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Which is why – when our guests tried to change from “Four Adults” to a more accurate “Two Adults + two children” (something we asked them to do for home-insurance reasons) the only way to accomplish this was to cancel the reservation and re-book. Clunky, inefficient technology that was designed and coded without any insight or concern about what happens in real life. (I call it “Don’t give a s*it coding.”)
A COMPETENT technology company will develop and code their technology to follow business rules that reflect the everyday business of the enterprise. There is even a specialized, formally recognized specialty within the tech industry to make sure this happens: they are called Business Analysts. If Airbnb uses business analysts, they are among the world’s most clueless.
Even as a “technology company” I’d give them a D- .
That said – Airbnb hosts are in the hospitality business, and guests are seeking to purchase hospitality services (not technology), a reality that often seems lost on Airbnb. The company’s dna is missing a hospitality gene.
That was my point above: AirBNB never intended to be in the Hospitality business; They are developing technology that moves forward traditional hotel infrastructure and approach. AirBNB plans (PreCovid) were to IPO, make $$$$, and probably sell to a hotel corporation who then, maybe (emphasis on maybe), might put Hospitality in AirBNB.
At least they are smart enough to select my listing; he’s arriving Tuesday.
Tech companies (of late) are all about getting stuff out there fast, before someone beats them to it. It’s not about quality, its about speed. The response they’d give your critique:
I don’t give a sh*t about the actual numerical score. However the comment that goes with it is objectively wrong: “Most errands require a car.”
You do need a car to go museums, ballet and beaches – but errands… no.
I don’t think you are in a position to decide whether it’s important for me to think about this inaccurate statement appearing on my listing – you do not know anything about my guests or my target market, any more than I am familiar the niche that your listing appeals to. With my people, this IS worth worrying about.
Sparky, some members here are getting rather annoyed by your attitude. Can you be a bit more chilled, I wonder?
Why are you getting so agitated about something that you and the other members here have no control over?
If you find it’s a challenge, and many things in life and business are, then do something about it or deal with it rather than spending your time getting hot and bothered.
I’m pretty happy with the technology. While there are glitches, many get worked out in time.
The members here have provided you good insight. Maybe you’d be better served by posting on AirBNB Community.
The glitch you are so preoccupied with is a nit (to the majority), but if it is so critical to your business, PLEASE just get off of AirBNB and go to one of its competitors where I’m confident you will find superior technology (sarcasm).
When I first complained to Airbnb Superhost support, they said this is hardwired into our listing. I pushed back and persisted, and persisted, and today they wrote back and told me the feature had been removed from both our listings at this location. It has indeed.
I am surprised at the response in this forum: generally is has been “no big deal if Airbnb says something inaccurate on your listing and why would you waste time tilting at windmills complaining about it and (Ha! Ha! Ha!) expecting change.”
It is a big deal: to me, to our guests and to Airbnb. Credibly accurate listings are the foundation of the Airbnb business model, and apparently I was able to push my concern far enough up the ladder to reach someone at Airbnb who understood that it was in their interest (as well as mine) to remove avoidable inaccuracies, and who had the authority to do so. I was not optimistic I was going to be heard, but neither was I prepared to just shrug my shoulders and play victim to an imperfect new tool on the listing.
Nobody suggested you play victim. I am surprised, and happy for you that you got this resolved. I would not have wasted the time on it. I avoid calling Air about anything, my time is worth too much to be on hold with them waiting for a untrained CS agent to do nothing.
Turns out my squeaky wheel got heard… something I was told by Airbnb had no off switch has now been turned off by them. It turns out my squeaky wheel was heard, and some of that squeak may have come from Airbnb monitoring this forum (who knows).
As far as my attitude – I make no apologies for using a forum for Airbnb hosts to complain about Airbnb shortcomings. Some people are wondering why you would find that issue annoying and – if you do – don’t just skip this thread and move on to the next topic
Can you elaborate on how it undermined the listing? That is, are you getting low location or accuracy scores? Did bookings drop off or did a recent guest complain?
I’d never noticed this “score” before so I went to look. I have no problem with mine; since I like to underpromise and overdeliver it’s fine. I’m not really fully open right now but it’s nice to know that once I reopen for normal business that Airbnb is being responsive to host needs. I’ll certainly call and get it taken off my listing as well if it’s hurting business.
I nipped it in the bud – but it sent out a totally false message about a matter that I know is important to many of the people who stay with us. One of our selling points is that you can do everyday shopping (groceries, drugstore, wine, dry cleaner, variety of take-out food (incl Starbucks) without needing a car – not always the case in the suburbs. Their comment (removed at my request earlier today) was that “most errands require a car,” which is not true.
It wasn’t the numerical score that concerned me primarily – it was the accompanying comment
Prospective guests looking at our listing and assessing whether our property met their needs, and reading the false assertion that “most errands require a car.”
