Post by High Priestess on May 28, 2016 4:25:07 GMT
Diane shared Nov 2014 in London Hosts Community Hub Group
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91062
Superhost

Is anyone having problems after being awarded so called Superhost status? Since our "promotion" we've had hardly any enquiries or bookings. This is unusual for us even at this time of year. Can the Superhost status negatively affect our visibility. We've not had any correspondence at all from Airbnb either, including the meet up on November 30th which I've just noticed here. Airbnb doesn't offer a contact phone number any more either, even for an emergency. Can anyone throw any light on this for us.
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Enda
Enda
Enda2 years ago
That's interesting, Diane. My search hits have fallen off a cliff in the last few weeks - around that Superhost time too! I went from 160+ hits a day to barely 10. I've still had enquiries, messages and bookings, and I don't think I've missed any other correspondence.
I was beginning to think that some glitch had happened. Anyone else noticed this?
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I am gobsmacked at the almost total dearth of enquiries. November is going to be my worst month this year. It feels as if I have been delisted. I have nothing booked for the next three days (and I am someone who has been 100% booked until today). I have no idea what is happening.
I've organised the meetup by the way on Nov 30, so that is just down to me posting something on this Group.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Actually, Peter, I have noticed the original invite in my post after seeing Zazas note about when invite was sent, so I must've missed it.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi Peter, I missed the invite and thank you for organising this. Is the meetup closed at this stage or still open? If socCould I kindly ask you to post again the venue address. So great of you to organise this! Isabelle
Peter
Peter2 years ago
Yes, Isabelle. It is still open. It's from 6 till 10 on 30 November in the Clock Tower of St Pancras (you get in 10m to the right of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel). Most people bring something modest to share. I have a guest booking for a late lunch party from about 1 to 530 so it'll be a quick turnround for me. It's partly a chance for some of us who go to San Francisco to bring back some stories from the Airbnb Open.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Thanks Peter. I could bring some home made chocolate peanut butters squares. Great location. Isabelle
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ok, I think we may have spotted either a glitch or a kinda clunky attempt to tweak the algorithm to put Superhosts on hold while others in London get more of a chance.
Has anyone who is not a Superhost experienced a drop in enquiries/hits?
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Penny
Penny2 years ago
I am also suffering a death of enquiries. While I don't wish that on anyone, it's nice to know I'm not alone!
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Penny
Penny2 years ago
Dearth, even, although death could be just as appropriate!!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ok, I actually laughed out loud at that!
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Me too!
Penny
Penny2 years ago
Actually I've just had a 'booking' for one night this weekend. Potential guest is from the Netherlands, apparently, has his or her name in Chinese/Korean/Japanese and nothing else, although is verified with passport etc. So I've sent a message saying that I'm afraid I can't accept a booking without knowing who they are. Hopefully they'll get back to me before my 24 hours runs out, otherwise I'll just have to decline the booking.
I have had two or three one-night bookings over the last couple of months, but that's it. Very odd. Even this time last year we had a few weekends in the diary.
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Debbie
Debbie2 years ago
Having just read this, this seems to have happened to me too. Not sure if a coincidence, but if super host is effecting our viability, we should bring it up with Airbnb. Is there a London 'leader' who can do this up on the behalf of the Super hosts', or do you think the powers that be keep an eye on these postings?
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Debbie
Debbie2 years ago
visibility not viability!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I don't think its just super hosts that are suffering. I'm not one and am suffering also. Had a load of enquiries for new years eve.
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Jude
Jude2 years ago
I'm not a superhost using airbnb standards (although I know I'm a superhost tee hee) and am as quiet as anything having usually a regular trickle of bookings. Ho hum. Think there are many more hosts now. Although I had put my price up by £5! Could that fiver have made all the difference?
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I don't think anything matters if airbnb aren't advertising. I've long suspected this since the paper ad campaign. Quite a few hosts have noticed this around the world.
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Lylia
Lylia2 years ago
When I got superhost title 1 or several months ago, I thought: wah, great! Then I don't know if it is an coincidence, anyway, enquiries and booking requests dropped down so much. Sometimes just one or two enquiries per week, some times none for a week. In May i got 2 booking requests, 2 in June as well, 3 bookings in May, 3 in July, 4 in August, 5 in Sep, 5 in Oct. I don't know the reason, maybe this year is general quieter? or more hosts in London? or superhost "blue"....
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tanja
tanja2 years ago
I'm not a superhost but I also have hardly any enquiries for November and had a significant drop lately in general. November has always been a very very bad month. Not looking forward to January, either :-(
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Myriam- Gabrielle
Myriam- Gabrielle2 years ago
Same here. October has been a very good month but November is terrible. Not sure it has anything to do with the 'Superhost status'...
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Sept, Oct and Nov were the busiest I'd ever been last year for all years since hosting. There's 1 thing I know after 4yrs of hosting. What you think is normal doesn't exist. No year has been consistent. My summer season this year taught me that, enquiries dropped off over night and what I had gotten used to being busy season fell off a cliff.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I've been monitoring the number of 'completed trips', and the % of 5 star reviews.
They do not tally - even to the extent that yesterday I had had 55 completed trips (this year) and today I only have 54. How can that be?
?
It does put into question all the stats Airbnb seem so fond of.
Also - does anyone know if it is possible to leave a review without highlighting any stars? Airbnb wording is ambiguous on that score - but seems to suggest that it is possible - which might be why some great hosts are not officially superhosts. The rating is for 5 stars left by guests who have left reviews, so if they leave a review but fail to click on 5 stars - or even 3 or 4 stars, it comes out as 0stars for that booking.
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
Well, I spoke too soon maybe. I actually got an IB this evening after reducing my rates by a third. The guests are turning up at 7 tonight. But it's still very sluggish. I suspect that hotels are in their autumn discounting phase and we may be suffering as people don't turn to us as a less expensive option.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
You've reduced rates by a third? Hell, I'm gonna book you!
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Wow, I've always wanted to stay at the Clock Tower. I might join you..
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Watch out, Peter.
Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
Room for a small one? I'm there!
Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
All gone very quiet over here too. The curse of Superhost?
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Tessa
Tessa2 years ago
I am not sure that is is SH curse. have been one for years. However I am getting no bookings yet for next year which is a surprise. I am N/A till mid jan as I am having renovation work done. 10th week and still not a completed kitchen. Am going spare.
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Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
And as if by magic, two bookings within the last 30 minutes!
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I think the sense we are all getting here is that it is not something poisonous about being a superhost, just that November is a slacker period than normal, particularly when most of us are new kids on the block anyway. Let's see how the bookings for next spring and summer come along. And if there is anything wrong with the superhost status, I'll be losing it anyway on 1 January because I was naughty enough to be the cause of cancelling on a guest!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Tsk tsk!
Martin
Martin2 years ago
Surely the market will have dried up because most travellers will have made their November and December bookings by now. I am full until mid January bar one week and enquiries are beginning to trickle in for April, May and June, which I see as the start of the summer trade enquiries. Also, remember that the dollar and euro are stronger at the moment - or the £ is weaker. I do not think it has anything to do with SH, my pattern of enquiries is pretty mush 'business as usual'.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Agreed, it doesn't seem to be limited to 'superhosts'. However, it seems curious that so many of us are experiencing similar, uncharacteristic, drops.
I've sent an email to Gabrielle, who oversees the Host Outreach Programme for London, to see if she's aware of any reason on Airbnb's side for the apparently sudden change for so many of us. My rationale here is if there's a drop in demand, there's not much justification for recruiting more hosts.
I'll report back with any learnings...
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Update: Emma, the community manager, is looking into it....
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Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
I have spoken to Airbnb after noticing this drop 3 weeks or so ago and they have been saying that everything is normal. I'm glad to find this thread and see I'm not alone. It doesn't seem like Airbnb are doing much online marketing at the moment. I used to get the ads popping up every where and now nothing.
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void
void2 years ago
Make a few tweaks to your listing - even if it's just ticking the box to say you've got a carbon monoxide detector (they recently sent me one). Word is, so I've researched somewhere, it keeps your listing bouncing around in the big computer in the sky...
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
I've also been in touch with CX about my post-superhost page view stats. Initially, they increased wildly, a couple of days over 1,000 per day (no wild increase in bookings though).
Then, they suddenly flatlined and one week it was only 89 views for a whole week. It's week three of the flatlining and they've only just started to creep up to normal pre-superhost levels.
CX says it's because I'm booked for most of Nov/Dec, but I know it's not that because my guests tend to book 3 months ahead, and also the wild increase came just after a flurry of bookings, i.e. when there was *less* future availability.
I agree with Janey, it does seem to help to tweak the listing.
And raising prices seems to work almost as well as reducing them.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Thanks Enda and Andrew for getting on to it and everyone else for commenting. It's good to know we are not being singled out, and sorry that we are not getting bookings. Seems crazy as London is absolutely packed full! I'll keep a watch over things and try a bit of tweaking, too. Look forward to meeting you all on the 30th!
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Tessa
Tessa2 years ago
I had forgot to tweak what with having no kitchen... But I do know that Airbnb say that the average guest books 6 weeks ahead. I inquired at the beginning of this year as I had so few bookings - another time when we all got worried.. I am also used to bookings 3 months ahead. London is heaving with people. We now have 23,000 hosts in London alone and 35,000 in the UK.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I seem to be bucking the trend - earlier this year I was desperate for bookings - virtually nothing in May, June, July - and then since the end of August it's been almost solid - and lot of these have been last minute, or at least last day or two bookings.
Congratulations to those who manages to get through to various powers that be - I never seem to manage that. It's as if all emails fall into a great big black hole.
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
Cryn, I found this area of CX the other day (can't remember how). airbnb.zendesk.com/home If you click to view 'current requests' then on the right there is a button to see closed requests. I discovered that one of my unanswered emails had been assigned/closed the same day it was sent, without ever contacting me. You might discover what has happened to your emails. You can revive 'closed' requests, too.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Delighted to hear that things have turned around for you Cryn! I know it was tough for you earlier this year and so glad you're back on track again. Long may it continue ;-)
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I've been updating and tweaking and promoting myself on social media and all the stuff that supposedly helps the listing be more visible. The result over these last few weeks? A blistering 4-6 hits per day! And like Tara has said, this just doesn't chime with previous booking patterns.
Something like this happened to me before (zero hits for several days) but it was an error and they 'rebooted' me.
Surely it can't be that there are too many people listing now? Paris has almost twice as many and airbnb have said that host numbers don't meet the demand. (I'm part of their host outreach pilot programme).
The suddenness of this for so many of us suggests perhaps an algorithm tweak of some sort.
Or else everyone has abandoned us for Cryn!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I've always said that its nothing to do with competition. I say this because I'm in zone 3 in the armpit of East London and when airbnb are advertising there's enough for everyone. It does swing in roundabouts but in general there's enough demand to service everyone's needs.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ha! Armpit is such an *evocative* word! Maybe I'll think of our location as the clavicle of East London.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Hi, Enda & Andrew...so what's the Host Outreach Programme, please?
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Susan, Its an incentivised scheme where existing hosts 'recruit' new hosts and offer support for a period of time. It's an experiment to see if they can improve the number and quality of listings in London.
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
HEY - not so much of the armpit please!!! I'm in East London and proud of it.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I knew you'd see that Cryn
. I'm East London born and raised but it's always interesting to see peoples views of area. Remember what the old saying was about making your riches to then move to the West? East is where I'm staying!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I heard it being used recently on a vampire programme. Whilst I was writing it I was thinking was that ones persons armpit is another persons bosom. East London to me will never be an armpit and will always be a bosom. But for the sake of humour (I'm known for my cheekiness). Where would we be if we didn't have a little humour in our lives
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
And I was born and raised in the West of London. Couldn't wait to leave! Via various other places i have now been in E13 now for 32 years. Oh bosoms are good!
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow as the song goes! Ah, I've beat you by 7 years (there's yet another joke and some irony thrown into the mix)
Maggie
Maggie2 years ago
I have been awarded Super Host status and unlike most of you guys, I've been busier than last November. I don't think this has anything to do with the status, more that I was new to Airbnb last October so was just starting out. I expected to go really quiet from October but this has proven not to be the case. I get quite a few late bookings. So to answer your question, I have not noticed a fall in bookings.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
I'm 100% convinced that the introduction of the Superhost status somehow screwed things up for us. Almost as soon as it was brought in, my inquiries/bookings completely dried up. As guests book a couple of months ahead with me too, I wasn't really affected for November as I was already booked up, but just when I usually would have been starting to book up for December - deathly silence. Not a sausage. December is always by far the busiest month for me, so it's too much of a coincidence that bookings/inquiries for BOTH my properties just ground to a complete halt as soon as I became a Superhost. In my case, it can't be blamed on increased competition either - I'm somewhat of a niche market in that there really aren't too many properties in Dublin that can cater for large groups like I can.
Things have picked up again in the last week or so, but way too late for me as the inquiries I'm receiving now are for Jan/Feb and beyond, and both houses remain practically empty for the whole of December. Barring a miracle, I'm going to make a huge loss next month, when it should have been by far my most profitable month of the year, which helps offset the quieter periods. Gutted. So this weekend is going to be spent signing up with every other rental website I can find out there. Should've taken my good friend Ahman's advice long ago, and spread my risks over several platforms! Yet again, Airbnb have proven themselves to be just too unreliable.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
My bookings also come on average two months ahead and ŵe are suffering the same fate as yourself. With big losses. Your friend is absolutely right, and I am about enlisting help from all other websites. I think Airbnb have shot themselves in the foot this time.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
No, airbnb shot themselves in the foot at least a year ago. Hosts have been suffering since the launch of the ap way back in Nov. Its just that its caught up to the rest of us now. Remember when hosts were saying things had gone wrong last Nov. I knew it was only a matter how of time it would hit everyone else at some point and it has. Like I said before, what successful company who's worth 10b has to rebrand?
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
There's no sure thing and no 1 company can offer 100% full occupancy. Hotels can't even achieve that. I'm a realist at the end of the day, I sought alternatives as soon as my enquiries started dying off at the end of June when busy season was due to commence. I'm so glad I did now. I still prefer Airbnb website because it's so user friendly. Susan is of the belief that airbnb will not be able to claw its way back but me I'd like to be an optimist. Juries out. I'll host as long as I'm able to continue o get bookings, nothings changed. The competition has come a long way from 4yrs ago
void
void2 years ago
Yes it's funny, I'm getting quite a lot of enquiries but of the abrupt questioning sort without introduction. And 80 percent of these are not converting and those that do are asking me to wait whilst they ponder on my refusal of a discount and try to find ways of funding.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
It swings in roundabouts. I get loads of enquiries and non convert. Then there's NADA and a sprinkle of clicks and I get a lovely enquiry x2 all in 1 day and they book. No muckig about all very polite, they book/arrive/leave and were lovely and then it all starts up again! Sigh....
Fatima ;-)
Fatima ;-)2 years ago
I'm not a super host and unlikely ever to be one, for me November has been very good compared to previous years. I have always been on multiple platforms as I don't think it's wise to rely on any one site for all bookings. Let's hope the rest of the year remains busy for us all.
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tanja
tanja2 years ago
I agree with you, Fatima. I think we all rely too much on Airbnb. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Every time I have a huge issue with them (and it happens often) I say to myself I will put more effort into other websites as well. I am listed on 3 but I do put less effort in others, purely because of laziness. Thanks for reminding me again :-)
Susan
Susan2 years ago
+1!
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi everyone, very interesting and reassuring your comments about November bookings.
I am not a superhost member and what is puzzling me is that I have 2 flats dedicated to holiday lets on top of each other in Chelsea. Both decorated with 19 French furniture, recently painted with new bathroom and new kitchens. I also provide a welcome pack (bread butter..) + a dedicated eccentric 75 year old “flat manager” who lives locally to welcome ( anytime and night and day, he likes to get out of the house) the guests.
Yet I don’t have a superhost and November has been a real disaster and only one booking for December. It might not be entirely an in Airbnb glitch because I have had a very negative feedback from another person with 5 flats doing the same thing and she says that November is disastrous. She has never seen something so bad.
But when I look back I have not been very fruitful with Airbnb. I have had better scores with Holiday letting.co.uk and VRBO.com.
I only have 3 bookings per year for each flat and one of them has fallen to one.
Is promoting on social media very effective? If so could someone kindly indicate how to go about it because I have a Facebook page that generated only 1 inquiry.
Thank you
Isabelle
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
Isabelle, I think your places are attractive and competitively priced and I'm really surprised you are not doing well on Airbnb. My only thoughts are that the lack of transport links in that particular area may be a factor. Also, perhaps the decor. The painting on the wall in Flat2 is quite scary, and maybe Airbnb guests prefer less of the 'brown furniture' look, I don't know...I really like antiques myself!
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Actually Diane it is embarrassing because I only have 3 bookings per flat per year! Isabelle
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Maria
Maria2 years ago
I have always experienced a drop in bookings from the second half of November till first half of December. And the bookings and enquiries have dried up for almost 2 weeks.
I also noticed that the Airbnb app has been a little funny and could not access it for 3 days once I updated to the new IOS.
I am not a superhost and never been...
Although I have hundreds of 5 stars reviews... and have hosted for 4 years thousands of people through Airbnb. But it seems it's because of my commitment rate of 98% this happened once when a guest made a mistake and I had to cancel her and once I had to cancel because I had a family emergency... So, guys, I think that it is normal for this time of the year to be low in enquiries and bookings. That is my yearly experience and now I have learned to bare it.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
I've never got on with the App and found it a waste of time, so don't use it at all. Until now, I've never had a drop at this time of year, so I must've been lucky and didn't know it.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
thanks Marie,
Sadly reassuring!
Isabelle
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
I hear what you're saying, Maria but this is anything BUT normal for Dublin - this city is buzzing in December, and I was booked solid in previous Decembers.
I did feel from day one that the 'Superhost' label was going to turn out to be more a curse than a blessing, because Airbnb were promoting Superhosts as being the type of people who'd crawl through broken glass on the whim of our beloved guests, and were actively (and purposely) raising guest expectations to stratospheric levels. Plus I felt that some guests would become far more critical in their reviews of every tiny little thing they deemed to be not up to scratch for whatever their conception of a 'Superhost' is. What I didn't expect though, was to be almost wiped out of the game altogether as soon as I got that bloody badge! However, I've got to take a big part of the blame here too because like Tanja, I've had many major issues with Airbnb in the past 18 months (none anywhere near as serious or detrimental as this, though), but because I was still doing reasonably ok, was just too lazy to spread my wings. Lesson learned!
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Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
I was wondering, is it possible to ask Airbnb - as a solution - to be taken off the Superhost label?
Isabelle
Reply Like 3 replies•1 like
Peter
Peter2 years ago
I bet you the "algorithms" would still treat you as if you were a superhost anyway!
Susan
Susan2 years ago
That's exactly what I was thinking too - otherwise I'd have already happily told them what they can do with their Superhost badge!
Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
Even with those pointy edges, Susan? :-)
Maria
Maria2 years ago
Hi Susan,
I think that the explosion of so many new hosts is something that has affected us, the veterans.
I don't bother about this superhost thing. It is really a joke as proportionally I have hosted much more guests than a lot of the hosts who are superhosts.
I think that having the Airbnb offices in fashionable Shoreditch, East London, has also changed the geographical attention of the apps to such areas in the vast Central London area.
Then, if the apps are not working for us, then they won't work for the guests either... and that is worrying as many people try to book from their mobiles and ipads.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
At this point, I'd nearly cancel a booking just to get rid of the Superhost thing, Maria - that's if I had any bookings to cancel! ;-) In my case though, there really aren't too many recent new listings in Dublin in the category that would be competition for me (ie can accommodate larger groups). If it was a gradual decline, then I'd be frantically re-evaluating what I might be doing wrong - but it went from flying to a complete standstill literally overnight, so I'm convinced it's not just a coincidence.
As regards your comment on Shoreditch - funny you should day that as any time I've searched London for a place to stay as a guest in the last while, there seems to be a predominance of Shoreditch and Hoxton listings above all other areas.. great for the cool kids, I guess, but give me West Hampstead or Greenwich any day!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I'm my humble opinion East wins hands down
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I agree with Ahman - the rot started with the intro of the App, not the superhost thing.
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
For me, the app is just a last resort if I'm not at home when an enquiry comes in. I'm amazed that anyone would rely on it as a primary interface. It's so obviously unreliable and jumpy.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I have asked quite a few guests and they have booked through the ap. I can't find myself for love nor money, as long as the guest is I don't care too much.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I only use the ap for groups. Its not much good for anything else.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
I think it's definitely down to Airbnb's "control of the search process" (not good at technical speak!). I can put in word for word the title of our room, in London and we STILL DON'T appear sometimes. This is nothing to do with being booked, as I've tried it all ways, and well into the future on available dates. Big Brother at work for sure.
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nicky
nicky2 years ago
I'm having the same problem. I've been booked solid for a year (when I started) and a month or so ago it went completely dead. I'm very worried and have just emailed them to ask what's gone wrong. I became a superhost recently too so it's either that or the bad new web design that's made the difference. Maybe I'll get a homeless person to come and stay for a while, it seems a bit immoral having an empty room while people are sleeping on the streets.
Are any of you going to any of those Superhost meet ups ?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Interesting that others seem to have problems as well. I was wondering too. First time since starting no bookings for nov or dec. my last guests had problems with their driving licence identification but eventually managed. There was a similar story in sat guardian. Guests getting fed up with airbnb. I wonder whether that might have contributed?
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi Tara,
Thank you for your feedback. I actually started with Ikea furniture and I could not rent the flats. Since getting the brown furniture the reservations took off. Not having the tube nearby is an issue. But there are a lot of alternative transport links: bus, train linked to tube and even river boats.
Isabelle
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Isabelle, if there's a problem renting a flat out then 9 times out of 10 the price is wrong. Price determines everything.
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John
John2 years ago
Don't think it's anything to do with SuperHost status at all, think it's across the board…
