Start a category for Self-Guided Experiences

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Snehal4
Level 5
Newport, RI

Start a category for Self-Guided Experiences

We offer self-guided tours (not in-person or online) with 4.7 stars and 1200+ reviews. During COVID and post-COVID, our customers have forced us to be that way. They prefer that we do not sit in their cars. They prefer to do the tours on their own, in their cars, using our self-guided tour app. Airbnb customers love our tours’ “Go at your own pace” feature. @Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb

1 Best Answer
Bhumika
Community Manager
Community Manager
Toronto, Canada

Hi Snehal,

We truly understand and sympathize with your situation. And we sincerely appreciate your dedication and commitment to ensuring your guests have a great time. 

By the response of your guests, it really seems they have enjoyed your Experience thoroughly and are rooting for you! But as mentioned in an earlier thread of yours, Hosts and Co-Hosts must personally lead their guests throughout the entirety of the Experience.

I have made sure to forward your suggestion to the relevant Airbnb teams. It would also be great if you could let them know directly as well via the Feedback Form.

Can’t find what you’re searching for? start a conversation

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40 Replies 40

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Patty Mahder sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

Not sure why you are blocking this guide on Airbnb. Not everything needs to be in person to be helpful. We loved Snehal’s self-guided tours. Having never been to Utah, we wanted to be sure we didn’t miss out on many of the sites. But we don’t always enjoy going with guides. We like to go at our own pace and with this tour, we did not have to deal with listening to stories we may not be interested in. Snehal’s Action Tour Guide’s Self-Driving Audio Tour of Mighty Five National Parks exceeded our expectations. Inexpensive and helpful for what we needed. Consider your clientele. Not everyone can afford expensive excursions or may just want to go it alone with some help from a self guided tour. I hope you change your policy and reinstate Snehal. Thank you.

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Anna Pratt sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

I am writing to let you know how much we enjoyed the self guided tour we found through Airbnb. It really made our trip through the park much more memorable. Please consider keeping these available to your guests. Anna

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Laurie Wig sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

Recently read that you decided to block future bookings for tours since they’re self-guided and no longer in-person. There was a ton of effort into making them self as engaging as in-person and they are extremely helpful!! I was so glad to find it on Airbnb and our trip would not have been as good without it! 

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Suhas Deshpande sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

Please re-activate this tour. Don’t be evil. This was a great experience and Airbnb allowed us to discover this self guided tour. It is more about value given by experience and not in-person or whatnot.

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Marcella Wilson sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

The self-guided tour was fabulous! Please do not get rid of it.

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Maggie Castillo sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

Dear Brian Chesky and Catherine Powell,

I am emailing you to advocate for Snehal and David’s tour experience on Airbnb. My partner and I used the Action Tour Guide on our first Maui trip together in July 2022. We are from Vancouver, BC in Canada.

First, I want to say that the experience was incredible! I have been an active Airbnb customer since 2015 and am sad to see an all star experience like Snehal and David’s tour come to an end. Airbnb has always been so reliable and a great way for me to explore new places affordably.

We used their tour for our Road To Hana adventure and learned so much about the culture and areas surrounding us. Without it, I believe we would have missed so many interesting spots and on a valuable learning experience about Maui’s culture. The tour ran smoothly and it was fun. They were also great at communicating with us prior to the tour. Although it was not an in-person tour, we felt connected with them and their commentary made us laugh and have a great time - made us feel like we had a friend and personal guide on the road with us!

As someone who has done in-person tour groups, I find that sometimes I get anxious to be around a lot of people and prefer to go at my own pace. Snehal and David’s tour let me do exactly that without compromising the fun and informative piece that comes with your groups.

I hope you take this into consideration in their appeal to be reinstated. I believe it brings such value to many of your Airbnb users who like a variety of experiences.

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Ann Keville sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

We had the most wonderful trip to the five National Parks in Utah. Snehal was both responsive prior and during our trip, checking in to ensure we had access and were enjoying our experience.  His knowledge of the geography and history of the places we visited was informative and totally enhanced the experience.  I am sure others would enjoy it as well, and find it a invaluable experience. We look forward to utilizing his knowledge in our future travels.

@Catherine-Powell @Bhumika @Airbnb Our customer Sharon Reynolds sent the following email to Brian requesting for the inclusion of self-guided tours on Airbnb:

 

Good evening.  I purchased Snehal's audio tour for Utah's Mighty Five national parks.  We booked a nice airbnb in Moab for 4 nights for the beginning of our tour.  Snehal's tour came up as an available add on option.  It was very reasonably priced and it was clear it was not an in person tour.  We hit all 5 parks and utilized the tour on all but Zion (you take an off and on shuttle).  We very much enjoyed listening to the history of the parks and indigenous peoples and the scenic areas.  

     I've been informed that this tour will no longer be available on the airbnb website. I would like to ask that it be reinstated.  If it hadn't come up associated with my booking, I never would have located this tour and our trip would have been lesser for it.
     Thank you for your time and consideration.
Fallon9
Level 1
Maryland, United States

My boyfriend and I had our first visit to Boston and much preferred the walking, go at our own pace tour. We often went back and listened to recordings more than once to better understand what was just said. It raised questions for us and we were able to explore the vast amount of history right in front of us before we moved on. It also allowed for flexibility to pick up later, which we did! We wanted to stop for a drink and a quick video inside the IMAx theatre and walk around the aquarium. I will absolutely prefer to do this type of tour in the future and at our other vacation spots! Please keep this feature available! 

Lesa67
Level 1
Ashland, KY

Self guided tours should definitely be an option for Airbnb. If they are not I no longer feel comfortable using this platform for traveling. Self guided tours promote infection control with the limited group sizes. They also are sometimes the only way some families can learn the history of a location when traveling on a limited budget. Shame on you Airbnb for trying to exclude income restricted families who are desiring similar experiences to those with unlimited means. I am sure this is rooted in profits for Airbnb. 

Self-guided tours should absolutely be listed in Airbnb! I used a self-guided tour of Salem on my visit last fall and it was one of the highlights—and I found it through a listing in Airbnb. It allowed me the flexibility to do it on my own schedule (early morning when most of town was still closed) and I could go back and do it again if I wanted to. The quality was excellent and I’ve recommended it to my friends—but I never would have found it without the listing in Airbnb! 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Snehal4 if you make your tour an online experience then surely a) it will be true as the content is delivered over the internet app and b) Airbnb should allow it.

Perhaps ask Airbnb if this would work?

I appreciate your help! @Mike-And-Jane0 

 

Each online experience should be hosted by video conferencing software, which did not work for us either.

Elizabeth2748
Level 1
Vermont, United States

I loved my self-guided tour in Salem last fall! The tour was extremely well-produced and I appreciated that I could go at my own pace, re-listen to stops I wanted to really learn more about, and I could start the tour on my own schedule. I would not have found this tour if it was not listed on AirBnb and I think that these self-guided tours should absolutely be included on the AirBnb listings! What an amazing opportunity for visitors to a new city to delve into a little piece of the location in such a special way.

Alexandra1650
Level 1
Washington, DC

I definitely think self-guided tours should be on Airbnb!  I did a great one in Salem in the fall when all of the in-person ones were sold out.  If it wasn’t an option I probably wouldn’t have been able to do a ghost tour!  I was traveling by myself and it was a great option to learn about the history at my own pace.