Meeting with folks at Airbnb HQ

Minutes from meeting at Airbnb HQ.

www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-132630

Ernest shared on New HOsts Forum 10 months ago
Minutes from meeting at Airbnb HQ.

Ernest


Employees:
Hospitality: Chip, Laura, Jonny
Product: Joebot, Vlad, Lenny
TnS: Brad
CX: Emma

Hosts: Josh (Ernie) Thayer + 4 other Super hosts (names edited for privacy)

Agenda :
I Introductions ( All)
II Purpose (Chip)
Discuss Acceptance Rate, Instant Book, Guest Education, and
Communication/Support
1 What we’ve heard
2 What we’ve done
3 What we will do
III Issues ( All)
IV Conclusion (Chip)


Acceptance Rate: Agenda/Action

1 What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Penalizes hosts for declining inquiries/requests out of their control
*Includes inquiries/requests that are spam/fake/bad fit
*Penalized for guests not reading description/House Rules
*Unduly affects search placement
*Punishing good hosts when trying to target ‘bad actors’
*Change of policy without informing hosts

2 What we’ve done (Lenny):
*Removed AR% from Dashboard and mobile [not guest facing anymore]
*Split the policy into 2 approaches:
1 search placement: signals of what kinds of guests you accept favors into algorithm’s calculations [not new]
2 soft suspension: targeting irresponsible hosts who chronically decline

3 What we will do (Lenny):
*Allow hosts to tag requests/inquires that are spam/fake, change options
*Current options versus options under consideration
*Continue to improve catching phishers/spammers and removing them from the platform
*Explain clearly and visually how it works in search


Acceptance Rate: Discussion Points

Laura: We could have done a better job rolling it out. Showing a % for anything can drive the wrong behavior and is confusing without context. That is not a number that we want anyone to be fixated on.

Vlad gives explanation on how Search works.

Search is very personal, there is no single rank. The algorithm is looking to provide the best “matching” possible. Based on traits and history of both host and guest.
We are giving you more metrics to help you understand how you’re doing and how you can improve.

Josh: Host Education on this issue is a big need. People do not understand that search placement is not a static “ranking.”

Host: Amenities should be a part of search (ex: laundry)

Host: There are good reasons to decline. People are using the platform for a social network ­­ sending messages for purposes other than actually booking (ex: we have the same last name, let’s meet!).

Host: Hosts who are delinquent should be removed from the platform.

Brad: Even though we do not communicate it out, we do catch phishers and spammers.

Josh: There needs to be more communication on that. Don’t know what happens after flagging a message.

Brad: We are trying to do a better job of closing that feedback loop ­ after a host flags something. We see the flags in the aggregate and act accordingly.


Third party bookings.


Josh: Third party booking inquires are a growing concern (ex: guest who booked with profile that was half his own info and half the actual guest’s)


Question of liability in third party booking situations:


Host: I feel responsible for all my guests. When not comfortable, tell that guest to leave immediately and will sort out the details later.

Host: About the acceptance rate ‘decline’ list: Does this mean if a host selects from these options it will be removed from Acceptance Rate?

Lenny: We need to study it first and understand how it can be factored as a signal.

Host: Issue of guests understanding location of the listing. The pink circle doesn’t make it clear.

Acceptance Rate: Main Takeaways

1 A lot of the solutions come back to education for both Hosts [how it works] and Guests [who to contact and not to contact]. Effective Onboarding would reduce many of these issues.
2 Hosts need to have a closed feedback loop when they flag guests.


Instant Book : Agenda/ Action

1 What we’ve heard (Jonny):

Removes agency and increases pressure to accept guests who aren't good fits
*Pressure to use IB as it is prioritized in Search
*Need better filters/protections to feel comfortable adopting it
*Canceling IB reservations should be treated differently
*Prioritizing a certain type of host

2 What we’ve done (Lenny):

*Require guests to write a message with any IB request [on web for now]
*Require a profile photo
*Making it easier to tell which listings have IB on / off
[ex: Lightning bolt next to your listing name in Manage Listing, in My Listings, and confirmation email after turning on IB for the first time.]
*More Calendar settings: better control over your calendar
*Seasonal min/max nights, gap days between reservations, block days in the distant future ­ Revamped calendar sync: more reliable, and easier to use

3 What we will do (Lenny):

* Require all guests to agree to the House Rules before booking, and host can cancel penalty free if the rules are broken [being tested]
*More/better filters to keep guests who you are uncomfortable with from booking [being tested]


Instant Book: Discussion Points

Joebot: We really need to find a way to make it easier for guests to get a booking. Right now they are getting constantly declined. 2nd biggest problem is cancellations. A guest who gives a 1 star rating after their first trip is more likely to return than a guest who is declined on their first request to book.

Josh: Has some ideas on this and wants to learn more.

Joebot: About 15% of all types of listings have Instant Book enabled. Right now there’s no difference in the TnS or CX contacts between IB and non­IB.

3 things that are a focus for Instant Book on making it better:
1 Trust [Needs to be like a self driving car],
2 Availability [We need to have a lot of confidence on your preferences],
3 Matching [What is the type of guest you want and how do we prevent you getting guests that aren’t a fit]
There’s no demographic difference between those hosts who book on Instant Book and those who don’t.