Being a relative newbie, I just missed out on Superhost status. I joined in July. Things started to get very busy towards end of August with shed load of bookings and enquiries constantly until couple of weeks ago. Now zero enquiries, only very last min bookings coming through, stats of views have fallen off the cliff and carried on into the abyss!
Our friend few roads away is a Superhost with over 50 5 star reviews - he and I have both been chatting, we are experiencing exactly the same issues even though I'm not a Superhost. Which is why I think its across the board, it may be the introduction of the new status has caused problems but the issues are not Superhost specific.
Also, I'm based in Shoreditch / Hoxton so the idea that the new Airbnb offices lean to bookings geographically is not correct, I think.
Two guests have commented that they had huge issues recently trying to complete booking process, both reported that at the point of entering their 3 digit card security code the whole thing stopped working - they were both using the app. One said he almost abandoned the whole thing. I reported all this to Airbnb.
Hope all this is sorted very soon as xmas is coming and we all have new party frocks to buy!!! More seriously, I have been unwell for a while / not working - Airbnb has been an absolute Godsend ….
Reply Like 2 replies•1 like
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Welcome to the party, John
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello John, actually I also have had a couple recently complaining about being able to complete their offline ID. They persisted as they had no choice. This seems to mirror the article in yesterday's Guardian in the Money section about bias against older people with not enough Facebook friends. Also a friend of mine when looking where to book told me that they decided against Airbnb because she felt Airbnb places were advertised on other sites, and then linked to Airbnb, something she didn't like and felt was against the Airbnb ethos.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Looking forward to seeing those frocks on the 30th!
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
John, what's happened in your case is due to a different set of circumstances altogether. Newbies are given an artificial boost in the search rankings for a limited period of time. This is why you'll see listings with no reviews often ranking many pages higher in the searches than listings with 100+ 5 star reviews. However, when that comes to an end, Newbies routinely report a sharp decline in bookings/inquiries, so maybe don't splurge on the party frocks just yet! :-) As for narrowly missing out Superhost status - I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are many fantastic hosts in this Group - and others - who have hosted vast numbers of happy and satisfied Airbnb guests over several years who missed out on it too. That alone negates the worth and credibility of the whole Superhost programme for me. It's not a badge I feel any pride in when my fellow grafters have been snubbed!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Susan, I'd be reluctant to discount John's experience just yet. The post-newbie slump you describe certainly didn't happen to me - the opposite if anything. And given that Airbnb themselves say that demand well outstrips supply in London, the loss of newbie status should be less impactful than in other markets. It also seems a bit of a coincidence that his slump happened at the same time as many of the rest of us. Let's keep an open mind on it for the mo.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Hi Enda and Andrew, no I'm certainly not discounting John's experience at all, just saying that his particular set of circumstances seem to fit in exactly with what's been experiences frequently reported by newer hosts on the groups - an initial stage of being incredibly busy, followed by a slump. Glad to hear you didn't suffer that fate then but I empathise with everyone here who has found themselves facing a sudden wipeout of bookings/enquiries, through no fault of their own. A lot of hosts in this Group though have experienced these inexplicable slumps on more than one occasion, and for some, it can be disastrous. Whatever the actual reason for anyone's sudden decline, it's extremely difficult to keep an open mind when there IS no valid or logical reason on earth why your thriving listing suddenly bombs overnight. Any of the suggestions made so far would perhaps explain a gradual decline in bookings but NOT sudden death..
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Just to be clear, my reference to keeping an open mind was based on your previously saying that the curse of the Superhost was the issue. It seems not to be that clear cut. But yes, it's a pisser whatever the reason!
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I absolutely agree that it's not that clear cut and hosts are experiencing slumps for a variety of different reasons - and it's equally a pisser for every single one. As regards the 'curse of the superhost' - I do admit that a life misspent in the casinos and at the poker tables may have rendered me a tad on the superstitious side! :-) However, it also taught me to go by my instincts, and combined with the facts, I remain convinced that Superhost status has been less than kind to many of us! :-)
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Susan, Thanks for your kind words and hope things turn around for you very soon.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
You're very welcome Cryn! And thank you, too :-)
nicky
nicky2 years ago
I wonder if this is happening to hosts in other countries too at the moment. The powers that be at airbnb MUST surely know why this is happening. I've gone from extremely busy for a whole year to nothing, zilch. I can only assume that potential visitors can't see my page at all. I hope this will be brought up and discussed and sorted out in SF. Something clearly has gone badly wrong and I think we all need an explanation/apology. Sorry, I'm feeling annoyed.
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Robert
Robert 2 years ago
I have over 70 reviews booked every day more or less usually and now the worst month in the year
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Martin
Martin2 years ago
In my experience, one of the aspects that the Airbnb system likes is for hosts to 'tweak' their listings every now and then. I do this every now and then but certainly once a month.
Try changing some of the description, add in some contemporary references to events, make the listing more interactive. Why not change you own photo ID? I recently added a paragraph with an offer for this year's charges for the Rugby Union World Cup next summer. It takes place at a number of venues around the country, not just Twickenham. And it attracts a world wide audience - maybe Airbnb should be advertising in all the countries whose teams are taking part! No takers so far but you never know.
Why not email all your past guest with a special offer for them and their friends? Send them all an ecard for Christmas. Pro-active marketing of your product is essential because there are a lot of competitors out there, who would like to steal your business or at least cut you out. Free advice if you want it!
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Mentionned the rugby a while ago - no takers.
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Can impoint you to the posts on New Hosts, 911, Product Updates and Improvements(!?) and The Scottish Community where ther are grave concerns about Facebook now being a required verification. I have raised it with our Community Manager and am waiting for a reply. It seems a lot of bookings are falling over/off because of this.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Here is the link to the Guardian article about Airbnb and Facebook for those of you that haven't seen it. It is worrying indeed. Similar situation as described with my guests. www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2014/nov/14/airbnb-wont-let-book-room-facebook-friends
Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
I have been trying to figure out what is happening to london bookings. I noticed that if you search in google for 'rooms New York, rooms rome, rooms Dublin, rooms Berlin etc' Airbnb is the first to appear. If you search rooms london or anywhere in the uk, Airbnb is no where to be seen. This could be a pretty big contributing factor as to why the bookings have nose dived.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
This is interesting. It was mentioned before that Airbnb stopped advertising London as a destination. If there are not enough hosts, it makes sense (from Airbnb's perspective) not to promote a destination if a lot of visitors to the site will be disappointed with the selection (and possibly not return to try again). So what we may be seeing is the result of that strategy: reducing demand until the supply is higher. Hence the Host Outreach Programme: the more good quality hosts are available, the more likely visitors to the site will find what they need. So, get recruiting everyone!
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
No way. There are 23000 hosts in London and 35000 in the UK. Sipplycabd demand us there - its not being advertised on Google at the moment and I'm not sure if Airbnb were aware of this before I rang them.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I find that hard to believe from seeing so many 5* hosts who aren't getting enquirues/bookings.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
As for advertising this is something I bought up as a topic last November. If Airbnb aren't aware of it then every London host should not be basing any business model with airbnb.
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
You are right - nothing showing in Edinburgh and if yiu narrow the search to my postcode there is only 1 showing and it's not mine!
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hlo Enda and Andrew. Doesn't make sense. Masses of Airbnb in London and many super hosts. So that cannot be the reason. London is a huge destination, not to be overlooked.
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Robert
Robert 2 years ago
Definitely some kind of fault my mum does airbnb as well and has around 70 reviews as well her flat getting 2000 views a month and mine dropped to 200 views doesn't make sense at all, I think some flats have been hit by an algorithm shift but how long till repair I don't know but hopefully soon as it isn't a gradual loss in demand but gone off a cliff
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Indeed and Barbara may well be right and not on Google. Bad timing with the Airbnb Open!
Enda
Enda2 years ago
That's a very certain 'no way' there, Barbara!
Let me explain my theory (and it's just a theory, no more than anyone else's - unless some of you are sneaky Airbnb marketing folk or techies controlling the dreaded algorithm!)
While 23,000 listings may seem like a large number, it does not compare well with the *proportions* in other cities. New York and London, for example, have comparable populations but New York has far more listings. Paris has proportionally more too. Airbnb have told me explicitly that supply is *not* there, hence the Host Outreach Programme. So it seems reasonable to say that supply is not meeting demand - because Airbnb have said so.
It makes sense to me to stop advertising London (I don't know about the rest of the UK) until they have the numbers of quality hosts that they believe can satisfactorily meet demand.
Just as people believe that loads of new hosts have come onboard, there is a far greater number of guests coming online to check out this Airbnb phenomenon. London is one of the world's most popular destinations with about 120,000 hotel rooms alone. From Airbnb's perspective, is is better to keep the hosts happy by increasing demand even more by maintaining an advertising spend on London? Or is it better to stop stimulating demand by reducing advertising, reduce the chances of guests being disappointed with the brand? (Disappointed because they can't find a reasonable price or worse have a bad experience with one of the less conscientious hosts who finds that he/she doesn't have to try too hard to get business because demand is high?)
Again, just a theory, but it doesn't seem completely out of the realms of possibility - unfortunately...
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, Just curious. Tried to find the Airbnb blog which has marketing tips that Chip referred to. Given that you are in the Host Outreach Programme, can you email us a link in this group? It would be good to see what Airbnb suggests that we should/ could do.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Dieneke, I don't know that particular blog, but all of Chip's pieces are in his blog which is chipconley.com/blog/ (And if that is 'website hidden' Google Chip Conley Blog!)
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, I did get the link, but couldn't log in. Maybe because it is https? How do you get in there? via Airbnb login? I googled it and got the same address but still couldn't log in.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Not sure what you mean by logging in there, Dieneke. It's a public, normal website. Are you having problems accessing any other sites?
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Enda & Andrew, I managed to get in, but the link has changed to chipconley.com so the s has been dropped, so accessible for all. Thanks for that.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I find it utterly astounding that Airbnb are claiming that demand outstrips supply in London, and not just based on the incontrovertible evidence of so many very experienced and professional 5* hosts here who are struggling to fill their rooms/apartments. As a fairly frequent visitor to London, I search the listings quite regularly and I can assure you, there is NEVER a shortage of quality accommodation to be found - even at the last minute, even in peak periods, even at reasonable prices. In fact, the very opposite is true.
Interestingly, I saw a place I really loved when I was doing a London search a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't ready to book at that time. When I searched again last night using exactly the same parameters, the listing wasn't showing up at all. I assumed it must have been booked already but remembered that I'd saved it to my Wishlist, so checked the listing's calendar on there only to find that it IS available for my dates. I emailed the owner and he immediately confirmed availability, but was understandably rather pissed off to hear his property has somehow disappeared from relevant searches.
So regardless of where Airbnb may or may not be advertising, or how much you're working your own marketing strategy/tweaking your listing - all that ain't much use to you if the guests can't even find you when they DO use the bloody website!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Well, that's what Gabrielle at Airbnb London told me when she invited me to join the Host Outreach Programme. *shrugs shoulders*
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Susan - that is the what the situation was earlier in the year for me - simply not there in the listings. Over and over again.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I remember that clearly, Cryn - you and I have suffered this fate many times before!! And still it keeps happening. For sure, the marketing and advertising issues mentioned could be a factor in a gradual decline, but we both know the patterns by now and when your previously healthy bookings/inquiries die a death overnight, it means only one thing - you're not coming up in searches.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
The situation gets more and more perplexing. I wrote to Airbnb and they basically they told me that its a complex process that takes into account many factors, etc etc. Not our fault sort of attitude. Then they told me we should do our own marketing by tweaking account and promoting via Facebook etc etc. OK, all very well, but then who gets the commission for SELF MARKETING at the end of the day??!!! If Airbnb are not promoting, there are plenty of other sites that do. I think Airbnb should be sent this whole discussion so they can realise how strongly we feel. Anyone know how to do that?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Yes will ema one of the big ones. It is really ridiculous!
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
What's the point, vote with your feet.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Coincidentally, I've got a photoshoot scheduled with the Competitor Beginning with W this very week!
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
This is the best way airbnb will take note. Get advertising and serve the customer (ie the host bc we pay them also) or we go elsewhere. Which exacerbates this whole low stock issue. Its a chicken and egg situation for airbnb and if they don't get their priorities right then market forces will apply.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Exactly, Ahman. Rather than rolling out their super-duper initiatives to recruit an army of newbies - with no guarantees whatsoever that they'll turn out to be 'quality' anyway - Airbnb really need to concentrate instead on doing whatever it takes to stem the mass exodus of the tried-and-tested, hard-working, previously loyal 5* hosts who have been the bedrock of their success so far. Retention - not recruitment - should be their immediate priority.
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
I think we first need to know from the horse's mouth what is going on.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Agreed. I've emailed Emma again too. Let's see if there's a response.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Its hard to know what the horse has to say when the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Reply from Chip Conley
I've copied Laura Hughes, my colleague in Hospitality, since we received a similar email from a host in Scotland earlier today and we're checking in with our online marketing team to see if there's a problem that's specific to the UK as I promise you there's been no change in our plans for our we market the Airbnb site. While it does help to do your own marketing and there have been blog posts (I can send you one if that would be helpful) that outline marketing things to do in the off-season, you have my promise that we want to market you as much during the off-season as during peak season.
I've also copied Emma, your Community Manager, who is here for the Open as I want to make sure she's in the loop on what we're hearing from UK hosts.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Thanks Dieneke
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Pleasure. it is better to get the actual story from them. Ende, Emma has been copied into Chip's reply. She is in San Francisco as well.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Well done all. Things might start moving in the right direction. Let's see.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
I also got a message from Emma; they are discussing this in San Francisco and hope to come back to us with a 'well informed response'. Fair enough.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Progress. Good they are all there in San Francisco, will speed things up considerably
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Great news and, guess what?!!!! I've just had an enquiry - the first for weeks!
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I'm having breakfast lunch dinner and drinks in San Francisco with all these people for three days from tomorrow. There will be lots of ear bending although the focus is on high quality hosting. I'm also of course meeting hundreds of other hosts.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hi Peter, sounds all good. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of what is going on with no bookings. Enjoy whilst you can.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Have a great time Peter and I am sure you will pass on all out concerns. We look forward to hearing about it at the host meeting.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Thank you all for this interesting and not very optimistic discussion. Let us hope Airbnb will provode a "real response.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Well, here's the official response....
"Ok so first of all, I'm sorry to hear that you are seeing a drop in bookings but I wanted to let you know that this is very common during low season. It is not specific to the UK but is a seasonal trend throughout the travel industry. Last year we heard several similar concerns from our hosts globally and subsequently wrote a blog post with some advice on how to improve your bookings.
You may also find this article helpful: www.airbnb.com/help/article/431
I can assure you that being awarded a Superhost does not impact you negatively in our search algorithms, it is in fact not included as one of the search terms. Our Superhosts are the top hosts on our platform so we want to support them as much as possible, not hide them in our search results.
Naturally doing your own marketing helps, but we are as dedicated to continuing to market you as much during the off-season as we do during peak season.
Please feel free to come back to me with any questions or thoughts. I look forward to seeing you on my return."
Questions and thoughts....?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, In my case that doesn't make sense as I don't depend on tourists alone but also people visiting family and friends. So although last year it was slightly quieter in November it didn't drop as suddenly as this year. If it is true that the UK is not appearing in Google as before, maybe that is something we could ask to get clarified? I am still puzzled about the loose ends. Haven't looked at the article as yet
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Just to add, having looked at the article, when you try to click on optimising outside of season, nothing appears, so they must be putting this up as we speak. Following what the article says, I have done all of that. It was only then when that didn't work that I checked in the groups what others were saying
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I spotted that dead link too, Dieneke.
Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
Interesting, thanks for chasing this up. Up until this afternoon 'rooms london' google search was still not generating any Airbnb links as it was for other cities. So that isn't normal. Also I think we all saw it wasn't a steady decline it was a sudden drop so I find it difficult to believe that is purely seasonality. I have spoken to hosts in other cities who haven't experienced problems such as we seem to of in a London. I really hope that it starts to pick up again.
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Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Very timeous that the Airbnb Newsletter is advocating and showing how to embed our listings in other web sites! I think this proves that Airbnb are abdicating responsibility for promoting their Hosts.
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Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
I agree with Victoria and thank you Enda and Andrew for your feedback. Airbnb’s response is run of the mill not really addressing the issue.
There is an unusual problem this year with a sudden drop in requests for November. Unfortunately I don’t think it is solely a problem with Airbnb .
1. I am not a Superhost and I have listings on Holiday Lettings and VRBO, same situation.
2. I have had feedback from another lady who has 5 flats and she has never seen such a bad November and December are also affected.
I would still keep talking to Airbnb and perhaps Peter might be able to shed some lights.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Gosh Isabelle, what you're saying seems to support what Airbnb have said. If the other sites have had a similar drop off, then it's not just Airbnb, no?
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I've responded:
Hi Emma,
Thanks for that response.
I appreciate that seasonality no doubt feeds into the experience, but it seems that such a situation would result in a more gradual drop in hits and enquiries.
However, many in the group, including myself, have reported very dramatic drops starting a few weeks ago. These drops don't seem organic or to align with previously experienced patterns.
The concern is that the suddenness must indicate something that has changed on Airbnb's side. It could be a change to the algorithm in some way, a glitch of some sort or something else.
I'm grateful for your response but it doesn't seem to take into account many of the experiences being reported by hosts in the forum.
Given that a common experience is this sudden and dramatic fall in hits all occurring around the same time, is there something that we and Airbnb are missing? It would be a shame to discover weeks down the line that there was a technical fault of some sort that hadn't been spotted.
Can you have another look?
Kind regards,
Enda
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
Excellent response, Enda - thank you.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Well done Enda. Beautifully put.
nicky
nicky2 years ago
Thank you Edna & Andrew, what a very disappointing and frankly nonsense reply they gave you. Do they not give a damn ? I don't think London is seasonal at all. I had a request from someone the other day who wanted to stay for 5 days over Christmas, We chatted, she knew my area very well etc, I was very pleased and accepted her and then ..........nothing. It's totally abnormal what's going on. Airbnb are losing thousands and thousands through our not getting guests at the moment. Don't they care ? They must surely scrutinise these boards so I'm sure they know what's going on even if they don't know why.
Your reply Edna is very good. Thank you.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Happened to me, too. Initial enquiries, loved the place etc etc, and then nothing. Not even a sorry the guest booked elsewhere which I haven't seen for ages.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Corporate speak garbage! Basically the same reply I got. We have never have a seasonal deficiency. This is LONDON for goodness sake. Totally disillusioned now.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
Airbnb really need to stop treating us like total morons who haven't got a clue what we're doing. Most of us here are very experienced and professional hosts who have worked our arses off and earned our stripes (and stars) the hard way. Between us, we've hosted thousands of very happy and satisfied Airbnb guests. We KNOW our own businesses, we KNOW our own markets, we KNOW our own patterns, we KNOW our own marketing techniques and most of all, we KNOW when something's been royally screwed up.
If 'seasonal trends' really are to blame, how on earth were so many of us booked solid for Sept, Oct (and even November for those whose guests book further ahead), yet we've all suddenly died a death at exactly the same time, with even Xmas and New Year/Hogmanay bookings nowhere to be seen for many. The major UK and Irish destinations are all bursting at the seams from late November and right through December, not only with tourists but with our own people flocking to the cities for Christmas shopping trips, parties and get-togethers. Accept some responsibility for once Airbnb, sort this mess out and stop trying to pawn us off with the usual insulting, patronising 'It's not our fault, it's yours' BS.
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Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Here here Susan. I feel as if they don't care at the moment - but isn't it ironic that we all start seeing the problems just before the Open?
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Barbara, the problems didn't just start before the open. Hosts have been feeling this prob LONG before the open and back in November last year. It just didn't hit some. The the problem here, when other are hit it doesn't worry those that it hasn't hit. As long as airbnb is making money overall they won't care. Like any portfolio, there are some things that make money and other that don't. Milk doesn't make supermarkets much money but it draws the punter in, as long as money is being made airbnb don't need to care. Even in their "official" responses they're saying do more yourself. I've found that in 4yrs of hosting not 1 company will be consistent in bringing in the bookings. 1yr it'll be airbnb, another wimdu then another HouseTrip. Each host needs to stay ahead and try different companies, the competition is getting good now. Easy property Stelio's brainchild is looking to break into the short term holiday Lettings like airbnb.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Good advice, Ahman. No harm at all to have the listing on multiple sites. My preference is Airbnb for the overall functionality and trust side, but there's no need to be monogamous, as it were
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Thanks Ahman - you are so often the voice of reason - and right. Just surprised that Airbnb are not communicating truthfully or with care. That is, after all, their ethos.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Airbnb like any business is in business to make money. Their "travel" like a local was an excellent marketing campaign and as timing had it (credit crunch) the sharing economy was born. If every business communicated truthfully or with care they'd be spending unnecessary revenue (god forbid! I hiss with shock and horror). I think airbnb have enough airbnbelivers to deliver their message. Its down to us hosts to get our own house in order. Hosting isn't going to die or go out of fashion, its been going on since the beginning of time and will exist with or without Airbnb. No one likes change (I sure don't) but what could it hurt to sign up with a few more companies. We have everything to gain and nothing to loose. And if one should bring in more guests than airbnb will you loose sleep over that? I'm sure no one in airbnb is looking sleep over us hosts in sunny (I josh of couse) London
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Deborah
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91062
Superhost

