Airbnb blocked my calendar “indefinitely” based on our Gov’s stay at home order even though the order specifically said “through April 15th.” I contacted them and they said they were following the Gov’s orders so I sent them a copy of the order. The order has since been extended to May 15th but the Gov is allowing places of lodging, including Airbnb’s, to begin taking reservations beginning June 15th. I have sent numerous emails, with copies of the new order, to Airbnb and they have stopped responding. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get them to pay attention to the orders and unblock my calendar? Should I bag Airbnb and go with VRBO? This is our first year with Airbnb. We are at risk of losing a significant amount of money for summer events in our area.
get hold them via Facebook / twitter - they are still paying attention to their social media
Where are you located?
AirBNB is doing the smart thing. The chance you are allowed to have guest from mid June is 50/50.
AirBnB doesn’t want have to cancel bookings again and have angry guest and host. Especially not on strict policy.
You can be on more than one platform. Particularly if you have a stand alone home, like a vacation rental VRBO is a good choice. If you have just a room attached to your home, a guest suite, etc., Airbnb is the market leader. That can certainly change at a disruptive time like this.
This isn’t Airbnb’s fault. Surely you’ve heard the news?
I agree with Chris that summer events are about 50/50. If people are booking your place to go to an event there’s a good chance the event will be canceled or postponed. If it’s an event that attracts older folks that increases the chance of disruption. If you can attract people who are doing things like bird watching, viewing fall colors, seeing an exhibit at a museum where social distancing can be observed, then maybe the event will go on. Things like Austin City Limits Music festival with outdoor toilets and limited hand washing and people packed in like sardines, I don’t think so.
I understand your frustration with being blocked if you aren’t legally required to be blocked. There are many reasons people are going to want to travel. It looks like what may happen for another year or so is series of opening and closings. Things will get better, things will open, people will move around, spread the virus and then things will close again. Your tolerance for this kind of disruption should be accounted for as you plan ahead.
I receive about 50% of my bookings on VRBO. Always good to diversify channels.
I am located in Vermont.
That is a good idea, I’ll try that.
It is Airbnb’s fault for not complying with the Governor’s orders and ignoring my emails.
A 50/50 chance is better than nothing. I have the most relaxed cancellation policy on my account and have no problem letting people cancel if they need to.
Okay, I understand. This is a stressful time and having someone or something to blame is a coping mechanism. Aside from all that I really think that moving to VRBO is your best option. Airbnb doesn’t care about any particular host on a good day, and this is not a good day.
Another thought: surely you aren’t the only host in Vermont being impacted by this. Have you considered joining with other hosts in an effort to sway Airbnb. They don’t care about you individually but maybe they care about having an Airbnb presence in your state in the future?
You’re upset, I get it. So is every other host on this forum and doing business on Air. But it’s not their fault.
AirBnB is simply a booking platform that puts together homes with travelers and takes a percentage from each side.
Period. It is up to you to be aware of the local, state, and national laws regarding rental properties where you’re doing business.