Lenny/Vlad: It is only 1 of another 30+ signals.

Host: Main concern is safety: especially in relation to hosts in developing countries, and female hosts in particular. They may feel pressure to activate IB to get more bookings, but are in vulnerable position.

Brad/Joebot: Priority is always host safety first. There’s nothing in the data that shows that IB reservations have more issues than those that are not IBk.
Host: Feels pressure to use IB to get more bookings. Turned on Instant book because he felt he had to.

Lenny: We are working on making sure guests have a profile photo and message when they request.

Host: We need to make sure we don’t discriminate against guests of different backgrounds. There are studies showing discrimination against African Americans based on their profile photos.

Host: Can we find some middle ground between 24hrs and 1hr? [Give some time in the filtering]

Host: We need to show hosts the thumbs up and thumbs down. And Zero thumbs down should be a filter option.

Joebot: We are looking for ways that hosts can cancel if they are uncomfortable. If so, we need to make sure that it doesn’t get abused.

Host: How are we going to make the guests experience better if it’s easy to get cancelled on?

Host: Would like to meet some neighbor hosts so they are part of a ‘group of local hosts’, can coordinate with each other.

Host: Theres 2 sides to this. Hosts are getting penalized for not responding/accepting but guests are being asked to contact multiple hosts at a time.

Chip: You are rewarded in different ways ­ in Response Rate and the likelihood of being the listing that the guest chooses.

Host: Is it true that guests have been verified?

Brad: There’s a large team on TnS that oversees that process and are constantly improving.

Host: Like the idea of penalty­ free cancellation over House Rules. If you don’t have a way to hold guests accountable for breaking House Rules then there’s no point to them.

Host: Host, why do you not use Instant Book?

Host: It makes him feel like a hotel and he offers so much more that is personal. Prefers to have more personal interaction with guests before approving them.

Host/Josh: disagree, have had many good guests from IB.


Instant Book: Main Takeaways

1. Give the hosts options/controls over who they want in their home. Hosts can then decide.
2. If we allow hosts to cancel ‘because uncomfortable with a guest’ penalty free on Instant book then we need to make sure that we are getting really clear reasons why hosts are cancelling and then looking into it. We can also detect if a host is abusing it by cancelling a large %.

Guest Education : Agenda/Action

Background (Chip)
*They’re the other half to the equation
*We recognize this hasn’t been a strong focus yet
A lot of our guest education right now happens at the sign­up stage and we need to put more focus on the booking stage as well

1.What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Not all guests understand Airbnb, resulting in unpleasant experiences for both parties
*Hosts are left to onboard and educate new guests
*Hosts not able to see guest’s previous review ratings

2.What we’ve done (Laura):
Laura: Admittedly, there has not been a lot done on this front yet

3. What we will do (Laura):
*Moving to a world this year where it is required for guests to have full profiles (photo, verifications, etc) [already happening within Product team]
*Require a note with any reservation request on mobile [already required on web]
*Produce content for guest education: 2 instructional how­to videos for first time guests


Guest Education : Discussion Points

Host: There’s not a good place for answers to common questions (like where to look for the keys) for guests after their reservation is confirmed.

Josh: Education (for both guests and hosts) needs to be a focus. It will save money and energy in the end.

Host: Bring us back to review the content of Guest Education videos.

Chip: We need to make sure hosts know who to expect when they arrive.

Host suggestion: Check­-boxes around preferred style of stay/communication (more or less host interaction).

Host: You need to look at different ways to ensure that hosts and guests are motivated and rewarded [Not punished] to have better behavior on the site.

Brad: TnS is working with behavior experts at Stanford to understand this process better.

Josh: Superguests -­ a similar program to Superhosts but for guests is something Airbnb should really look into.

Laura : We need to make sure we offer hosts a library of resources that they can direct guests to so that they can self­-educate rather than continuing to ask beginner questions to hosts.

Josh: Hosts don’t see the star ratings for guests, and that needs to be visible.

Josh: Double Blind review system is the best. It has taken a lot of the anxiety out of the review process & ensures more reviews are occurring and are better informing hosts and guests.

Guest Education : Main Takeaways

1. Education for new guests (and new hosts) needs to be a focus, it would solve a lot of other issues.
2. Showing the guest’s star ratings would make hosts more comfortable with their decisions on who to accept.
3. “Superguest” (or similar program) is of interest.


Communication/Support: Agenda/Actions

1. Background (Chip):
*We understand the personal nature of hosting
*As we expand, we recognize there have been “growing pains” and are working as quickly as we can to address those
*Currently at ~800k hosts worldwide

2. What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Lack empathy for hosting, need more personalized approach
*Communication is too one­sided
*Lack of prioritized/personalized support for most active hosts (especially Superhosts)
*CX agents uninformed on details, responses too 'cut­and­paste’
*Wait times for support are frustratingly long

3. What we’ve done (Jonny and Emma):
*Host Voice survey (happening quarterly)
*Increased frequency of specific product feature feedback channels
*Introduced (now expanding) chat feature for live CX question­and­answer *Continuing to scale CX support

4. What we will do (Jonny and Emma):
*Online Q&A with Chip about hosting metrics, open to all hosts
*Communicate changes more proactively through regular blog posts and in­product messages *Improve Groups ­ looking into a new, more robust platform
*Improve and streamline CX escalation protocol
*Improving the personalization of Superhost support


Communication/Support: Discussion Points

Emma: Shared some stats about CX:
Response Times: 24 hours for “non­trip tickets”, and between 12hrs and 8hrs for “trip tickets”.