Is anyone having problems after being awarded so called Superhost status? Since our "promotion" we've had hardly any enquiries or bookings. This is unusual for us even at this time of year. Can the Superhost status negatively affect our visibility. We've not had any correspondence at all from Airbnb either, including the meet up on November 30th which I've just noticed here. Airbnb doesn't offer a contact phone number any more either, even for an emergency. Can anyone throw any light on this for us.
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Enda
Enda
Enda2 years ago
That's interesting, Diane. My search hits have fallen off a cliff in the last few weeks - around that Superhost time too! I went from 160+ hits a day to barely 10. I've still had enquiries, messages and bookings, and I don't think I've missed any other correspondence.
I was beginning to think that some glitch had happened. Anyone else noticed this?
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I am gobsmacked at the almost total dearth of enquiries. November is going to be my worst month this year. It feels as if I have been delisted. I have nothing booked for the next three days (and I am someone who has been 100% booked until today). I have no idea what is happening.
I've organised the meetup by the way on Nov 30, so that is just down to me posting something on this Group.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Actually, Peter, I have noticed the original invite in my post after seeing Zazas note about when invite was sent, so I must've missed it.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi Peter, I missed the invite and thank you for organising this. Is the meetup closed at this stage or still open? If socCould I kindly ask you to post again the venue address. So great of you to organise this! Isabelle
Peter
Peter2 years ago
Yes, Isabelle. It is still open. It's from 6 till 10 on 30 November in the Clock Tower of St Pancras (you get in 10m to the right of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel). Most people bring something modest to share. I have a guest booking for a late lunch party from about 1 to 530 so it'll be a quick turnround for me. It's partly a chance for some of us who go to San Francisco to bring back some stories from the Airbnb Open.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Thanks Peter. I could bring some home made chocolate peanut butters squares. Great location. Isabelle
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ok, I think we may have spotted either a glitch or a kinda clunky attempt to tweak the algorithm to put Superhosts on hold while others in London get more of a chance.
Has anyone who is not a Superhost experienced a drop in enquiries/hits?
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Penny
Penny2 years ago
I am also suffering a death of enquiries. While I don't wish that on anyone, it's nice to know I'm not alone!
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Penny
Penny2 years ago
Dearth, even, although death could be just as appropriate!!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ok, I actually laughed out loud at that!

