Post by High Priestess on Sept 29, 2015 5:40:34 GMT
My thoughts about the Airbnb Webinar 
(May 2015)
Unfortunately, I was a litte disappointed with the webinar. I felt there should have been a little less talking and more question answering on the hard questions.
What I got for the webinar is that:
*Airbnb is primarily focused on decreasing the number of guest rejections
*70% of bookings are from guests with 1 review or less.
* Guests are unlikely to return to use AIrbnb when they are rejected or hosts that don’t respond
*Guests are more likely to return even after a 1 review rating.
*Airbnb states there is no difference between IB and regular bookings. How do we know this? I firmly believe that many incidents go unreported.
Overall, I think Airbnb’s focus is on the guest experience. As long as guests continue to experience difficulty in booking a room - either by rejection or host not responding back in a timely manner - the guest experience will remain the top priority.
Personally, I think Airbnb should follow their competitors lead. Instead of leasing or purchasing properties to put into the rental pool; Airbnb should offer a guarantee income plan for hosts that accept more listings. It is a win-win situation. Airbnb gets repeat business from guests and hosts are happy because there is a steady income flow.
Andrea:
I was also disappointed. Much of what was presented was read from a prepared script which seemed to have been carefully vetted to say very little of real substance. It felt like a massive exercise in being hugged into submission.
For example, they are claiming that statistics show that most guests are new (one million each day!), and thus have no reviews, so they don't have any star ratings to show. But what about all the millions of guests who DO have reviews and star ratings that no one will ever see? Airbnb's response is that until the guests have more reviews from stays, their one or two reviews would be such a small sampling that it would be useless. That seems disingenuous to me on so many levels. Airbnb seems to be shielding guests who may have less-than-stellar (pun intended) ratings, in order to keep making money.
Gail:
Yeah...why give a guest a rating if it's not going to be useful to other host? So are they going to at least require that every first time guest fully fill out a profile and provide a photo? I'm not about to accept a first time guest with no profile and photo. What will they do with a host who rejects a guest who does not have a profile and photo?
Tom:
I turned on IB and we will see what happens. Hopefully, lightening won’t hit twice. A wise person once said “follow the money and you will get to the truth”.
I really think they need an ombudsman that will look after hosts best interests! This ombudman needs to verify these statistical statements.
I am off to the Board of Supervisors.
Gail:
Is the Board of Supervisors having a hearing today, Tim? I thought this was happening on Thursday afternoon.
Tom:
I got the days wrong. I did see that the Mayor was appearing in front of board. Didn’t realize that parking was so expensive otherwise I would have stayed - the board meetings sometimes provide great entertainment.
GaiL:
Sorry I meant the Board of Supervisor meeting was next Thursday, May 18th. Did you get a hold of your Airbnb Committe Organizer to determine what time hosts need to turn up? I will be out of the country so thus my lack of interested in times, etc...
Stan:
LOL definitely hugged but NOT subdued !
Yes it was pretty much same ole same ole! But the most important thing I got from it was that guests are not coming back...if 70% have 1 or no review after 5+ years, retention would seem to be the biggest issue not rejection!
My guesstimate for our listings is about 30% returning guests! and I have no reason to think thats different for other hosts.
Also I would love to see the demographics that indicate there is no difference instant and regular bookings.
Tom:
It is utter nonsense that there is no difference between IB and regular bookings. It is easy to make that claim if you won’t show the evidence to back it up. Now I understand why the big hotels are not concerned at this point. The article Peter posted said that hotels found that their studies have shown that many people use Airbnb as a curiosity and they return to the hotels. The guests like the rewards program it seems. And the consistency of not having their booking cancelled. My solution to all of this is to start suspending hosts that are flaky. So what if you are not going to be the biggest company in the world. Slow down and do it right! Concentrate on travellers and guests that fit our niche! Stop trying to be a company that is a fit for all.