Host: What is difference between “non­trip” and “trip”?

Emma: Trip = related to a reservation that will begin in 3 days, is currently happening, or just completed within 2 days.

Emma: Just this year we are starting to see real progress in catching up to the ticket load. There has been major improvement. In the last year we have had a huge increase in the numbers of agents working on the team. Training is the #1 focus for CX right now. As the team has grown so much, they are also scaling appropriate training.

Host: Story of calling CX, routed to a center in Florida: the agent was friendly but couldn’t answer his question, so he was told to wait while they check with someone… then told that person who can help is going on vacation so he is out of luck.

Josh: Often gets different responses from CX agents. eg: related to policies [They need to be aligned and if they don’t know the answer then they should just say “I don’t know and will find out for you.”

Josh: There needs to be someone in every CX office who can make a decision in that moment. Rule #1 should be to find an answer immediately by someone with authority.

Host: Big changes in CX support from 5 years ago when she called for help editing her photos. Joebot answered the service call and said ‘he didn’t know how to fix it’. So her photos went unfixed for a while. (About Host Voice)
Host/Host/Josh: Saw it earlier today on the blog and already voted.

Emma: Live chat feature in CX: it’s smart and allows internal agents know what page you are looking at. There’s also now a Twitter (email hidden)>
Host: Is the webinar going to happen regularly, on a quarterly basis?

Chip: We are testing this first and see from there.

Host: We should then translate it and send it out globally.

(About Superhost priority access to CX) Host: Yes, but only if people with real emergencies are being routed first . Superhost status shouldn’t trump an actual emergency.

Laura/Emma: Issues that are urgent will still jump the queue before Superhosts.

Josh: Airbnb needs to communicate new things rolling out, it feels like there are a lot of things revealed to hosts with no communication around why/what.

Host: What is the breakdown of new guest and host tickets?

Emma: With a new host:new guest reservation pairing they are 3 times more likely to contact CX

Host/Josh: Change fees for hosts that are new and then it goes down over time as they are more experienced and will require less hand­holding.

Laura: Plans for new host onboarding include: Add them to a group, Videos and educational materials, and Mentorship program [Josh volunteered to be a mentor]

Chip: Is it true that hosts fear Groups being taken down? We are NOT getting rid of Groups. We recognize it needs a lot of improving, so we are looking into a more robust platform.

Josh: Groups is a place where hosts go to learn from each other and it’s a place where active hosts can rely on getting answers. It is very important.

Host: Better education for hosts and guests should take some of the burden off of Groups.

Chip: Should Guests be able to search by Superhost?

Host: It’s a really good way to ensure that brand new guests will have a good experience their first time.


Communication/Support Main Takeaways
1. CX agent training needs to be improved and there should be an empowered ‘manager’ present who can make the tough decisions when necessary.
2. Host Voice and the webinar represent positive developments and there should be more such initiatives.
3. Insurance and the Host Guarantee need to be communicated clearly, especially to new hosts because they may have no idea it even exists.

Conclusion (Chip)
A. We are committed to this partnership.
B. We are working on implementing as many improvements as we can, but can not do everything at once.
C. The community is large and diverse, we are not able to make every change requested ­ need to consider many different types of users.
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Mig10 months ago
Just as it was getting interesting, the gremlins took over! Look forward to reading more Ernest

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Ernest
Ernest10 months ago
Hopefully it is more legible now. I will add comments/thoughts/omissions at a later time.

Mig
Mig10 months ago
Thank you Ernest, I have just re-read. It is a lot more comprehensive

Jeannette
Jeannette

Jeannette10 months ago
Thanks Ernest! great reading. what is TnS?

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Ernest
Ernest10 months ago
Trust & Safety

Tanya & Ben

Tanya
Tanya & Ben10 months ago
Hi Ernest, thanks for this. So they need more ideas about how guests can firstly get an accepted request, and secondly avoid getting cancelled. Was there any discussion of limiting new hosts to only allow booking a month in advance until they've hosted X (eg 2) guest groups? Th

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Tanya & Ben
Tanya & Ben10 months ago
Also default listing should only be open 3 months in advance. The number of hjosts i've contacted as a potential guest, who say sorrry - haven't changed my calendar, is really annoying.

Ernest
Ernest10 months ago
No discussion about limiting how far in advance a new host could accept bookings.

Linda

Linda
Linda10 months ago
Great notes - thank you for filling us in on the discussions!