Diane
Diane2 years ago
Me too!
Penny
Penny2 years ago
Actually I've just had a 'booking' for one night this weekend. Potential guest is from the Netherlands, apparently, has his or her name in Chinese/Korean/Japanese and nothing else, although is verified with passport etc. So I've sent a message saying that I'm afraid I can't accept a booking without knowing who they are. Hopefully they'll get back to me before my 24 hours runs out, otherwise I'll just have to decline the booking.
I have had two or three one-night bookings over the last couple of months, but that's it. Very odd. Even this time last year we had a few weekends in the diary.
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Debbie
Debbie2 years ago
Having just read this, this seems to have happened to me too. Not sure if a coincidence, but if super host is effecting our viability, we should bring it up with Airbnb. Is there a London 'leader' who can do this up on the behalf of the Super hosts', or do you think the powers that be keep an eye on these postings?
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Debbie
Debbie2 years ago
visibility not viability!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I don't think its just super hosts that are suffering. I'm not one and am suffering also. Had a load of enquiries for new years eve.
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Jude
Jude2 years ago
I'm not a superhost using airbnb standards (although I know I'm a superhost tee hee) and am as quiet as anything having usually a regular trickle of bookings. Ho hum. Think there are many more hosts now. Although I had put my price up by £5! Could that fiver have made all the difference?
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I don't think anything matters if airbnb aren't advertising. I've long suspected this since the paper ad campaign. Quite a few hosts have noticed this around the world.
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Lylia
Lylia2 years ago
When I got superhost title 1 or several months ago, I thought: wah, great! Then I don't know if it is an coincidence, anyway, enquiries and booking requests dropped down so much. Sometimes just one or two enquiries per week, some times none for a week. In May i got 2 booking requests, 2 in June as well, 3 bookings in May, 3 in July, 4 in August, 5 in Sep, 5 in Oct. I don't know the reason, maybe this year is general quieter? or more hosts in London? or superhost "blue"....
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tanja
tanja2 years ago
I'm not a superhost but I also have hardly any enquiries for November and had a significant drop lately in general. November has always been a very very bad month. Not looking forward to January, either :-(
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Myriam- Gabrielle
Myriam- Gabrielle2 years ago
Same here. October has been a very good month but November is terrible. Not sure it has anything to do with the 'Superhost status'...
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Sept, Oct and Nov were the busiest I'd ever been last year for all years since hosting. There's 1 thing I know after 4yrs of hosting. What you think is normal doesn't exist. No year has been consistent. My summer season this year taught me that, enquiries dropped off over night and what I had gotten used to being busy season fell off a cliff.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I've been monitoring the number of 'completed trips', and the % of 5 star reviews.
They do not tally - even to the extent that yesterday I had had 55 completed trips (this year) and today I only have 54. How can that be?

