Post by High Priestess on May 20, 2016 2:18:56 GMT
ANdrew posted May 19 2016
New Features Survey
So I got this survey today that was mostly about the Smart Pricing tool, but I found this part particularly interesting. Presumably all the ideas mentioned here are ones that are actually under consideration in the Product team.
The one that I find kind of bizarre is the "Guaranteed Minimum Earnings." What's in it for Airbnb to pay hosts out of pocket when they're not getting guests, especially when they can still be taking bookings on other platforms? I doubt this will ever see the light of day.
Which of these tools would you choose?
Deborah
Deborah11 hours ago
Thanks for sharing these with us here -- I actually dont' like any of them, ( except for improved access to customer service which I think most all hosts would want) because I dont' want Airbnb meddling in hosts' businesses. I would rather Airbnb involved themselves LESS with hosts' businesses, listings, pricing, business decisions, matching with guests, etc. I feel that Airbnb has too much Geek time on its hands and is trying to come up with all kinds of new software fandangos to decorate the walls with. I have felt all along that I wish Airbnb would actually be more like Craigslist, and less like a Micro-Manager standing over our shoulders, even taking over our keyboards at times, and resetting our listings minimum stay data, telling us infants come for free, etc.
I don't so much mind the website redesigns -- as long as they don't lose hosts in the process who now have a harder time finding their way around -- but I don't think Airbnb needs to hold hosts' hands in running their business. I've also maintained all along that people who can't figure out, or arent' interested in doing research to learn the basics on how to run a small business, shouldn't become hosts. By offering more and more hand-holding, Airbnb is gathering up peple to be hosts who perhaps aren't cut out for it. And they are also inadvertently devaluing those who need no help with all these things, because we figured out on our own how to do a listing description that pulls in the guests we want, we figured out how to do earnings projections, we figured out on our own how to get guests who fit what we offer, we figured out on our own how to compare how we are doing with other hosts in our areas. Learning these things is part of doing any kind of business.
Also, I think hosts would be well advised to be a bit skeptical over "tips" that come from Airbnb. Hosts have found: (1) "Price tips" produced by Airbnb are uniformly too low, and at times are ridiculous, and suggest prices at which hosts would go out of business. (2) The new "guest matching" software by Airbnb has left many hosts high and dry, finding that whereas formerly they were getting a good steady supply of guests, now with "improved' matching software they are getting zero inquiries or page views. (3) Airbnb's beta testing to "help hosts get more lucrative bookings" , where Airbnb actually went in and overrode hosts' own minimum stay settings, and blocked hosts from getting 1-2 day bookings more than about a month out, has seriously interfered with some host's business, to where they have lost a considerable amount of income. As well, other Airbnb programs like "SuperHost" are not all they are cracked up to be, since one's Superhost status is quite vulnerable to the capriciousness of guests' ratings, and their sometimes arbitrary or even vindictive nature.
Hence, hosts should learn to be their own experts, and in my (humble) opinion, hosts would be safer having all parts of their own listing always under their own control rather than letting it loose to another new software toy. If the only tool you have is a coding book, everything you see looks like an opportunity for new coding.
Airbnb is in my opinion still the best short term rental platform and the basic structure does the job well. Sometimes when something works well, the best thing to do is just leave it!
I also think the "Guaranteed Minimum Earnings" is odd. I suspect it isn't really a plan to pay hosts out of pocket and basically make them into semi-employees, but rather is sort of a guarantee that hosts will definitely get a certain minimum number of bookings. I do wonder how this would all work, but I would be wary of it. I still think it's better for hosts to learn the skills to run their own business and meet their own income goals rather than let Big Brother come up with gimmicks to do this.
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Bridget and Mark
Bridget and Mark9 hours ago
Very well said, Deborah. In addition, it is wise to keep in mind that the "health" of Airbnb to shareholders, while initially based on things like the growth numbers of hosts and guests inevitably comes down to earnings, THEIR earnings, not ours. They make more off a 6 night stay at a $200 a night typical vacation rental cottage than they do on the busiest month of my little space with much less fuss and processing fees on their end, it is hard to imagine that that doesn't impact their forward thinking. Yes, a basic craigslist model of being a host/guest reservation and payment platform feels the best to me too!
Florencia
Florencia4 hours ago
I wish there were a choice of "Promoting Deborah as our Product Manager". They really need to hear your thoughts and of other great hosts in this group.
Deborah
Deborahin a few seconds
:-))) I am not sure I'd be a good fit to the Geek-millennialist vision.... But I'd be a great complement to it if they had a mind for a holistic and integrated, diverse company! Also I'm about twice the maximum age to be accepted as an Airbnb employee--- but there again, we middle aged folks are perhaps what is most needed there for true diversity! I have to admit that I am unusal among those my age in my capacity for endlessly being "excited" about things, which fits right in with those half my age who are running Airbnb...
helga
helga11 hours ago
Minimum earnings seems strange - it would seem reasonable in a market with a lack of hosts. Obviously there is a lack of some hosts, those providing certain hospitality features. Let's speculate: business ready or accepting free toddlers?