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Linda
Linda10 months ago
Pairing novice host and guest works well - both get feet wet at same time while experience guest could seek advantage. But really hosting is a talent

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Evelyn

Evelyn
Evelyn10 months ago
Ernest/Josh thank you for the detail notes

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Deborah

Deborah
Deborah10 months ago
THanks so much for attending this meeting and posting these notes. It is helpful for many hosts to know what the thoughts are for these issues going forward.

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Ernest
Ernest10 months ago
Here are some questions that I have been asked and my answers to those questions:


* I left with the impression that Airbnb is committed to establishing more of a nexus between hosts and policy formation.


* I left with the impression that those of us invited to this meeting will be invited back either bi-annually or every quarter as a focus group to discuss current issues - and new issues - as well as to hold Airbnb accountable for the promises that have been made.


* Airbnb has committed to policy changes and has an internal deadline by which it hopes to implement these changes. The self-imposed Airbnb deadline for these changes to be rolled out is by the Airbnb Open this fall in Paris.



To address questions specifically:


1)"Guest star ratings finally being revealed?"


Yes, It seems that Airbnb has heard us loud and clear and those at the meeting left me with the impression that guest star ratings will be made available to hosts. I was also left with the impression that the thumbs up/down ratings will also be made available.



2)"What are the actual changes coming to IB, and when?"


This is more ambiguous, however I expect changes to be coming. Airbnb seems extremely concerned about hosts reluctance to use the feature and wants to tweak it so that it is more appealing to everyone. I am certain it will change, just not specifically how it will change. They want as much input as possible. One change for sure will be that IB will require a photo of a person's recognizable face and a name as well as a message to the host. No more IB with no picture - no message.

-Changes considered:


* Having a different system in place for IB concerning host cancellations. Airbnb is considering (strongly) to allow hosts to cancel bookings made through IB without penalty in circumstances where a host has legitimate trust/safety concern that might surface after a booking is confirmed (such as once interaction begins between hosts and guests or once the guest has arrived to the listing and things go south). There would be a team assigned to such a case that would determine the legitimacy of the host's concern.


* Filters: Hosts will be able to filter guests who can book a listing by # of reviews and whether another host has indicated that he or she would not recommend the guest to other hosts (thumbs up/down metric). Airbnb is still considering how this will work and what the specific filters will be. I anticipate this change to be made by the Airbnb Open, this fall.



One problem they expressed concern with was that currently a very high percentage of guests have either no reviews or only one review. Guests with two reviews make up a very low percentage of all guests and those with three reviews or more are a very low percentage of the overall guest pool. If Airbnb allows hosts to set the filter to three reviews or more for a guest to book through IB, then the potential guest pool will be very low for that listing.



My thought was that so long as you inform hosts that the more filters one uses, the smaller the potential pool of guests available to book this way, then that's ok because they will be making an informed decision. We'll see what Airbnb decides. The hosts consensus at the meeting seemed to be give us the filters and let us take our chances on a lower pool of potential guests.



3) "Will the policy around AR remain the same (i.e. 'noise' from Inquiries forcing Pre-approval/Special Offers to maintain AR) or is it being changed?"



Great question. It will change. It seems that Airbnb will not calculate into hosts acceptance rate those declines or non pre-approvals that fall into certain categories such as third party bookings, or inquiries/requests for more guests than a listing can accommodate, etc. A host will have a drop-down menu to enter the appropriate reason for denial and an Airbnb staffer will confirm - in these situations AR will remain unaffected.



Additionally - the commitments Airbnb is making to improved guest and host education should mitigate the number of "noisy" requests/inquiries a host receives in the first place. I expect vast improvements here.



4) "Superhost program...is/how will it change/improve?"


This remains to be seen. Airbnb understands that Superhosts are feeling neglected or that the status is largely hollow. I agree.



Changes I recommended were to assign case managers (or case teams) to Superhosts. I also recommended placing the Superhost badge on a listing's front page picture such that searches reveal which listings are managed by a Superhost easily by sight. Nobody looks at a host's profile and scrolls to the bottom to find this information. The status quo means the badge is buried and this is problematic.



I expect the badge to be moved to the listing's front page picture the same way the instant book icon is found there. I expect that Superhosts will be assigned case managers or teams or that at a very minimum, each CX call station will have a decision maker on site and available to all CX agents for critical and timely authoritative decision making. I expect that Superhost will become a searchable feature that guest can select and search only for listings hosted by Superhosts.



5) "The new Host survey. I see that it will be put out quarterly, but how will the info be assimilated and, eventually, integrated into policy/platform changes?"


I expect that the new hosts survey will be used to collect data as to what the priorities are for hosts and that once collected this data will drive resources towards working on those priorities. Airbnb wants to spend its time improving the product for those who use the product and this is the best way for them to bridge the gap between those who use it and those who build it. I believe it is a step in the right direction and that the more hosts who complete the survey, the better the results will be.



Cheers,
Josh (Ernie) Thayer

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Jeannette
Jeannette10 months ago
I like the idea of the superhost badge being visible on the search results page. (assuming that this is what is being discussed).

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Evelyn
Evelyn10 months ago
I sure hope so because right now the guests have no idea what a superhost is

Cathy
Cathy10 months ago
Wow! You've put in such a lot of work here for all our benefit - and airbnb's too. Thankyou - really appreciate it. Sharing the minutes and these question/responses are sooo helpful.

