An Airbnb local community group

Does anybody know of a geographic area of Airbnb hosts getting together to help each other? Airbnb makes it difficult for folks to find each other but it can be done. I have made contact with a few and the discussions are interesting. There isn’t a sense of competition. There are no hotels in our county and the STR is the only option. We haven’t made anything formal. Most of the time we see each other at something like a Chamber of Commerce meeting. Sometimes we walk across the street to sit and chat at the 12 Degree Tavern.

I would enjoy this. In my area I have met one experience (I run one of those also) and two STR hosts. The only one I stay in touch with is my next door neighbor.

A local host in my town started a Facebook group about 4 years ago. I was a member for a few months then I quit. People didn’t know what they were doing and the same questions got asked over and over. Several members were always trying to promote/sell something to other members of the group. It felt like a MLM group, lol.

If there isn’t a host group for your area and you feel there are enough STRs to sustain one, you could look at creating one yourself @CamTN

A different spin on that concept.

In June I joined a public Facebook group titled, NMB Rental by Owner. It’s been a lesson for me.

Every other day some one posts, “looking for 4 br oceanfront for next weekend Friday & Saturday nights. On a budget. Pm me”. It’s the same thing over & over.

Bawhahaha My friends with 4 BR rentals are fully booked 2021 including the slow season and into summer 2022.

Or it’s some one asking where to get all you can eat crab legs? I can’t figure that one out. It’s the same frozen crab you can get at Walmart for 1/3 of the restaurant price and it’s certainly not a local specialty

When COVID hit, the vacation rentals in our country (St Lucia) were left out of the government’s plan to reopen the economy. Someone formed a Vacation Rental Association and started a WhatsApp chat group and helped the government address getting us open again. It’s been very helpful in navigating the government’s confusing and conflicting guidance.

As KKC mentioned, it can digress (lots of pro- and anti-vaccine discussions!), but’s it easy to ignore that chatter.

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What a great “can do” attitude. I wish I saw more of that and less whining and waiting for someone else to do something.

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Agreed! I haven’t been able to get back to St Lucia long enough to get out of quarantine and meet these people to thank them personally and see how I can contribute, but that’s my plan later this year.

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