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helga
helga11 hours ago
I once proposed a minimum earning per booking: a means to let a price be cheaper if the guest books more nights or tell him: minimum total is 180, do you still wish to book only two nights at 180?
We got smart pricing which let the prices drop incredibly and now we get a top off on revenue but don't call it a salary? Throwing out smart pricing seems more beneficial than work around its pitfalls.
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jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
The only one on that list that is appealing to me is Priority Customer Support.
Reply Like Delete
jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
Guest matching: i live in the most economically challenged area of my state. Guest matching is for urban areas , not for those of us who are in non touristic areas and are happy to even have a guest. Guest matching is a luxury.
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Andrew
Andrew5 hours ago
"Guest Matching" as it's described above sounds better to me than the current formula they have for Matching, but it's still needlessly complex compared to a simple keyword search. Airbnb isn't a dating service; as long as the listings are accurate and thorough, guests already have the tools they need to decide whether they're a good "match." I've thought about foregrounding interactivity with guests as a feature, because it's something I often enjoy, but on greater reflection I've realized that I don't want my company to be advertised as a feature. I might be too busy with other things to entertain the guest, or maybe after meeting them I'll decide I don't want to spend much time with them. So I figure, as long as they understand the listing and decide that it suits them, that's matching enough for me.
jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
I do not want to compare myself to other hosts, i would rather see what inspires me and do the best i can to find my own way. It seems really annoying to compare stats with another host.
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helga
helga6 hours ago
That's already in the stats: it says you got X% on Value, the average in your area is Y%. If my average is 10 or 15 % higher in a point that is angry yellow for two unsatisfied guests, I get angry. Can you imagine a sloppy person seing that she got low stars on cleanliness whilst the others get high stars, saying to herself "Ah, it's true, I have to clean better!" Obviously some techniciens can imagine that.
Deborah
Deborahin a few seconds
Exactly --- comparing ourselves to others can drive our superegos into ever new ploys and tactics to dive bomb us with stealth shame and guilting when we least expect it. It's best to ignore all ratings, and take guest feedback with a grain of salt, knowing that some guests will request that you please move your house a few train stations closer to downtown so you'll be more convenient, or pick up your neighbors' house which creates too much shade, and dump it off the nearest cliff so that there will be more sun in the guest room.
New Features Survey
So I got this survey today that was mostly about the Smart Pricing tool, but I found this part particularly interesting. Presumably all the ideas mentioned here are ones that are actually under consideration in the Product team.
The one that I find kind of bizarre is the "Guaranteed Minimum Earnings." What's in it for Airbnb to pay hosts out of pocket when they're not getting guests, especially when they can still be taking bookings on other platforms? I doubt this will ever see the light of day.
Which of these tools would you choose?
Deborah
Deborah11 hours ago
Thanks for sharing these with us here -- I actually dont' like any of them, ( except for improved access to customer service which I think most all hosts would want) because I dont' want Airbnb meddling in hosts' businesses. I would rather Airbnb involved themselves LESS with hosts' businesses, listings, pricing, business decisions, matching with guests, etc. I feel that Airbnb has too much Geek time on its hands and is trying to come up with all kinds of new software fandangos to decorate the walls with. I have felt all along that I wish Airbnb would actually be more like Craigslist, and less like a Micro-Manager standing over our shoulders, even taking over our keyboards at times, and resetting our listings minimum stay data, telling us infants come for free, etc.
I don't so much mind the website redesigns -- as long as they don't lose hosts in the process who now have a harder time finding their way around -- but I don't think Airbnb needs to hold hosts' hands in running their business. I've also maintained all along that people who can't figure out, or arent' interested in doing research to learn the basics on how to run a small business, shouldn't become hosts. By offering more and more hand-holding, Airbnb is gathering up peple to be hosts who perhaps aren't cut out for it. And they are also inadvertently devaluing those who need no help with all these things, because we figured out on our own how to do a listing description that pulls in the guests we want, we figured out how to do earnings projections, we figured out on our own how to get guests who fit what we offer, we figured out on our own how to compare how we are doing with other hosts in our areas. Learning these things is part of doing any kind of business.
Also, I think hosts would be well advised to be a bit skeptical over "tips" that come from Airbnb. Hosts have found: (1) "Price tips" produced by Airbnb are uniformly too low, and at times are ridiculous, and suggest prices at which hosts would go out of business. (2) The new "guest matching" software by Airbnb has left many hosts high and dry, finding that whereas formerly they were getting a good steady supply of guests, now with "improved' matching software they are getting zero inquiries or page views. (3) Airbnb's beta testing to "help hosts get more lucrative bookings" , where Airbnb actually went in and overrode hosts' own minimum stay settings, and blocked hosts from getting 1-2 day bookings more than about a month out, has seriously interfered with some host's business, to where they have lost a considerable amount of income. As well, other Airbnb programs like "SuperHost" are not all they are cracked up to be, since one's Superhost status is quite vulnerable to the capriciousness of guests' ratings, and their sometimes arbitrary or even vindictive nature.