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Cathy
Cathy

Cathy10 months ago
Just copied the Q&A bit for reference, but can't copy the minutes :/ is there any way the minutes could be filed somewhere?

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Ernest
Ernest10 months ago
Not to my knowledge. Copy and paste into a Word doc?

Barbara

Barbara
Barbara10 months ago
Thank you for this - first time I have seen that airbnb hierarchy actually listen t what hosts are saying. Great news

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Deborah



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

older version w/o commmenter names




Employees:
Hospitality: Chip, Laura, Jonny
Product: Joebot, Vlad, Lenny
TnS: Brad
CX: Emma

Hosts: Myself (josh) + 4 other Super hosts (names edited for privacy)

Agenda :
I Introductions ( All)
II Purpose (Chip)
Discuss Acceptance Rate, Instant Book, Guest Education, and
Communication/Support
1 What we’ve heard
2 What we’ve done
3 What we will do
III Issues ( All)
IV Conclusion (Chip)


Acceptance Rate: Agenda/Action

1 What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Penalizes hosts for declining inquiries/requests out of their control
*Includes inquiries/requests that are spam/fake/bad fit
*Penalized for guests not reading description/House Rules
*Unduly affects search placement
*Punishing good hosts when trying to target ‘bad actors’
*Change of policy without informing hosts

2 What we’ve done (Lenny):
*Removed AR% from Dashboard and mobile [not guest facing anymore]
*Split the policy into 2 approaches:
1 search placement: signals of what kinds of guests you accept favors into algorithm’s calculations [not new]
2 soft suspension: targeting irresponsible hosts who chronically decline

3 What we will do (Lenny):
*Allow hosts to tag requests/inquires that are spam/fake, change options
*Current options versus options under consideration
*Continue to improve catching phishers/spammers and removing them from the platform
*Explain clearly and visually how it works in search


Acceptance Rate: Discussion Points

Laura: We could have done a better job rolling it out. Showing a % for anything can drive the wrong behavior and is confusing without context. That is not a number that we want anyone to be fixated on.

Vlad gives explanation on how Search works.

Search is very personal, there is no single rank. The algorithm is looking to provide the best “matching” possible. Based on traits and history of both host and guest.
We are giving you more metrics to help you understand how you’re doing and how you can improve.

Me: Host Education on this issue is a big need. People do not understand that search placement is not a static “ranking.”

Host: Amenities should be a part of search (ex: laundry)

Host: There are good reasons to decline. People are using the platform for a social network ­­ sending messages for purposes other than actually booking (ex: we have the same last name, let’s meet!).

Host: Hosts who are delinquent should be removed from the platform.

Brad: Even though we do not communicate it out, we do catch phishers and spammers.

Me: There needs to be more communication on that. Don’t know what happens after flagging a message.

Brad: We are trying to do a better job of closing that feedback loop ­ after a host flags something. We see the flags in the aggregate and act accordingly.


Third party bookings.


Me: Third party booking inquires are a growing concern (ex: guest who booked with profile that was half his own info and half the actual guest’s)


Question of liability in third party booking situations:


Host: I feel responsible for all my guests. When not comfortable, tell that guest to leave immediately and will sort out the details later.

Host: About the acceptance rate ‘decline’ list: Does this mean if a host selects from these options it will be removed from Acceptance Rate?

Lenny: We need to study it first and understand how it can be factored as a signal.

Host: Issue of guests understanding location of the listing. The pink circle doesn’t make it clear.

Acceptance Rate: Main Takeaways

1 A lot of the solutions come back to education for both Hosts [how it works] and Guests [who to contact and not to contact]. Effective Onboarding would reduce many of these issues.
2 Hosts need to have a closed feedback loop when they flag guests.


Instant Book : Agenda/ Action

1 What we’ve heard (Jonny):

Removes agency and increases pressure to accept guests who aren't good fits
*Pressure to use IB as it is prioritized in Search
*Need better filters/protections to feel comfortable adopting it
*Canceling IB reservations should be treated differently
*Prioritizing a certain type of host

2 What we’ve done (Lenny):

*Require guests to write a message with any IB request [on web for now]
*Require a profile photo
*Making it easier to tell which listings have IB on / off
[ex: Lightning bolt next to your listing name in Manage Listing, in My Listings, and confirmation email after turning on IB for the first time.]
*More Calendar settings: better control over your calendar
*Seasonal min/max nights, gap days between reservations, block days in the distant future ­ Revamped calendar sync: more reliable, and easier to use

3 What we will do (Lenny):

* Require all guests to agree to the House Rules before booking, and host can cancel penalty free if the rules are broken [being tested]
*More/better filters to keep guests who you are uncomfortable with from booking [being tested]


Instant Book: Discussion Points

Joebot: We really need to find a way to make it easier for guests to get a booking. Right now they are getting constantly declined. 2nd biggest problem is cancellations. A guest who gives a 1 star rating after their first trip is more likely to return than a guest who is declined on their first request to book.

