sometimes efficiently, sometimes with humour, sometimes as a host, sometimes as a hotelier.

I can only do this if I can see who I am dealing with. I can’t do this when I am only provided with a name. I open a conversation stream with a guest couple in their 50-60’s entirely differently than I would with a pair of friends in their early 20’s, or a young family. A photo tells me how my contact should be opened, a blank sentence does not!

A photo does not influence whether I host a guest or not, it tells me how to get this hosting off to a good start…

And surely, isn’t that what Airbnb wants?

Please allow me to do my job to the best of my ability and give me back those profile photos that I need to be able to do that!

Cheers.....Rob

[Jenny662]

Well said Beth. I feel the same.

[Muslima0]

Everyone, including people who consider themselves open-minded has implicit bias that they are not aware of unless they have taken steps to  become consciously aware of it and then steps to address it.  Airbnb's solution may be far from perfect, but as a person of color in a demographic that has experienced discrimination on airbnb, I support all efforts to eliminate the bias.  Airbnb's solution is far from perfect, but I support efforts to eliminate the bias, including unconscious/implicit bias that can be triggered by a photo.

[Alon1]

@Muslima0 & @Robin4

The 2016 chart with %s posted by Robin suffices to suggest Airbnb have overacted to this issue. Moreover, I venture to suggest it is an issue 'Born in the USA', reflective of the long history of race relations. 

In any case, the blanking of photos can't disguise Guest names and nationalities which is often the source of the prejudice, and far more difficult to detect and counter against by a company policy.

.

[Muslima0]

My (actual) ast words (for the reason I stated in my response to Rob:

Racism is not unique to the US.  It is worldwide: it is the racial construct used to justify global colonialism.  And, in case you need proof of the racism in the airbnb host community outside the US, please see the attached link.  Trigger warning:  it is harrowing and alarming. 

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-07-10-watch-shock-as-airbnb-host-shoves-sa-woman-...

[Alon1]

@Muslima0

I don't think anyone will argue with  you that 'Racism is not unique to the US.' 

However, Airbnb's notion that profile photos fuelled prejudice was in response to a growing number of cases in the USA. It started a few years ago with a trickle of articles.

Still, the Airbnb stats uphold the evidence that it is a tiny percentage of the problems encountered on the website. 

And as mentioned previously, photos can't disguise Guest names and nationalities which is often the source of the prejudice, and far more difficult to detect and counter against by a company policy.

Otherwise, I've suggested elsewhere in this post and others, given the aversion of so many Hosts to the new ruling, it may lead to a constriction, whereby Hosts will only deal with Guests who have a history of reviews on Airbnb, whence Hosts need only click on other Host reviews of Guests to view Guest profile photos.

Finally, please be aware there is a far bigger problem emerging in Europe at least, namely Airbnb privileging professional agents with numerous listings over the traditional private Hosts. Airbnb have been ordered by the EU legislation to clearly designate, between the two types, professional and private. Airbnb were given a deadline which they have already ignored. The other concern related this isssue, that  Airbnb's incentive to book with the agents is to do away with Guest Service Fee. Indeed they pay nothing! Conversely, Airbnb 'service fee' for Guests booking with private hosts has rocketed from 6 - 12% up to a potential 20%. This discrimination against private Hosts could have a profound effect on the whole nature and practise of Airbnb. 

[Robin4]

@Alon1

Hi mate, you have some great content, please keep it up!

I do take issue with you on one point though in your last post.......Airbnb host service fees are 3% (subject to cancellation policy) of the hosts listing amount including cleaning fees.

But as you know Alon, nothing comes for nothing. Some hosts in the corporate end of Airbnb are being offered the opportunity to offer their listings with a bold prominent caption....'No service fees'! What happens, the host undertakes to lift his hosting amount to cover the cost of the service fees and the host then pays them, not the guest!

Did you seriously think that Airbnb would voluntarilly give up their slice of the hosting pie!

Cheers......Rob

[Alon1]

@Robin4

It seems you misread what I wrote or perhaps I wasn't sufficiently clear.

I presented the view as seen by the GUEST.

GUESTS pay NOTHING, not a single penny in 'service fee' to Agents / Companies with multiple listings.Conversely, Guests pay an increasing 'service fee' up to 20% to book private listings like yours and mine.

Therefore, Guests comparing private listings with these Agent listings are going to be naturally more attracted to book with a listing advertizing 0% 'Service Fee'.

Airbnb has obviously done a deal with these Agent / Companies along the lines of an annual fee, presumably considerably higher than 3% [+ VAT] charged to private hosts.

The other thing you ignored is the EU directive to Airbnb to distinguish between Private & Professional Hosts. Susan from Dublin has written extensively about this and been seeking a meaningful response from Airbnb for quite some time. 

[Robin4]

@Alon1

I didn't misread your post, in fact you just confirmed it Alon !

"Airbnb has obviously done a deal with these Agent / Companies along the lines of an annual fee, presumably considerably higher than 3% [+ VAT] charged to private hosts".

Airbnb will claw back this service fee amount from the host not the guest.

Airbnb are not giving anything away.....

Time is 12.30am Saturday 2nd Feb, I am giving it away for the day ....another hot one tomorrow 37c forecast here, I need to get my strength up!

Cheers......Rob

[Alon1]

@Robin4

If that's the case, you wouldn't have written previously:

'Did you seriously think that Airbnb would voluntarilly give up their slice of the hosting pie!'

I didn't articulate it initially, but in the follow up, so obviously I wasn't sufficiently clear.

Another point worth articulating, though it's a matter of speculation without knowing the deals been struck with these Agents. That is, the Agents are presumably costing in 'service fee' into their prices which is not overt to the Guest.

It's basically the same practise with Cleaning Fees. Guests maybe more attracted or inclined to book listings that don't advertize C.F. However, Hosts who don't advertize cleaning fee are obviously costing it into their daily rates. Because everyone has to clean. 

[Inna22]

@Muslima

so I just I watched that. He did not use racial slurs and the people stayed an hour and a half past check out. We do not know what transpired prior to the video started. There is nothing here that indicates that he would not have pushed a white dude out just the same. Posting things like this I thing does the opposite.

[Jenny662]

Muslima, 

Many people are not mentioning race. This is an artificial division that is set up to pitch one person against another. This is all about respect and consideration for the host who is opening up their home to accept someone, anyone, into it.  Your continued mentioning of race simply produces the polarisation that many of the divisive structures in society are looking for. This is not a race issue. It is a respect issue.

[Ben551]

@Robin4.... you amaze me ole' timer.  May we all follow your example in life and achieve as much as you have... though you've set the bar pretty high mate 🙂

[Robin4]

@Ben551

Well here is one you need to do before you die Ben.........best fun I ever had!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO39w91qntI&t=17s

Cheers.....Rob

Edit: Apologies for Van Halen!!! 'Jump' just seemed appropriate at the time. 🙂

[Ben551]

@Robin4 Bah I can’t watch it, but it sounds awesome (video was copyright blocked). I’ll just go right ahead and assume you jumped out of a plane, you nutter hahahaha.

[Robin4]

@Ben551

That is strange, I certainly haven't put a copyright block on it. I don't know enough about these things to pursue it. I have it here as a video file on my computer but the CC does not support video files so Utube looked like a good option.

Yeah it was youngest daughter Kate and I jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane.

There are some things in your life you just have to do simply for the sake of saying, you have done it.

It made for good watching. If you know what program will enable a video file link to be included here let me know and I will try again!

Chers.....Rob