Keith:
Tim, Just because you don't believe something doesn't mean it isn't true. You can't know what you can't know... if people wont report things then that data can't be used. The same is true of the US Census when families don't report the true number of people living in a home.. This leads to disproportional allocation of funds, but people have to trust the system. if someone has an incident, they need to report it. I'd argue there are as many unreported incidents for 'regular' bookings as there are for 'ib' bookings. As such, statistically there isn't a difference and the numbers hold up, although the numbers in both cases likely should be higher.. the ratio would still likely be the same. As for hosts vs. guests.... without guests there is no need for hosts. the reality is, the AirBnB ecosystem can likely manage just fine with a higher guest-to-host ratio. BOTH guests and hosts need to have good experiences and it is as risky and scary to go into some strangers home and sleep than it is to have a stranger come sleep in your home. I think the guest experience does need to be improved and having systems where hosts can 'opt in' to various risk levels is the right way to manage things on the host side... Same for guests.. guests need to be able to manage their risks (the review system, stars, and superhost program are ways for them to do this).. Have you ever gone for a job interview and were told "this job requires experience"... you wished they would just see the you that you know... well same goes for guests.. someone has to be first.. if this risk isn't in your comfort zone, don't take it. I have IB guests that checked in today.. they have no reviews (I'm their 3rd stay and their other hosts this trip have yet to review them). They're truly delightful people. They did say they IB'ed a different room and their host cancelled on them and they had to rebook so they were worried. Luckily their experience with me has restored their confidence in the SF host community
Gail:
I am sorry I could not attend the webinar. Some of us have regular jobs in the middle of the day and can't break away to accommodate Airbnb's schedule. But it looks like I didn't miss too much....just more disappointing news from ole Chip.
Alexa:
I personally have turned off IB, although in the past year very few of my bookings have come thru IB...maybe 10-15%. I have noticed, however that lately there are hoards of newbies to Airbnb requesting information without completing their online profiles at all! No photo, no bio, maybe an email address for verification. I ask them to complete their online verification if they are the least bit interested in booking our place. Basically, I never hear from them again. There's no way I'm ever going to host such a flaky guest. I'd rather hold out for legitimate people. Airbnb must require extensive guest profiles. This is the first time since I started as a host last year that I am considering listing my property on alternative sites such as Home Away, VRBO, Flipkey, etc. I am willing to risk a first time guest with proper verification, however once a guest has a booking track record, as a host I want to see their reviews, stars, etc. It's only fair!
Keith:
Roughly 1/3 of my bookings come in through IB and I've had ZERO problems with any of those guests. Not because I'm not reporting problems but because there haven't been any to report. I require "guests with a positive review" rather than "anyone" which is what I recommend for any hosts who aren't running guesthouses/motels which are otherwise available for any random person to book.
Tammy:
Keith, are those 1/3 bookings that were made through IB were the last minute bookings? If so, IB would only work for hosts who are comfortable with last minute bookings. I personally only turn it on when I have a few nights to fill out on a relatively short notice (less than 7-10 days for entire apartment). I feel it reduces the risk yet gives me a better chance to book those nights.
Keith:
This is a good point. Because I have a strict cancellation policy and my prices are a little above average, most of my bookings are less than 14 days in advance. I would say that the ib bookings tend to be closer to the booking date and some within a few days. To me, however, this IS the advantage.. I get last minute booking I probably wouldn't get because I might not be able to respond fast enough to approve a request.
Bobby:
It's not safe otherwise Alessandra - 100% agree and I too am looking for alternative sites
Tom:
I think you will find that many hosts use multiple sites.
Keith:
I use AirBnb exclusively but mainly because I'm incredibly lazy. I don't want the trouble of managing multiple calendars and dealing with the tax collection activity. I do believe I could book unfilled nights in my place if I used them, but the net additional income vs. the aggravation doesn't seem equitable to me. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong.
Alexa:
Which are prime competitors, in your opinion?
Tom:
HomeAway and Flipkey. And there are many others in Europe.
Lost courage and turned off IB. I guess guest assault is still in my mind. I wish Airbnb would stop giving higher search results to hosts that turn IB on their listing.
It makes no sense what Airbnb is doing. They are pushing hosts to do IB while taking away all guest contact with hosts. It feels that we are getting pushed into operating like a hotel. IB feels like “hotwire”.
Now there is a host review that pops up to remind us how to improve and to do better.
More and more tools to verify guests are being taken away - can’t email guest, can’t telephone guest, only receive guest’s first name, penalities are given, while emphasis is given on guest experience.
As I said before, “A happy host means a happy guest and a happy guest returns”.
Apparently, Airbnb doesn’t agree with this statement and insteads to focus soley on the guest. I think this is a huge mistake.
Airbnb states that 70% of guests are first time users. So, many are not repeat customers. This is not a healthy sign.
GaiL:
Well, the first time I booked myself as a guest via Airbnb, it was 3 years later before I booked a another room again via Airbnb. Not because I didn't want to but because I had no reason to. My other travels allowed me to stay with friends when I visited other cities. So to assume that the reason the majority of first time users are not rebooking again may have nothing to do with whether or not they were able to book via IB or not.
Stan:
Whew Tom! So glad you flipped the switch! Safety first!
Lol a guest that I mentored to become a host now uses VRBO exclusively!