Me: Has some ideas on this and wants to learn more.

Joebot: About 15% of all types of listings have Instant Book enabled. Right now there’s no difference in the TnS or CX contacts between IB and non­IB.

3 things that are a focus for Instant Book on making it better:
1 Trust [Needs to be like a self driving car],
2 Availability [We need to have a lot of confidence on your preferences],
3 Matching [What is the type of guest you want and how do we prevent you getting guests that aren’t a fit]
There’s no demographic difference between those hosts who book on Instant Book and those who don’t.

Lenny/Vlad: It is only 1 of another 30+ signals.

Host: Main concern is safety: especially in relation to hosts in developing countries, and female hosts in particular. They may feel pressure to activate IB to get more bookings, but are in vulnerable position.

Brad/Joebot: Priority is always host safety first. There’s nothing in the data that shows that IB reservations have more issues than those that are not IBk.
Host: Feels pressure to use IB to get more bookings. Turned on Instant book because he felt he had to.

Lenny: We are working on making sure guests have a profile photo and message when they request.

Host: We need to make sure we don’t discriminate against guests of different backgrounds. There are studies showing discrimination against African Americans based on their profile photos.

Host: Can we find some middle ground between 24hrs and 1hr? [Give some time in the filtering]

Host: We need to show hosts the thumbs up and thumbs down. And Zero thumbs down should be a filter option.

Joebot: We are looking for ways that hosts can cancel if they are uncomfortable. If so, we need to make sure that it doesn’t get abused.

Host: How are we going to make the guests experience better if it’s easy to get cancelled on?

Host: Would like to meet some neighbor hosts so they are part of a ‘group of local hosts’, can coordinate with each other.

Host: Theres 2 sides to this. Hosts are getting penalized for not responding/accepting but guests are being asked to contact multiple hosts at a time.

Chip: You are rewarded in different ways ­ in Response Rate and the likelihood of being the listing that the guest chooses.

Host: Is it true that guests have been verified?

Brad: There’s a large team on TnS that oversees that process and are constantly improving.

Host: Like the idea of penalty­ free cancellation over House Rules. If you don’t have a way to hold guests accountable for breaking House Rules then there’s no point to them.

Host: Host, why do you not use Instant Book?

Host: It makes him feel like a hotel and he offers so much more that is personal. Prefers to have more personal interaction with guests before approving them.

Host/Me: disagree, have had many good guests from IB.


Instant Book: Main Takeaways

1. Give the hosts options/controls over who they want in their home. Hosts can then decide.
2. If we allow hosts to cancel ‘because uncomfortable with a guest’ penalty free on Instant book then we need to make sure that we are getting really clear reasons why hosts are cancelling and then looking into it. We can also detect if a host is abusing it by cancelling a large %.

Guest Education : Agenda/Action

Background (Chip)
*They’re the other half to the equation
*We recognize this hasn’t been a strong focus yet
A lot of our guest education right now happens at the sign­up stage and we need to put more focus on the booking stage as well

1.What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Not all guests understand Airbnb, resulting in unpleasant experiences for both parties
*Hosts are left to onboard and educate new guests
*Hosts not able to see guest’s previous review ratings

2.What we’ve done (Laura):
Laura: Admittedly, there has not been a lot done on this front yet

3. What we will do (Laura):
*Moving to a world this year where it is required for guests to have full profiles (photo, verifications, etc) [already happening within Product team]
*Require a note with any reservation request on mobile [already required on web]
*Produce content for guest education: 2 instructional how­to videos for first time guests


Guest Education : Discussion Points

Host: There’s not a good place for answers to common questions (like where to look for the keys) for guests after their reservation is confirmed.

Me: Education (for both guests and hosts) needs to be a focus. It will save money and energy in the end.

Host: Bring us back to review the content of Guest Education videos.

Chip: We need to make sure hosts know who to expect when they arrive.

Host suggestion: Check­-boxes around preferred style of stay/communication (more or less host interaction).

Host: You need to look at different ways to ensure that hosts and guests are motivated and rewarded [Not punished] to have better behavior on the site.

Brad: TnS is working with behavior experts at Stanford to understand this process better.

Me: Superguests -­ a similar program to Superhosts but for guests is something Airbnb should really look into.

Laura : We need to make sure we offer hosts a library of resources that they can direct guests to so that they can self­-educate rather than continuing to ask beginner questions to hosts.

Me: Hosts don’t see the star ratings for guests, and that needs to be visible.

Me: Double Blind review system is the best. It has taken a lot of the anxiety out of the review process & ensures more reviews are occurring and are better informing hosts and guests.

Guest Education : Main Takeaways

1. Education for new guests (and new hosts) needs to be a focus, it would solve a lot of other issues.
2. Showing the guest’s star ratings would make hosts more comfortable with their decisions on who to accept.
3. “Superguest” (or similar program) is of interest.


