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@Jens_Madsen I see that you’ve already been told that you categorically do not have to be a host to list an experience so that’s good! I hope you get this sorted. There are many good wordsmiths on here so do come back and ask for opinions on your final text.
I was a bit sceptical about the whole “experiences” thing when it first started. But I see that it’s really taken off. There are some great ones in my city that are very popular and have over hundred reviews. It was one of Airbnb’s better ideas!
Try changing your title like someone suggested. That might be why you were rejected. You can also try Vacason-com if you haven’t tried it yet. I think they have Experiences too, in addition to homes.
@Jens_Madsen, as some others have sort of mentioned, part of the problem seems to be in your description of what you want to offer. It sounds like you are offering the “service” of taking vacation photos for people and, in essence, selling them the photos.
Instead, while showing off the local sights, teach/give your guests pointers on how to take their own photos that will make them look like mysterious, romantic travelers. This is more “experience” and less “service”.
I just got back from NYC and did two Airbnb experiences. They were delightful and intimate (small) with people who did a great job. One was a tour of the catacombs and church of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the other was a tour of Little Italy by a former NYC detective who told us all about the days of the mob. I agree with @Magwitch experiences was a GREAT idea. But these are offered on other sites, too, so really the only difference is what platform you are familiar with.
Hi back again!
Just to review what has happened since last time.
Talked with the support and they wanted me to remove my note on that if the customers want the experience for themselves they need to book all 5 slots. Stupid miss on my side, since this actually broke the terms somehow.
Anyway got the answer to just remove this and submit it again.
But once again I got the experience declined to be more of a “service”.
I have found a couple of other tours and also just pure photo shoots in Tokyo and other cities around the world. Not really getting the idea of why they hate the one I submitted so much.
Already submitted 3 different versions/ideas from my hours of research, writing, tweaking.
My head is really confused and still a bit sad.
Anyways still keeping my hope up!
Wrote back to the support now again to see what I can do to make this an Airbnb Experience.
Thank you all soo much for your great ideas and caring here on the Airhost Forum!
Now for some more tinkering, I’m still preparing for the worst that this will be declined again, and still not really happy my writings. Reading it myself it doesn’t sound as fun as I know it will be!
So to introduce myself, I’m a guide and also a photographer working here in Kyoto, but since my biggest interest and passion lies within the photography and art.
I’m deeply passionate about showing people the places I discovered here in Kyoto these past years until now.
I want to take people around while having some fun together exploring and me snapping photos of my dear visitors.
I want to make this tour the best, and most flexible also and will also put in a lot of work in the photos
even after the experience finished, I’ll spend a lot of time editing and retouching the images afterwards too.
I’m not too interested in teaching photography with this experience but I have thought about making a photo tour of the best locations in Kyoto also teaching it in one of my future hosting experience.
But for this one, I just want to keep it to normal people who just want great memories while exploring.
Main is not History, but culture, food, nature, temples, shrines and great photos!!
I wrote Arashiyama in my description but to be honest I want to make it the whole Kyoto!
Kyoto is way more than just only Arashiyama, I want to adapt it for the guests needs.
I only want about 4 to 6 guests for the experience to be as personable as possible with as much fun at the same time.
Sorry for my wall of text, but really frustrated here >.<
Anyone got any ideas of what I am still missing in my text I originally posted?
Maybe it would be better if I tinker out another text and post it here for your amazing suggestions and possible corrections?
Too late? something FOR SURE: You DON´T need to be a hosting list before to offer an airbnb experience. THAT IS A FACT at least until may 2020. but not worth it to work with them. long story, since 2018 I got rejected many times too. At the end I discovered that approval would depend on who read your data, depending on his or her taste it would be aproved or not. as simply as that. with no sense reasons such as: it looks that it is a service! cause I sent the same fucking data every time. until they aproved. but there is more to tell, a TIP#1… there is one question, the first one, If you answer that: people can do this without your help, then it is not special and it is instantly rejected, only special activities that only you can offer, unique ones. wich is subjective. hahahahaha… after working with them 2 years i realized my services look so expensive cause it was my gain and the 20% for airbnb, so you basically are giving they a lot of money every time, So I hope you dont get to work with airbnb anyway. because after COVID19 this on campus experiences will die, or they will erase it, as it happened with my 4.97 stars rated experience, they one that was rejected 3 times. and when aproved received reservations from all around the world to try it and evaluated most of the time with 5s, but they were cancelled march 18, not gonna be opened and if they do, what for?? if traveling as we kenew it is dead too. and About ONLINE experiences, hahaha man dont even try it!!!. They will make you lost time, probably they ask for a rehersal, and then reject. with no feedback, due to small team reduced due to covid, etc etc etc. But that is not all… evaluations are based in what happens in only 45 min. if you dont show the whole experience escence in this time, you are fried. hahahaha also evuluators are there to evaluate but they dont even have the delicacy to bring the materials you asked for since the process aplication started. so the experience and their feedback would be useless anyway. sessions are recorded but im sure they dont even check them, due to reduced team due to covid. hahahaha and they only say, i like it lets published, or they say, im not sure, better not to publish. So… try another patform, or invest in your own advertising. Cause there they have such nonsense and totally out of their guidelines, such as the one with goats, really? and where is interaction with people you claimed? or the one that teaches how to cook curry , really? where would I find curry and exotic spices during covid lock down in my home? they said it was suposed to be with materials available easy at home. Or the one that makes is meditation and yoga but magically they think it is not a service. So. Try your own way. dont let airbnb define your talent and start advertising your activity by yourself, so when airbnb collapses, your photo experience will be STRONGER than ever. Receive a hug brother.
It might be a little long on description for today’s readers. I do an experience workshop and feel that yours is much more unique. My daughter does a brief photoshoot at the beach followed by a drink at a local bar or cafe. She lives on the coast in Massachusetts, US. I would love to connect you to her listing, but she’s taken down since we not allowed to do these right now. Maybe some shorter experiences focused on specific sites during a range. Just brainstorming. It will be interesting to see what others have to say.
I could be wrong, but I believe you need to be a host and the experience is just something being added to the listings, for an extra cost.
Do you have an apartment without roommates? Then list your bedroom on Airbnb and then list your experience. If you really don’t want to host, then block the hosting calendar but keep active the experience.
You don’t need to be a host to do an experience. My daughter has traveled with AIrbnb as a guest for many years, but doesn’t have the space to host. She has offered an experience for the past year.
I think the problem comes down to this line:
“You will get more than 20-30 photos edited personally by me.” If that was still in your most recent proposal, I would take it out. That, in my opinion, is what makes it sound like a service. Also agree about typos, misspellings, weak writing.