Tom:
VRBO-Flipkey collects the taxes for you and submits to SF Tax Collector.
(May 2015) Unfortunately, I was a litte disappointed with the webinar. I felt there should have been a little less talking and more question answering on the hard questions.
What I got for the webinar is that:
*Airbnb is primarily focused on decreasing the number of guest rejections
*70% of bookings are from guests with 1 review or less.
* Guests are unlikely to return to use AIrbnb when they are rejected or hosts that don’t respond
*Guests are more likely to return even after a 1 review rating.
*Airbnb states there is no difference between IB and regular bookings. How do we know this? I firmly believe that many incidents go unreported.
Overall, I think Airbnb’s focus is on the guest experience. As long as guests continue to experience difficulty in booking a room - either by rejection or host not responding back in a timely manner - the guest experience will remain the top priority.
Personally, I think Airbnb should follow their competitors lead. Instead of leasing or purchasing properties to put into the rental pool; Airbnb should offer a guarantee income plan for hosts that accept more listings. It is a win-win situation. Airbnb gets repeat business from guests and hosts are happy because there is a steady income flow.
Andrea:
I was also disappointed. Much of what was presented was read from a prepared script which seemed to have been carefully vetted to say very little of real substance. It felt like a massive exercise in being hugged into submission.
For example, they are claiming that statistics show that most guests are new (one million each day!), and thus have no reviews, so they don't have any star ratings to show. But what about all the millions of guests who DO have reviews and star ratings that no one will ever see? Airbnb's response is that until the guests have more reviews from stays, their one or two reviews would be such a small sampling that it would be useless. That seems disingenuous to me on so many levels. Airbnb seems to be shielding guests who may have less-than-stellar (pun intended) ratings, in order to keep making money.
Gail:
Yeah...why give a guest a rating if it's not going to be useful to other host? So are they going to at least require that every first time guest fully fill out a profile and provide a photo? I'm not about to accept a first time guest with no profile and photo. What will they do with a host who rejects a guest who does not have a profile and photo?
Tom:
I turned on IB and we will see what happens. Hopefully, lightening won’t hit twice. A wise person once said “follow the money and you will get to the truth”.
I really think they need an ombudsman that will look after hosts best interests! This ombudman needs to verify these statistical statements.
I am off to the Board of Supervisors.
Gail:
Is the Board of Supervisors having a hearing today, Tim? I thought this was happening on Thursday afternoon.
Tom:
I got the days wrong. I did see that the Mayor was appearing in front of board. Didn’t realize that parking was so expensive otherwise I would have stayed - the board meetings sometimes provide great entertainment.
GaiL:
Sorry I meant the Board of Supervisor meeting was next Thursday, May 18th. Did you get a hold of your Airbnb Committe Organizer to determine what time hosts need to turn up? I will be out of the country so thus my lack of interested in times, etc...
Stan:
LOL definitely hugged but NOT subdued !
Yes it was pretty much same ole same ole! But the most important thing I got from it was that guests are not coming back...if 70% have 1 or no review after 5+ years, retention would seem to be the biggest issue not rejection!
My guesstimate for our listings is about 30% returning guests! and I have no reason to think thats different for other hosts.
Also I would love to see the demographics that indicate there is no difference instant and regular bookings.
Tom:
It is utter nonsense that there is no difference between IB and regular bookings. It is easy to make that claim if you won’t show the evidence to back it up. Now I understand why the big hotels are not concerned at this point. The article Peter posted said that hotels found that their studies have shown that many people use Airbnb as a curiosity and they return to the hotels. The guests like the rewards program it seems. And the consistency of not having their booking cancelled. My solution to all of this is to start suspending hosts that are flaky. So what if you are not going to be the biggest company in the world. Slow down and do it right! Concentrate on travellers and guests that fit our niche! Stop trying to be a company that is a fit for all.