Communication/Support: Agenda/Actions

1. Background (Chip):
*We understand the personal nature of hosting
*As we expand, we recognize there have been “growing pains” and are working as quickly as we can to address those
*Currently at ~800k hosts worldwide

2. What we’ve heard (Jonny):
Lack empathy for hosting, need more personalized approach
*Communication is too one­sided
*Lack of prioritized/personalized support for most active hosts (especially Superhosts)
*CX agents uninformed on details, responses too 'cut­and­paste’
*Wait times for support are frustratingly long

3. What we’ve done (Jonny and Emma):
*Host Voice survey (happening quarterly)
*Increased frequency of specific product feature feedback channels
*Introduced (now expanding) chat feature for live CX question­and­answer *Continuing to scale CX support

4. What we will do (Jonny and Emma):
*Online Q&A with Chip about hosting metrics, open to all hosts
*Communicate changes more proactively through regular blog posts and in­product messages *Improve Groups ­ looking into a new, more robust platform
*Improve and streamline CX escalation protocol
*Improving the personalization of Superhost support


Communication/Support: Discussion Points

Emma: Shared some stats about CX:
Response Times: 24 hours for “non­trip tickets”, and between 12hrs and 8hrs for “trip tickets”.

Host: What is difference between “non­trip” and “trip”?

Emma: Trip = related to a reservation that will begin in 3 days, is currently happening, or just completed within 2 days.

Emma: Just this year we are starting to see real progress in catching up to the ticket load. There has been major improvement. In the last year we have had a huge increase in the numbers of agents working on the team. Training is the #1 focus for CX right now. As the team has grown so much, they are also scaling appropriate training.

Host: Story of calling CX, routed to a center in Florida: the agent was friendly but couldn’t answer his question, so he was told to wait while they check with someone… then told that person who can help is going on vacation so he is out of luck.

Me: Often gets different responses from CX agents. eg: related to policies [They need to be aligned and if they don’t know the answer then they should just say “I don’t know and will find out for you.”

Me: There needs to be someone in every CX office who can make a decision in that moment. Rule #1 should be to find an answer immediately by someone with authority.

Host: Big changes in CX support from 5 years ago when she called for help editing her photos. Joebot answered the service call and said ‘he didn’t know how to fix it’. So her photos went unfixed for a while. (About Host Voice)
Host/Host/Josh: Saw it earlier today on the blog and already voted.

Emma: Live chat feature in CX: it’s smart and allows internal agents know what page you are looking at. There’s also now a Twitter (email hidden)>
Host: Is the webinar going to happen regularly, on a quarterly basis?

Chip: We are testing this first and see from there.

Host: We should then translate it and send it out globally.

(About Superhost priority access to CX) Host: Yes, but only if people with real emergencies are being routed first . Superhost status shouldn’t trump an actual emergency.

Laura/Emma: Issues that are urgent will still jump the queue before Superhosts.

NMe: Airbnb needs to communicate new things rolling out, it feels like there are a lot of things revealed to hosts with no communication around why/what.

Host: What is the breakdown of new guest and host tickets?

Emma: With a new host:new guest reservation pairing they are 3 times more likely to contact CX

Host/Me: Change fees for hosts that are new and then it goes down over time as they are more experienced and will require less hand­holding.

Laura: Plans for new host onboarding include: Add them to a group, Videos and educational materials, and Mentorship program [Josh volunteered to be a mentor]

Chip: Is it true that hosts fear Groups being taken down? We are NOT getting rid of Groups. We recognize it needs a lot of improving, so we are looking into a more robust platform.

Me: Groups is a place where hosts go to learn from each other and it’s a place where active hosts can rely on getting answers. It is very important.

Host: Better education for hosts and guests should take some of the burden off of Groups.

Chip: Should Guests be able to search by Superhost?

Host: It’s a really good way to ensure that brand new guests will have a good experience their first time.


Communication/Support Main Takeaways
1. CX agent training needs to be improved and there should be an empowered ‘manager’ present who can make the tough decisions when necessary.
2. Host Voice and the webinar represent positive developments and there should be more such initiatives.
3. Insurance and the Host Guarantee need to be communicated clearly, especially to new hosts because they may have no idea it even exists.

Conclusion (Chip)
A. We are committed to this partnership.
B. We are working on implementing as many improvements as we can, but can not do everything at once.
C. The community is large and diverse, we are not able to make every change requested ­ need to consider many different types of users.


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Just as it was getting interesting, the gremlins took over! Look forward to reading more

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Hopefully it is more legible now. I will add comments/thoughts/omissions at a later time.

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Thank you, I have just re-read. It is a lot more comprehensive

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Thanks! great reading. what is TnS?

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Trust & Safety

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Hi E, thanks for this. So they need more ideas about how guests can firstly get an accepted request, and secondly avoid getting cancelled. Was there any discussion of limiting new hosts to only allow booking a month in advance until they've hosted X (eg 2) guest groups? Th

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Also default listing should only be open 3 months in advance. The number of hjosts i've contacted as a potential guest, who say sorrry - haven't changed my calendar, is really annoying.

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No discussion about limiting how far in advance a new host could accept bookings.

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Great notes - thank you for filling us in on the discussions!

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Pairing novice host and guest works well - both get feet wet at same time while experience guest could seek advantage. But really hosting is a talent

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thank you for the detail notes

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THanks so much for attending this meeting and posting these notes. It is helpful for many hosts to know what the thoughts are for these issues going forward.