It does put into question all the stats Airbnb seem so fond of.
Also - does anyone know if it is possible to leave a review without highlighting any stars? Airbnb wording is ambiguous on that score - but seems to suggest that it is possible - which might be why some great hosts are not officially superhosts. The rating is for 5 stars left by guests who have left reviews, so if they leave a review but fail to click on 5 stars - or even 3 or 4 stars, it comes out as 0stars for that booking.
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
Well, I spoke too soon maybe. I actually got an IB this evening after reducing my rates by a third. The guests are turning up at 7 tonight. But it's still very sluggish. I suspect that hotels are in their autumn discounting phase and we may be suffering as people don't turn to us as a less expensive option.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
You've reduced rates by a third? Hell, I'm gonna book you!

Diane
Diane2 years ago
Wow, I've always wanted to stay at the Clock Tower. I might join you..
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Watch out, Peter.

Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
Room for a small one? I'm there!
Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
All gone very quiet over here too. The curse of Superhost?
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Tessa
Tessa2 years ago
I am not sure that is is SH curse. have been one for years. However I am getting no bookings yet for next year which is a surprise. I am N/A till mid jan as I am having renovation work done. 10th week and still not a completed kitchen. Am going spare.
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Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
And as if by magic, two bookings within the last 30 minutes!
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I think the sense we are all getting here is that it is not something poisonous about being a superhost, just that November is a slacker period than normal, particularly when most of us are new kids on the block anyway. Let's see how the bookings for next spring and summer come along. And if there is anything wrong with the superhost status, I'll be losing it anyway on 1 January because I was naughty enough to be the cause of cancelling on a guest!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Tsk tsk!
Martin
Martin2 years ago
Surely the market will have dried up because most travellers will have made their November and December bookings by now. I am full until mid January bar one week and enquiries are beginning to trickle in for April, May and June, which I see as the start of the summer trade enquiries. Also, remember that the dollar and euro are stronger at the moment - or the £ is weaker. I do not think it has anything to do with SH, my pattern of enquiries is pretty mush 'business as usual'.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Agreed, it doesn't seem to be limited to 'superhosts'. However, it seems curious that so many of us are experiencing similar, uncharacteristic, drops.
I've sent an email to Gabrielle, who oversees the Host Outreach Programme for London, to see if she's aware of any reason on Airbnb's side for the apparently sudden change for so many of us. My rationale here is if there's a drop in demand, there's not much justification for recruiting more hosts.
I'll report back with any learnings...
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Update: Emma, the community manager, is looking into it....
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Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
I have spoken to Airbnb after noticing this drop 3 weeks or so ago and they have been saying that everything is normal. I'm glad to find this thread and see I'm not alone. It doesn't seem like Airbnb are doing much online marketing at the moment. I used to get the ads popping up every where and now nothing.
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void
void2 years ago
Make a few tweaks to your listing - even if it's just ticking the box to say you've got a carbon monoxide detector (they recently sent me one). Word is, so I've researched somewhere, it keeps your listing bouncing around in the big computer in the sky...
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
I've also been in touch with CX about my post-superhost page view stats. Initially, they increased wildly, a couple of days over 1,000 per day (no wild increase in bookings though).
Then, they suddenly flatlined and one week it was only 89 views for a whole week. It's week three of the flatlining and they've only just started to creep up to normal pre-superhost levels.
CX says it's because I'm booked for most of Nov/Dec, but I know it's not that because my guests tend to book 3 months ahead, and also the wild increase came just after a flurry of bookings, i.e. when there was *less* future availability.
I agree with Janey, it does seem to help to tweak the listing.
And raising prices seems to work almost as well as reducing them.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Thanks Enda and Andrew for getting on to it and everyone else for commenting. It's good to know we are not being singled out, and sorry that we are not getting bookings. Seems crazy as London is absolutely packed full! I'll keep a watch over things and try a bit of tweaking, too. Look forward to meeting you all on the 30th!
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Tessa
Tessa2 years ago
I had forgot to tweak what with having no kitchen... But I do know that Airbnb say that the average guest books 6 weeks ahead. I inquired at the beginning of this year as I had so few bookings - another time when we all got worried.. I am also used to bookings 3 months ahead. London is heaving with people. We now have 23,000 hosts in London alone and 35,000 in the UK.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I seem to be bucking the trend - earlier this year I was desperate for bookings - virtually nothing in May, June, July - and then since the end of August it's been almost solid - and lot of these have been last minute, or at least last day or two bookings.
Congratulations to those who manages to get through to various powers that be - I never seem to manage that. It's as if all emails fall into a great big black hole.
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
Cryn, I found this area of CX the other day (can't remember how). airbnb.zendesk.com/home If you click to view 'current requests' then on the right there is a button to see closed requests. I discovered that one of my unanswered emails had been assigned/closed the same day it was sent, without ever contacting me. You might discover what has happened to your emails. You can revive 'closed' requests, too.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Delighted to hear that things have turned around for you Cryn! I know it was tough for you earlier this year and so glad you're back on track again. Long may it continue ;-)
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I've been updating and tweaking and promoting myself on social media and all the stuff that supposedly helps the listing be more visible. The result over these last few weeks? A blistering 4-6 hits per day! And like Tara has said, this just doesn't chime with previous booking patterns.
Something like this happened to me before (zero hits for several days) but it was an error and they 'rebooted' me.
Surely it can't be that there are too many people listing now? Paris has almost twice as many and airbnb have said that host numbers don't meet the demand. (I'm part of their host outreach pilot programme).
The suddenness of this for so many of us suggests perhaps an algorithm tweak of some sort.
Or else everyone has abandoned us for Cryn!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I've always said that its nothing to do with competition. I say this because I'm in zone 3 in the armpit of East London and when airbnb are advertising there's enough for everyone. It does swing in roundabouts but in general there's enough demand to service everyone's needs.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Ha! Armpit is such an *evocative* word! Maybe I'll think of our location as the clavicle of East London.