Keith:
Tim, Just because you don't believe something doesn't mean it isn't true. You can't know what you can't know... if people wont report things then that data can't be used. The same is true of the US Census when families don't report the true number of people living in a home.. This leads to disproportional allocation of funds, but people have to trust the system. if someone has an incident, they need to report it. I'd argue there are as many unreported incidents for 'regular' bookings as there are for 'ib' bookings. As such, statistically there isn't a difference and the numbers hold up, although the numbers in both cases likely should be higher.. the ratio would still likely be the same. As for hosts vs. guests.... without guests there is no need for hosts. the reality is, the AirBnB ecosystem can likely manage just fine with a higher guest-to-host ratio. BOTH guests and hosts need to have good experiences and it is as risky and scary to go into some strangers home and sleep than it is to have a stranger come sleep in your home. I think the guest experience does need to be improved and having systems where hosts can 'opt in' to various risk levels is the right way to manage things on the host side... Same for guests.. guests need to be able to manage their risks (the review system, stars, and superhost program are ways for them to do this).. Have you ever gone for a job interview and were told "this job requires experience"... you wished they would just see the you that you know... well same goes for guests.. someone has to be first.. if this risk isn't in your comfort zone, don't take it. I have IB guests that checked in today.. they have no reviews (I'm their 3rd stay and their other hosts this trip have yet to review them). They're truly delightful people. They did say they IB'ed a different room and their host cancelled on them and they had to rebook so they were worried. Luckily their experience with me has restored their confidence in the SF host community
Gail:
I am sorry I could not attend the webinar. Some of us have regular jobs in the middle of the day and can't break away to accommodate Airbnb's schedule. But it looks like I didn't miss too much....just more disappointing news from ole Chip.
Alexa:
I personally have turned off IB, although in the past year very few of my bookings have come thru IB...maybe 10-15%. I have noticed, however that lately there are hoards of newbies to Airbnb requesting information without completing their online profiles at all! No photo, no bio, maybe an email address for verification. I ask them to complete their online verification if they are the least bit interested in booking our place. Basically, I never hear from them again. There's no way I'm ever going to host such a flaky guest. I'd rather hold out for legitimate people. Airbnb must require extensive guest profiles. This is the first time since I started as a host last year that I am considering listing my property on alternative sites such as Home Away, VRBO, Flipkey, etc. I am willing to risk a first time guest with proper verification, however once a guest has a booking track record, as a host I want to see their reviews, stars, etc. It's only fair!
Keith:
Roughly 1/3 of my bookings come in through IB and I've had ZERO problems with any of those guests. Not because I'm not reporting problems but because there haven't been any to report. I require "guests with a positive review" rather than "anyone" which is what I recommend for any hosts who aren't running guesthouses/motels which are otherwise available for any random person to book.
Tammy:
Keith, are those 1/3 bookings that were made through IB were the last minute bookings? If so, IB would only work for hosts who are comfortable with last minute bookings. I personally only turn it on when I have a few nights to fill out on a relatively short notice (less than 7-10 days for entire apartment). I feel it reduces the risk yet gives me a better chance to book those nights.
Keith:
This is a good point. Because I have a strict cancellation policy and my prices are a little above average, most of my bookings are less than 14 days in advance. I would say that the ib bookings tend to be closer to the booking date and some within a few days. To me, however, this IS the advantage.. I get last minute booking I probably wouldn't get because I might not be able to respond fast enough to approve a request.
Bobby:
It's not safe otherwise Alessandra - 100% agree and I too am looking for alternative sites
Tom:
I think you will find that many hosts use multiple sites.
Keith:
I use AirBnb exclusively but mainly because I'm incredibly lazy. I don't want the trouble of managing multiple calendars and dealing with the tax collection activity. I do believe I could book unfilled nights in my place if I used them, but the net additional income vs. the aggravation doesn't seem equitable to me. Perhaps someone can prove me wrong.
Alexa:
Which are prime competitors, in your opinion?
Tom:
HomeAway and Flipkey. And there are many others in Europe.
Lost courage and turned off IB. I guess guest assault is still in my mind. I wish Airbnb would stop giving higher search results to hosts that turn IB on their listing.
It makes no sense what Airbnb is doing. They are pushing hosts to do IB while taking away all guest contact with hosts. It feels that we are getting pushed into operating like a hotel. IB feels like “hotwire”.
Now there is a host review that pops up to remind us how to improve and to do better.
More and more tools to verify guests are being taken away - can’t email guest, can’t telephone guest, only receive guest’s first name, penalities are given, while emphasis is given on guest experience.
As I said before, “A happy host means a happy guest and a happy guest returns”.
Apparently, Airbnb doesn’t agree with this statement and insteads to focus soley on the guest. I think this is a huge mistake.
Airbnb states that 70% of guests are first time users. So, many are not repeat customers. This is not a healthy sign.
GaiL:
Well, the first time I booked myself as a guest via Airbnb, it was 3 years later before I booked a another room again via Airbnb. Not because I didn't want to but because I had no reason to. My other travels allowed me to stay with friends when I visited other cities. So to assume that the reason the majority of first time users are not rebooking again may have nothing to do with whether or not they were able to book via IB or not.
Stan:
Whew Tom! So glad you flipped the switch! Safety first!
Lol a guest that I mentored to become a host now uses VRBO exclusively!
Tom:
VRBO-Flipkey collects the taxes for you and submits to SF Tax Collector.