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Here are some questions that I have been asked and my answers to those questions:


* I left with the impression that Airbnb is committed to establishing more of a nexus between hosts and policy formation.


* I left with the impression that those of us invited to this meeting will be invited back either bi-annually or every quarter as a focus group to discuss current issues - and new issues - as well as to hold Airbnb accountable for the promises that have been made.


* Airbnb has committed to policy changes and has an internal deadline by which it hopes to implement these changes. The self-imposed Airbnb deadline for these changes to be rolled out is by the Airbnb Open this fall in Paris.



To address questions specifically:


1)"Guest star ratings finally being revealed?"


Yes, It seems that Airbnb has heard us loud and clear and those at the meeting left me with the impression that guest star ratings will be made available to hosts. I was also left with the impression that the thumbs up/down ratings will also be made available.



2)"What are the actual changes coming to IB, and when?"


This is more ambiguous, however I expect changes to be coming. Airbnb seems extremely concerned about hosts reluctance to use the feature and wants to tweak it so that it is more appealing to everyone. I am certain it will change, just not specifically how it will change. They want as much input as possible. One change for sure will be that IB will require a photo of a person's recognizable face and a name as well as a message to the host. No more IB with no picture - no message.

-Changes considered:


* Having a different system in place for IB concerning host cancellations. Airbnb is considering (strongly) to allow hosts to cancel bookings made through IB without penalty in circumstances where a host has legitimate trust/safety concern that might surface after a booking is confirmed (such as once interaction begins between hosts and guests or once the guest has arrived to the listing and things go south). There would be a team assigned to such a case that would determine the legitimacy of the host's concern.


* Filters: Hosts will be able to filter guests who can book a listing by # of reviews and whether another host has indicated that he or she would not recommend the guest to other hosts (thumbs up/down metric). Airbnb is still considering how this will work and what the specific filters will be. I anticipate this change to be made by the Airbnb Open, this fall.



One problem they expressed concern with was that currently a very high percentage of guests have either no reviews or only one review. Guests with two reviews make up a very low percentage of all guests and those with three reviews or more are a very low percentage of the overall guest pool. If Airbnb allows hosts to set the filter to three reviews or more for a guest to book through IB, then the potential guest pool will be very low for that listing.



My thought was that so long as you inform hosts that the more filters one uses, the smaller the potential pool of guests available to book this way, then that's ok because they will be making an informed decision. We'll see what Airbnb decides. The hosts consensus at the meeting seemed to be give us the filters and let us take our chances on a lower pool of potential guests.



3) "Will the policy around AR remain the same (i.e. 'noise' from Inquiries forcing Pre-approval/Special Offers to maintain AR) or is it being changed?"



Great question. It will change. It seems that Airbnb will not calculate into hosts acceptance rate those declines or non pre-approvals that fall into certain categories such as third party bookings, or inquiries/requests for more guests than a listing can accommodate, etc. A host will have a drop-down menu to enter the appropriate reason for denial and an Airbnb staffer will confirm - in these situations AR will remain unaffected.



Additionally - the commitments Airbnb is making to improved guest and host education should mitigate the number of "noisy" requests/inquiries a host receives in the first place. I expect vast improvements here.



4) "Superhost program...is/how will it change/improve?"


This remains to be seen. Airbnb understands that Superhosts are feeling neglected or that the status is largely hollow. I agree.



Changes I recommended were to assign case managers (or case teams) to Superhosts. I also recommended placing the Superhost badge on a listing's front page picture such that searches reveal which listings are managed by a Superhost easily by sight. Nobody looks at a host's profile and scrolls to the bottom to find this information. The status quo means the badge is buried and this is problematic.



I expect the badge to be moved to the listing's front page picture the same way the instant book icon is found there. I expect that Superhosts will be assigned case managers or teams or that at a very minimum, each CX call station will have a decision maker on site and available to all CX agents for critical and timely authoritative decision making. I expect that Superhost will become a searchable feature that guest can select and search only for listings hosted by Superhosts.



5) "The new Host survey. I see that it will be put out quarterly, but how will the info be assimilated and, eventually, integrated into policy/platform changes?"


I expect that the new hosts survey will be used to collect data as to what the priorities are for hosts and that once collected this data will drive resources towards working on those priorities. Airbnb wants to spend its time improving the product for those who use the product and this is the best way for them to bridge the gap between those who use it and those who build it. I believe it is a step in the right direction and that the more hosts who complete the survey, the better the results will be.


Cheers,


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I like the idea of the superhost badge being visible on the search results page. (assuming that this is what is being discussed).

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I sure hope so because right now the guests have no idea what a superhost is

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Wow! You've put in such a lot of work here for all our benefit - and airbnb's too. Thankyou - really appreciate it. Sharing the minutes and these question/responses are sooo helpful.

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Just copied the Q&A bit for reference, but can't copy the minutes :/ is there any way the minutes could be filed somewhere?

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Not to my knowledge. Copy and paste into a Word doc?

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Thank you for this - first time I have seen that airbnb hierarchy actually listen t what hosts are saying. Great news