Susan
Susan2 years ago
Hi, Enda & Andrew...so what's the Host Outreach Programme, please?
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Susan, Its an incentivised scheme where existing hosts 'recruit' new hosts and offer support for a period of time. It's an experiment to see if they can improve the number and quality of listings in London.
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
HEY - not so much of the armpit please!!! I'm in East London and proud of it.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I knew you'd see that Cryn

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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I heard it being used recently on a vampire programme. Whilst I was writing it I was thinking was that ones persons armpit is another persons bosom. East London to me will never be an armpit and will always be a bosom. But for the sake of humour (I'm known for my cheekiness). Where would we be if we didn't have a little humour in our lives

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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
And I was born and raised in the West of London. Couldn't wait to leave! Via various other places i have now been in E13 now for 32 years. Oh bosoms are good!
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow as the song goes! Ah, I've beat you by 7 years (there's yet another joke and some irony thrown into the mix)

Maggie
Maggie2 years ago
I have been awarded Super Host status and unlike most of you guys, I've been busier than last November. I don't think this has anything to do with the status, more that I was new to Airbnb last October so was just starting out. I expected to go really quiet from October but this has proven not to be the case. I get quite a few late bookings. So to answer your question, I have not noticed a fall in bookings.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
I'm 100% convinced that the introduction of the Superhost status somehow screwed things up for us. Almost as soon as it was brought in, my inquiries/bookings completely dried up. As guests book a couple of months ahead with me too, I wasn't really affected for November as I was already booked up, but just when I usually would have been starting to book up for December - deathly silence. Not a sausage. December is always by far the busiest month for me, so it's too much of a coincidence that bookings/inquiries for BOTH my properties just ground to a complete halt as soon as I became a Superhost. In my case, it can't be blamed on increased competition either - I'm somewhat of a niche market in that there really aren't too many properties in Dublin that can cater for large groups like I can.
Things have picked up again in the last week or so, but way too late for me as the inquiries I'm receiving now are for Jan/Feb and beyond, and both houses remain practically empty for the whole of December. Barring a miracle, I'm going to make a huge loss next month, when it should have been by far my most profitable month of the year, which helps offset the quieter periods. Gutted. So this weekend is going to be spent signing up with every other rental website I can find out there. Should've taken my good friend Ahman's advice long ago, and spread my risks over several platforms! Yet again, Airbnb have proven themselves to be just too unreliable.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
My bookings also come on average two months ahead and ŵe are suffering the same fate as yourself. With big losses. Your friend is absolutely right, and I am about enlisting help from all other websites. I think Airbnb have shot themselves in the foot this time.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
No, airbnb shot themselves in the foot at least a year ago. Hosts have been suffering since the launch of the ap way back in Nov. Its just that its caught up to the rest of us now. Remember when hosts were saying things had gone wrong last Nov. I knew it was only a matter how of time it would hit everyone else at some point and it has. Like I said before, what successful company who's worth 10b has to rebrand?
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
There's no sure thing and no 1 company can offer 100% full occupancy. Hotels can't even achieve that. I'm a realist at the end of the day, I sought alternatives as soon as my enquiries started dying off at the end of June when busy season was due to commence. I'm so glad I did now. I still prefer Airbnb website because it's so user friendly. Susan is of the belief that airbnb will not be able to claw its way back but me I'd like to be an optimist. Juries out. I'll host as long as I'm able to continue o get bookings, nothings changed. The competition has come a long way from 4yrs ago
void
void2 years ago
Yes it's funny, I'm getting quite a lot of enquiries but of the abrupt questioning sort without introduction. And 80 percent of these are not converting and those that do are asking me to wait whilst they ponder on my refusal of a discount and try to find ways of funding.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
It swings in roundabouts. I get loads of enquiries and non convert. Then there's NADA and a sprinkle of clicks and I get a lovely enquiry x2 all in 1 day and they book. No muckig about all very polite, they book/arrive/leave and were lovely and then it all starts up again! Sigh....
Fatima ;-)
Fatima ;-)2 years ago
I'm not a super host and unlikely ever to be one, for me November has been very good compared to previous years. I have always been on multiple platforms as I don't think it's wise to rely on any one site for all bookings. Let's hope the rest of the year remains busy for us all.
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tanja
tanja2 years ago
I agree with you, Fatima. I think we all rely too much on Airbnb. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Every time I have a huge issue with them (and it happens often) I say to myself I will put more effort into other websites as well. I am listed on 3 but I do put less effort in others, purely because of laziness. Thanks for reminding me again :-)
Susan
Susan2 years ago
+1!
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi everyone, very interesting and reassuring your comments about November bookings.
I am not a superhost member and what is puzzling me is that I have 2 flats dedicated to holiday lets on top of each other in Chelsea. Both decorated with 19 French furniture, recently painted with new bathroom and new kitchens. I also provide a welcome pack (bread butter..) + a dedicated eccentric 75 year old “flat manager” who lives locally to welcome ( anytime and night and day, he likes to get out of the house) the guests.
Yet I don’t have a superhost and November has been a real disaster and only one booking for December. It might not be entirely an in Airbnb glitch because I have had a very negative feedback from another person with 5 flats doing the same thing and she says that November is disastrous. She has never seen something so bad.
But when I look back I have not been very fruitful with Airbnb. I have had better scores with Holiday letting.co.uk and VRBO.com.
I only have 3 bookings per year for each flat and one of them has fallen to one.
Is promoting on social media very effective? If so could someone kindly indicate how to go about it because I have a Facebook page that generated only 1 inquiry.
Thank you
Isabelle
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
Isabelle, I think your places are attractive and competitively priced and I'm really surprised you are not doing well on Airbnb. My only thoughts are that the lack of transport links in that particular area may be a factor. Also, perhaps the decor. The painting on the wall in Flat2 is quite scary, and maybe Airbnb guests prefer less of the 'brown furniture' look, I don't know...I really like antiques myself!
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Actually Diane it is embarrassing because I only have 3 bookings per flat per year! Isabelle
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Maria
Maria2 years ago
I have always experienced a drop in bookings from the second half of November till first half of December. And the bookings and enquiries have dried up for almost 2 weeks.
I also noticed that the Airbnb app has been a little funny and could not access it for 3 days once I updated to the new IOS.
I am not a superhost and never been...

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Diane
Diane2 years ago
I've never got on with the App and found it a waste of time, so don't use it at all. Until now, I've never had a drop at this time of year, so I must've been lucky and didn't know it.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
thanks Marie,
Sadly reassuring!
Isabelle
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
I hear what you're saying, Maria but this is anything BUT normal for Dublin - this city is buzzing in December, and I was booked solid in previous Decembers.
I did feel from day one that the 'Superhost' label was going to turn out to be more a curse than a blessing, because Airbnb were promoting Superhosts as being the type of people who'd crawl through broken glass on the whim of our beloved guests, and were actively (and purposely) raising guest expectations to stratospheric levels. Plus I felt that some guests would become far more critical in their reviews of every tiny little thing they deemed to be not up to scratch for whatever their conception of a 'Superhost' is. What I didn't expect though, was to be almost wiped out of the game altogether as soon as I got that bloody badge! However, I've got to take a big part of the blame here too because like Tanja, I've had many major issues with Airbnb in the past 18 months (none anywhere near as serious or detrimental as this, though), but because I was still doing reasonably ok, was just too lazy to spread my wings. Lesson learned!
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Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
I was wondering, is it possible to ask Airbnb - as a solution - to be taken off the Superhost label?
Isabelle
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I bet you the "algorithms" would still treat you as if you were a superhost anyway!
Susan
Susan2 years ago
That's exactly what I was thinking too - otherwise I'd have already happily told them what they can do with their Superhost badge!
Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
Even with those pointy edges, Susan? :-)
Maria
Maria2 years ago
Hi Susan,
I think that the explosion of so many new hosts is something that has affected us, the veterans.
I don't bother about this superhost thing. It is really a joke as proportionally I have hosted much more guests than a lot of the hosts who are superhosts.
I think that having the Airbnb offices in fashionable Shoreditch, East London, has also changed the geographical attention of the apps to such areas in the vast Central London area.
Then, if the apps are not working for us, then they won't work for the guests either... and that is worrying as many people try to book from their mobiles and ipads.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
At this point, I'd nearly cancel a booking just to get rid of the Superhost thing, Maria - that's if I had any bookings to cancel! ;-) In my case though, there really aren't too many recent new listings in Dublin in the category that would be competition for me (ie can accommodate larger groups). If it was a gradual decline, then I'd be frantically re-evaluating what I might be doing wrong - but it went from flying to a complete standstill literally overnight, so I'm convinced it's not just a coincidence.
As regards your comment on Shoreditch - funny you should day that as any time I've searched London for a place to stay as a guest in the last while, there seems to be a predominance of Shoreditch and Hoxton listings above all other areas.. great for the cool kids, I guess, but give me West Hampstead or Greenwich any day!
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I'm my humble opinion East wins hands down

Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
I agree with Ahman - the rot started with the intro of the App, not the superhost thing.
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Tara
Tara2 years ago
For me, the app is just a last resort if I'm not at home when an enquiry comes in. I'm amazed that anyone would rely on it as a primary interface. It's so obviously unreliable and jumpy.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I have asked quite a few guests and they have booked through the ap. I can't find myself for love nor money, as long as the guest is I don't care too much.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I only use the ap for groups. Its not much good for anything else.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
I think it's definitely down to Airbnb's "control of the search process" (not good at technical speak!). I can put in word for word the title of our room, in London and we STILL DON'T appear sometimes. This is nothing to do with being booked, as I've tried it all ways, and well into the future on available dates. Big Brother at work for sure.
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nicky
nicky2 years ago
I'm having the same problem. I've been booked solid for a year (when I started) and a month or so ago it went completely dead. I'm very worried and have just emailed them to ask what's gone wrong. I became a superhost recently too so it's either that or the bad new web design that's made the difference. Maybe I'll get a homeless person to come and stay for a while, it seems a bit immoral having an empty room while people are sleeping on the streets.
Are any of you going to any of those Superhost meet ups ?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Interesting that others seem to have problems as well. I was wondering too. First time since starting no bookings for nov or dec. my last guests had problems with their driving licence identification but eventually managed. There was a similar story in sat guardian. Guests getting fed up with airbnb. I wonder whether that might have contributed?
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Hi Tara,
Thank you for your feedback. I actually started with Ikea furniture and I could not rent the flats. Since getting the brown furniture the reservations took off. Not having the tube nearby is an issue. But there are a lot of alternative transport links: bus, train linked to tube and even river boats.
Isabelle
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Isabelle, if there's a problem renting a flat out then 9 times out of 10 the price is wrong. Price determines everything.
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John
John2 years ago
Don't think it's anything to do with SuperHost status at all, think it's across the board…
Being a relative newbie, I just missed out on Superhost status. I joined in July. Things started to get very busy towards end of August with shed load of bookings and enquiries constantly until couple of weeks ago. Now zero enquiries, only very last min bookings coming through, stats of views have fallen off the cliff and carried on into the abyss!
Our friend few roads away is a Superhost with over 50 5 star reviews - he and I have both been chatting, we are experiencing exactly the same issues even though I'm not a Superhost. Which is why I think its across the board, it may be the introduction of the new status has caused problems but the issues are not Superhost specific.
Also, I'm based in Shoreditch / Hoxton so the idea that the new Airbnb offices lean to bookings geographically is not correct, I think.
Two guests have commented that they had huge issues recently trying to complete booking process, both reported that at the point of entering their 3 digit card security code the whole thing stopped working - they were both using the app. One said he almost abandoned the whole thing. I reported all this to Airbnb.
Hope all this is sorted very soon as xmas is coming and we all have new party frocks to buy!!! More seriously, I have been unwell for a while / not working - Airbnb has been an absolute Godsend ….
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Welcome to the party, John

Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello John, actually I also have had a couple recently complaining about being able to complete their offline ID. They persisted as they had no choice. This seems to mirror the article in yesterday's Guardian in the Money section about bias against older people with not enough Facebook friends. Also a friend of mine when looking where to book told me that they decided against Airbnb because she felt Airbnb places were advertised on other sites, and then linked to Airbnb, something she didn't like and felt was against the Airbnb ethos.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Looking forward to seeing those frocks on the 30th!
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
John, what's happened in your case is due to a different set of circumstances altogether. Newbies are given an artificial boost in the search rankings for a limited period of time. This is why you'll see listings with no reviews often ranking many pages higher in the searches than listings with 100+ 5 star reviews. However, when that comes to an end, Newbies routinely report a sharp decline in bookings/inquiries, so maybe don't splurge on the party frocks just yet! :-) As for narrowly missing out Superhost status - I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are many fantastic hosts in this Group - and others - who have hosted vast numbers of happy and satisfied Airbnb guests over several years who missed out on it too. That alone negates the worth and credibility of the whole Superhost programme for me. It's not a badge I feel any pride in when my fellow grafters have been snubbed!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Susan, I'd be reluctant to discount John's experience just yet. The post-newbie slump you describe certainly didn't happen to me - the opposite if anything. And given that Airbnb themselves say that demand well outstrips supply in London, the loss of newbie status should be less impactful than in other markets. It also seems a bit of a coincidence that his slump happened at the same time as many of the rest of us. Let's keep an open mind on it for the mo.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Hi Enda and Andrew, no I'm certainly not discounting John's experience at all, just saying that his particular set of circumstances seem to fit in exactly with what's been experiences frequently reported by newer hosts on the groups - an initial stage of being incredibly busy, followed by a slump. Glad to hear you didn't suffer that fate then but I empathise with everyone here who has found themselves facing a sudden wipeout of bookings/enquiries, through no fault of their own. A lot of hosts in this Group though have experienced these inexplicable slumps on more than one occasion, and for some, it can be disastrous. Whatever the actual reason for anyone's sudden decline, it's extremely difficult to keep an open mind when there IS no valid or logical reason on earth why your thriving listing suddenly bombs overnight. Any of the suggestions made so far would perhaps explain a gradual decline in bookings but NOT sudden death..
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Just to be clear, my reference to keeping an open mind was based on your previously saying that the curse of the Superhost was the issue. It seems not to be that clear cut. But yes, it's a pisser whatever the reason!
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I absolutely agree that it's not that clear cut and hosts are experiencing slumps for a variety of different reasons - and it's equally a pisser for every single one. As regards the 'curse of the superhost' - I do admit that a life misspent in the casinos and at the poker tables may have rendered me a tad on the superstitious side! :-) However, it also taught me to go by my instincts, and combined with the facts, I remain convinced that Superhost status has been less than kind to many of us! :-)
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Susan, Thanks for your kind words and hope things turn around for you very soon.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
You're very welcome Cryn! And thank you, too :-)
nicky
nicky2 years ago
I wonder if this is happening to hosts in other countries too at the moment. The powers that be at airbnb MUST surely know why this is happening. I've gone from extremely busy for a whole year to nothing, zilch. I can only assume that potential visitors can't see my page at all. I hope this will be brought up and discussed and sorted out in SF. Something clearly has gone badly wrong and I think we all need an explanation/apology. Sorry, I'm feeling annoyed.
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Robert
Robert 2 years ago
I have over 70 reviews booked every day more or less usually and now the worst month in the year
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Martin
Martin2 years ago
In my experience, one of the aspects that the Airbnb system likes is for hosts to 'tweak' their listings every now and then. I do this every now and then but certainly once a month.
Try changing some of the description, add in some contemporary references to events, make the listing more interactive. Why not change you own photo ID? I recently added a paragraph with an offer for this year's charges for the Rugby Union World Cup next summer. It takes place at a number of venues around the country, not just Twickenham. And it attracts a world wide audience - maybe Airbnb should be advertising in all the countries whose teams are taking part! No takers so far but you never know.
Why not email all your past guest with a special offer for them and their friends? Send them all an ecard for Christmas. Pro-active marketing of your product is essential because there are a lot of competitors out there, who would like to steal your business or at least cut you out. Free advice if you want it!
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Mentionned the rugby a while ago - no takers.
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Can impoint you to the posts on New Hosts, 911, Product Updates and Improvements(!?) and The Scottish Community where ther are grave concerns about Facebook now being a required verification. I have raised it with our Community Manager and am waiting for a reply. It seems a lot of bookings are falling over/off because of this.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Here is the link to the Guardian article about Airbnb and Facebook for those of you that haven't seen it. It is worrying indeed. Similar situation as described with my guests. www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2014/nov/14/airbnb-wont-let-book-room-facebook-friends
Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
I have been trying to figure out what is happening to london bookings. I noticed that if you search in google for 'rooms New York, rooms rome, rooms Dublin, rooms Berlin etc' Airbnb is the first to appear. If you search rooms london or anywhere in the uk, Airbnb is no where to be seen. This could be a pretty big contributing factor as to why the bookings have nose dived.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
This is interesting. It was mentioned before that Airbnb stopped advertising London as a destination. If there are not enough hosts, it makes sense (from Airbnb's perspective) not to promote a destination if a lot of visitors to the site will be disappointed with the selection (and possibly not return to try again). So what we may be seeing is the result of that strategy: reducing demand until the supply is higher. Hence the Host Outreach Programme: the more good quality hosts are available, the more likely visitors to the site will find what they need. So, get recruiting everyone!
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
No way. There are 23000 hosts in London and 35000 in the UK. Sipplycabd demand us there - its not being advertised on Google at the moment and I'm not sure if Airbnb were aware of this before I rang them.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
I find that hard to believe from seeing so many 5* hosts who aren't getting enquirues/bookings.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
As for advertising this is something I bought up as a topic last November. If Airbnb aren't aware of it then every London host should not be basing any business model with airbnb.
Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
You are right - nothing showing in Edinburgh and if yiu narrow the search to my postcode there is only 1 showing and it's not mine!
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hlo Enda and Andrew. Doesn't make sense. Masses of Airbnb in London and many super hosts. So that cannot be the reason. London is a huge destination, not to be overlooked.
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Robert
Robert 2 years ago
Definitely some kind of fault my mum does airbnb as well and has around 70 reviews as well her flat getting 2000 views a month and mine dropped to 200 views doesn't make sense at all, I think some flats have been hit by an algorithm shift but how long till repair I don't know but hopefully soon as it isn't a gradual loss in demand but gone off a cliff
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Indeed and Barbara may well be right and not on Google. Bad timing with the Airbnb Open!
Enda
Enda2 years ago
That's a very certain 'no way' there, Barbara!
Let me explain my theory (and it's just a theory, no more than anyone else's - unless some of you are sneaky Airbnb marketing folk or techies controlling the dreaded algorithm!)
While 23,000 listings may seem like a large number, it does not compare well with the *proportions* in other cities. New York and London, for example, have comparable populations but New York has far more listings. Paris has proportionally more too. Airbnb have told me explicitly that supply is *not* there, hence the Host Outreach Programme. So it seems reasonable to say that supply is not meeting demand - because Airbnb have said so.
It makes sense to me to stop advertising London (I don't know about the rest of the UK) until they have the numbers of quality hosts that they believe can satisfactorily meet demand.
Just as people believe that loads of new hosts have come onboard, there is a far greater number of guests coming online to check out this Airbnb phenomenon. London is one of the world's most popular destinations with about 120,000 hotel rooms alone. From Airbnb's perspective, is is better to keep the hosts happy by increasing demand even more by maintaining an advertising spend on London? Or is it better to stop stimulating demand by reducing advertising, reduce the chances of guests being disappointed with the brand? (Disappointed because they can't find a reasonable price or worse have a bad experience with one of the less conscientious hosts who finds that he/she doesn't have to try too hard to get business because demand is high?)
Again, just a theory, but it doesn't seem completely out of the realms of possibility - unfortunately...
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, Just curious. Tried to find the Airbnb blog which has marketing tips that Chip referred to. Given that you are in the Host Outreach Programme, can you email us a link in this group? It would be good to see what Airbnb suggests that we should/ could do.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Hi Dieneke, I don't know that particular blog, but all of Chip's pieces are in his blog which is chipconley.com/blog/ (And if that is 'website hidden' Google Chip Conley Blog!)
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, I did get the link, but couldn't log in. Maybe because it is https? How do you get in there? via Airbnb login? I googled it and got the same address but still couldn't log in.
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Not sure what you mean by logging in there, Dieneke. It's a public, normal website. Are you having problems accessing any other sites?
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Enda & Andrew, I managed to get in, but the link has changed to chipconley.com so the s has been dropped, so accessible for all. Thanks for that.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I find it utterly astounding that Airbnb are claiming that demand outstrips supply in London, and not just based on the incontrovertible evidence of so many very experienced and professional 5* hosts here who are struggling to fill their rooms/apartments. As a fairly frequent visitor to London, I search the listings quite regularly and I can assure you, there is NEVER a shortage of quality accommodation to be found - even at the last minute, even in peak periods, even at reasonable prices. In fact, the very opposite is true.
Interestingly, I saw a place I really loved when I was doing a London search a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't ready to book at that time. When I searched again last night using exactly the same parameters, the listing wasn't showing up at all. I assumed it must have been booked already but remembered that I'd saved it to my Wishlist, so checked the listing's calendar on there only to find that it IS available for my dates. I emailed the owner and he immediately confirmed availability, but was understandably rather pissed off to hear his property has somehow disappeared from relevant searches.
So regardless of where Airbnb may or may not be advertising, or how much you're working your own marketing strategy/tweaking your listing - all that ain't much use to you if the guests can't even find you when they DO use the bloody website!
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Well, that's what Gabrielle at Airbnb London told me when she invited me to join the Host Outreach Programme. *shrugs shoulders*
Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Susan - that is the what the situation was earlier in the year for me - simply not there in the listings. Over and over again.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
I remember that clearly, Cryn - you and I have suffered this fate many times before!! And still it keeps happening. For sure, the marketing and advertising issues mentioned could be a factor in a gradual decline, but we both know the patterns by now and when your previously healthy bookings/inquiries die a death overnight, it means only one thing - you're not coming up in searches.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
The situation gets more and more perplexing. I wrote to Airbnb and they basically they told me that its a complex process that takes into account many factors, etc etc. Not our fault sort of attitude. Then they told me we should do our own marketing by tweaking account and promoting via Facebook etc etc. OK, all very well, but then who gets the commission for SELF MARKETING at the end of the day??!!! If Airbnb are not promoting, there are plenty of other sites that do. I think Airbnb should be sent this whole discussion so they can realise how strongly we feel. Anyone know how to do that?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Yes will ema one of the big ones. It is really ridiculous!
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
What's the point, vote with your feet.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Coincidentally, I've got a photoshoot scheduled with the Competitor Beginning with W this very week!

Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
This is the best way airbnb will take note. Get advertising and serve the customer (ie the host bc we pay them also) or we go elsewhere. Which exacerbates this whole low stock issue. Its a chicken and egg situation for airbnb and if they don't get their priorities right then market forces will apply.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Exactly, Ahman. Rather than rolling out their super-duper initiatives to recruit an army of newbies - with no guarantees whatsoever that they'll turn out to be 'quality' anyway - Airbnb really need to concentrate instead on doing whatever it takes to stem the mass exodus of the tried-and-tested, hard-working, previously loyal 5* hosts who have been the bedrock of their success so far. Retention - not recruitment - should be their immediate priority.
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
I think we first need to know from the horse's mouth what is going on.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Agreed. I've emailed Emma again too. Let's see if there's a response.
Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Its hard to know what the horse has to say when the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Reply from Chip Conley
I've copied Laura Hughes, my colleague in Hospitality, since we received a similar email from a host in Scotland earlier today and we're checking in with our online marketing team to see if there's a problem that's specific to the UK as I promise you there's been no change in our plans for our we market the Airbnb site. While it does help to do your own marketing and there have been blog posts (I can send you one if that would be helpful) that outline marketing things to do in the off-season, you have my promise that we want to market you as much during the off-season as during peak season.
I've also copied Emma, your Community Manager, who is here for the Open as I want to make sure she's in the loop on what we're hearing from UK hosts.
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Cryn
Cryn2 years ago
Thanks Dieneke
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Pleasure. it is better to get the actual story from them. Ende, Emma has been copied into Chip's reply. She is in San Francisco as well.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Well done all. Things might start moving in the right direction. Let's see.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
I also got a message from Emma; they are discussing this in San Francisco and hope to come back to us with a 'well informed response'. Fair enough.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Progress. Good they are all there in San Francisco, will speed things up considerably
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Great news and, guess what?!!!! I've just had an enquiry - the first for weeks!
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Peter
Peter2 years ago
I'm having breakfast lunch dinner and drinks in San Francisco with all these people for three days from tomorrow. There will be lots of ear bending although the focus is on high quality hosting. I'm also of course meeting hundreds of other hosts.
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hi Peter, sounds all good. Hopefully you can get to the bottom of what is going on with no bookings. Enjoy whilst you can.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Have a great time Peter and I am sure you will pass on all out concerns. We look forward to hearing about it at the host meeting.
Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
Thank you all for this interesting and not very optimistic discussion. Let us hope Airbnb will provode a "real response.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Well, here's the official response....
"Ok so first of all, I'm sorry to hear that you are seeing a drop in bookings but I wanted to let you know that this is very common during low season. It is not specific to the UK but is a seasonal trend throughout the travel industry. Last year we heard several similar concerns from our hosts globally and subsequently wrote a blog post with some advice on how to improve your bookings.
You may also find this article helpful: www.airbnb.com/help/article/431
I can assure you that being awarded a Superhost does not impact you negatively in our search algorithms, it is in fact not included as one of the search terms. Our Superhosts are the top hosts on our platform so we want to support them as much as possible, not hide them in our search results.
Naturally doing your own marketing helps, but we are as dedicated to continuing to market you as much during the off-season as we do during peak season.
Please feel free to come back to me with any questions or thoughts. I look forward to seeing you on my return."
Questions and thoughts....?
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Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Hello Enda and Andrew, In my case that doesn't make sense as I don't depend on tourists alone but also people visiting family and friends. So although last year it was slightly quieter in November it didn't drop as suddenly as this year. If it is true that the UK is not appearing in Google as before, maybe that is something we could ask to get clarified? I am still puzzled about the loose ends. Haven't looked at the article as yet
Dieneke
Dieneke2 years ago
Just to add, having looked at the article, when you try to click on optimising outside of season, nothing appears, so they must be putting this up as we speak. Following what the article says, I have done all of that. It was only then when that didn't work that I checked in the groups what others were saying
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I spotted that dead link too, Dieneke.
Victoria
Victoria2 years ago
Interesting, thanks for chasing this up. Up until this afternoon 'rooms london' google search was still not generating any Airbnb links as it was for other cities. So that isn't normal. Also I think we all saw it wasn't a steady decline it was a sudden drop so I find it difficult to believe that is purely seasonality. I have spoken to hosts in other cities who haven't experienced problems such as we seem to of in a London. I really hope that it starts to pick up again.
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Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Very timeous that the Airbnb Newsletter is advocating and showing how to embed our listings in other web sites! I think this proves that Airbnb are abdicating responsibility for promoting their Hosts.
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Isabelle
Isabelle2 years ago
I agree with Victoria and thank you Enda and Andrew for your feedback. Airbnb’s response is run of the mill not really addressing the issue.
There is an unusual problem this year with a sudden drop in requests for November. Unfortunately I don’t think it is solely a problem with Airbnb .
1. I am not a Superhost and I have listings on Holiday Lettings and VRBO, same situation.
2. I have had feedback from another lady who has 5 flats and she has never seen such a bad November and December are also affected.
I would still keep talking to Airbnb and perhaps Peter might be able to shed some lights.
Reply Like 1 reply•1 like
Enda
Enda2 years ago
Gosh Isabelle, what you're saying seems to support what Airbnb have said. If the other sites have had a similar drop off, then it's not just Airbnb, no?
Enda
Enda2 years ago
I've responded:
Hi Emma,
Thanks for that response.
I appreciate that seasonality no doubt feeds into the experience, but it seems that such a situation would result in a more gradual drop in hits and enquiries.
However, many in the group, including myself, have reported very dramatic drops starting a few weeks ago. These drops don't seem organic or to align with previously experienced patterns.
The concern is that the suddenness must indicate something that has changed on Airbnb's side. It could be a change to the algorithm in some way, a glitch of some sort or something else.
I'm grateful for your response but it doesn't seem to take into account many of the experiences being reported by hosts in the forum.
Given that a common experience is this sudden and dramatic fall in hits all occurring around the same time, is there something that we and Airbnb are missing? It would be a shame to discover weeks down the line that there was a technical fault of some sort that hadn't been spotted.
Can you have another look?
Kind regards,
Enda
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
Excellent response, Enda - thank you.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Well done Enda. Beautifully put.
nicky
nicky2 years ago
Thank you Edna & Andrew, what a very disappointing and frankly nonsense reply they gave you. Do they not give a damn ? I don't think London is seasonal at all. I had a request from someone the other day who wanted to stay for 5 days over Christmas, We chatted, she knew my area very well etc, I was very pleased and accepted her and then ..........nothing. It's totally abnormal what's going on. Airbnb are losing thousands and thousands through our not getting guests at the moment. Don't they care ? They must surely scrutinise these boards so I'm sure they know what's going on even if they don't know why.
Your reply Edna is very good. Thank you.
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Diane
Diane2 years ago
Happened to me, too. Initial enquiries, loved the place etc etc, and then nothing. Not even a sorry the guest booked elsewhere which I haven't seen for ages.
Diane
Diane2 years ago
Corporate speak garbage! Basically the same reply I got. We have never have a seasonal deficiency. This is LONDON for goodness sake. Totally disillusioned now.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
Airbnb really need to stop treating us like total morons who haven't got a clue what we're doing. Most of us here are very experienced and professional hosts who have worked our arses off and earned our stripes (and stars) the hard way. Between us, we've hosted thousands of very happy and satisfied Airbnb guests. We KNOW our own businesses, we KNOW our own markets, we KNOW our own patterns, we KNOW our own marketing techniques and most of all, we KNOW when something's been royally screwed up.
If 'seasonal trends' really are to blame, how on earth were so many of us booked solid for Sept, Oct (and even November for those whose guests book further ahead), yet we've all suddenly died a death at exactly the same time, with even Xmas and New Year/Hogmanay bookings nowhere to be seen for many. The major UK and Irish destinations are all bursting at the seams from late November and right through December, not only with tourists but with our own people flocking to the cities for Christmas shopping trips, parties and get-togethers. Accept some responsibility for once Airbnb, sort this mess out and stop trying to pawn us off with the usual insulting, patronising 'It's not our fault, it's yours' BS.
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Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Here here Susan. I feel as if they don't care at the moment - but isn't it ironic that we all start seeing the problems just before the Open?
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Barbara, the problems didn't just start before the open. Hosts have been feeling this prob LONG before the open and back in November last year. It just didn't hit some. The the problem here, when other are hit it doesn't worry those that it hasn't hit. As long as airbnb is making money overall they won't care. Like any portfolio, there are some things that make money and other that don't. Milk doesn't make supermarkets much money but it draws the punter in, as long as money is being made airbnb don't need to care. Even in their "official" responses they're saying do more yourself. I've found that in 4yrs of hosting not 1 company will be consistent in bringing in the bookings. 1yr it'll be airbnb, another wimdu then another HouseTrip. Each host needs to stay ahead and try different companies, the competition is getting good now. Easy property Stelio's brainchild is looking to break into the short term holiday Lettings like airbnb.
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Enda
Enda2 years ago
Good advice, Ahman. No harm at all to have the listing on multiple sites. My preference is Airbnb for the overall functionality and trust side, but there's no need to be monogamous, as it were

Barbara
Barbara2 years ago
Thanks Ahman - you are so often the voice of reason - and right. Just surprised that Airbnb are not communicating truthfully or with care. That is, after all, their ethos.
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Ahman
Ahman2 years ago
Airbnb like any business is in business to make money. Their "travel" like a local was an excellent marketing campaign and as timing had it (credit crunch) the sharing economy was born. If every business communicated truthfully or with care they'd be spending unnecessary revenue (god forbid! I hiss with shock and horror). I think airbnb have enough airbnbelivers to deliver their message. Its down to us hosts to get our own house in order. Hosting isn't going to die or go out of fashion, its been going on since the beginning of time and will exist with or without Airbnb. No one likes change (I sure don't) but what could it hurt to sign up with a few more companies. We have everything to gain and nothing to loose. And if one should bring in more guests than airbnb will you loose sleep over that? I'm sure no one in airbnb is looking sleep over us hosts in sunny (I josh of couse) London
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Deborah