Hence, hosts should learn to be their own experts, and in my (humble) opinion, hosts would be safer having all parts of their own listing always under their own control rather than letting it loose to another new software toy. If the only tool you have is a coding book, everything you see looks like an opportunity for new coding.
Airbnb is in my opinion still the best short term rental platform and the basic structure does the job well. Sometimes when something works well, the best thing to do is just leave it!
I also think the "Guaranteed Minimum Earnings" is odd. I suspect it isn't really a plan to pay hosts out of pocket and basically make them into semi-employees, but rather is sort of a guarantee that hosts will definitely get a certain minimum number of bookings. I do wonder how this would all work, but I would be wary of it. I still think it's better for hosts to learn the skills to run their own business and meet their own income goals rather than let Big Brother come up with gimmicks to do this.
Reply Like 3 replies•1 like Delete
Bridget and Mark
Bridget and Mark9 hours ago
Very well said, Deborah. In addition, it is wise to keep in mind that the "health" of Airbnb to shareholders, while initially based on things like the growth numbers of hosts and guests inevitably comes down to earnings, THEIR earnings, not ours. They make more off a 6 night stay at a $200 a night typical vacation rental cottage than they do on the busiest month of my little space with much less fuss and processing fees on their end, it is hard to imagine that that doesn't impact their forward thinking. Yes, a basic craigslist model of being a host/guest reservation and payment platform feels the best to me too!
Florencia
Florencia4 hours ago
I wish there were a choice of "Promoting Deborah as our Product Manager". They really need to hear your thoughts and of other great hosts in this group.
Deborah
Deborahin a few seconds
:-))) I am not sure I'd be a good fit to the Geek-millennialist vision.... But I'd be a great complement to it if they had a mind for a holistic and integrated, diverse company! Also I'm about twice the maximum age to be accepted as an Airbnb employee--- but there again, we middle aged folks are perhaps what is most needed there for true diversity! I have to admit that I am unusal among those my age in my capacity for endlessly being "excited" about things, which fits right in with those half my age who are running Airbnb...
helga
helga11 hours ago
Minimum earnings seems strange - it would seem reasonable in a market with a lack of hosts. Obviously there is a lack of some hosts, those providing certain hospitality features. Let's speculate: business ready or accepting free toddlers?
Reply Like Delete
helga
helga11 hours ago
I once proposed a minimum earning per booking: a means to let a price be cheaper if the guest books more nights or tell him: minimum total is 180, do you still wish to book only two nights at 180?
We got smart pricing which let the prices drop incredibly and now we get a top off on revenue but don't call it a salary? Throwing out smart pricing seems more beneficial than work around its pitfalls.
Reply Like Delete
jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
The only one on that list that is appealing to me is Priority Customer Support.
Reply Like Delete
jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
Guest matching: i live in the most economically challenged area of my state. Guest matching is for urban areas , not for those of us who are in non touristic areas and are happy to even have a guest. Guest matching is a luxury.
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Andrew
Andrew5 hours ago
"Guest Matching" as it's described above sounds better to me than the current formula they have for Matching, but it's still needlessly complex compared to a simple keyword search. Airbnb isn't a dating service; as long as the listings are accurate and thorough, guests already have the tools they need to decide whether they're a good "match." I've thought about foregrounding interactivity with guests as a feature, because it's something I often enjoy, but on greater reflection I've realized that I don't want my company to be advertised as a feature. I might be too busy with other things to entertain the guest, or maybe after meeting them I'll decide I don't want to spend much time with them. So I figure, as long as they understand the listing and decide that it suits them, that's matching enough for me.
jennifer
jennifer6 hours ago
I do not want to compare myself to other hosts, i would rather see what inspires me and do the best i can to find my own way. It seems really annoying to compare stats with another host.
Reply Liked 2 replies•1 like Delete
helga
helga6 hours ago
That's already in the stats: it says you got X% on Value, the average in your area is Y%. If my average is 10 or 15 % higher in a point that is angry yellow for two unsatisfied guests, I get angry. Can you imagine a sloppy person seing that she got low stars on cleanliness whilst the others get high stars, saying to herself "Ah, it's true, I have to clean better!" Obviously some techniciens can imagine that.
Deborah
Deborahin a few seconds
Exactly --- comparing ourselves to others can drive our superegos into ever new ploys and tactics to dive bomb us with stealth shame and guilting when we least expect it. It's best to ignore all ratings, and take guest feedback with a grain of salt, knowing that some guests will request that you please move your house a few train stations closer to downtown so you'll be more convenient, or pick up your neighbors' house which creates too much shade, and dump it off the nearest cliff so that there will be more sun in the guest room.