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Hi, my name is Mark and I’m a host from Italy, (Tuscany) I start to get really mad because in my Town one real Bed and Breakfast (with real I meant they have pay a regular license so they are allowed to do breakfast) join air bnb and it become a real competitor because at same average price of the others air bnb host they have a regular license to set up a breakfast. Now I don’t know if this change between country to country but I found this unfair. Air bnb should be only for private house and real bed and breakfast should be on theyre channel do you agree is I’m correct How I can let them be off from air bnb?
Well I understand your frustration Mark, but it’s a free country. I think they can do it. Here in Hawaii there are lots of “real” B&Bs listed on the Air site. In fact, my friends who own one here were the ones who originally told me about Air back in 2009 and I started listing because of my friends’ recommendation. This was back when Air first started and no one had ever heard of them.
I think what you should do is not consider them competition. Think of ways to make your place appealing in different ways. Tuscany is a beautiful area lots of people want to visit so I am sure you won’t have any problems getting lots of bookings! Good luck!
Thank you so much for your fast replay, Tuscany yes has a lots of visitors but we are to many to rent so there’s no more big profit anymore for many of us who started before airbnb … and ok I know they probably can do it, the only things that annoying me is the fact that they can have easily the medal of “super host” and jump on top of the all search … following this flow tend I strongly believe the future of private renting will be just exchange with no more profit.
well I have a different view, we cannot stand all in the same spot, and I believe Hotels, official Motel, or summers villages and B&B shouldn’t be on Air bnb, they are two separate type of vacancies for Holiday Rentals … Air bnb philosophy is a way different from them and I’m sure time will bring me right.
Well all rent from AirBnb are traceable via paypal or bank transfer so If any country want to apply tickets control they can catch all of them … and I’m sure they will start anytime soon … Im personally from Italy and we pay tax for each rent come from airbnb, unfortunately we have already al lot tax in the house-tax as big plus … but air bnb charge rate is modest.
Yes each place/person is unique and what you want to get out of it as a host varies too. I live in a scenic area with a high throughput of visitors travelling on tour so 1-2 night stops mostly. I looked at the price of normal BnB and pitched my room at half, just because i am not a BnB and won’t offer the same professional/cleanliness that they do. I really wouldn’t worry about the ‘superhost’ thing. Most guests who have been around the block with AirBnB are savvy enough to know what they are looking for. The thing you have to sell is yourself! Big up your profile so that people want to meet this really interesting local who will tell them all the cool places to go just off the tourist trail! Get your friends to write you some recommendations, all the better if you can get them written in different languages. Reviews can end up being quite samey in the end, “great view, lovely host” - tells people nothing, I’ve had some wonderful evenings with guests and been a bit sad to read a throwaway review, but hey - people lead busy lives and have maybe 10+reviews to write if they’ve been on a tour and I guess we are all guilty of this as hosts when we’ve had a lot of guests. So its the recommendations where you can get your personality to shine through. With a professionalBnB/hotel you pay a premium to make mess as a guest - I figure if you are pitching yourself in the same market/price bracket then you’ll get the wrong type of guest too, that will just leave you lots of work and a sad heart. Hope this reply helps, I’m trying to think of useful solutions.
the point I try to focus, and I’m talking from my side in Italy, that there are professional place as you like to call that most of the time are worst then my place only two room and they got this “professional license that allow them to sell breakfast like bnb” so we get mad because usually you should give this license to infrastructural who have a minimum of room with a minimum of standards in terms of lights in the room roof high etc … this ruleas in Italy are so confused … I’m doing of my best with clients all my review are great but when you compete with someone who offer breakfast included with the average same price is not fair …
Mark, I understand your frustration . EBay is a similar thing - it started out as individuals selling stuff they had and we got great bargains on kids clothes, etc, and they turned junk into cash. It was lovely. Then it was taken over by wholesalers and the fun was gone.
Have you contacted airbnb?’ I doubt they will turn away business.
There is a reason that people don’t get into or stay in business, and I see that the longer I am a host. Its tough, competition, taxes, fees squeeze us all!
I wonder if you’d like to post a link to your listing; maybe we can suggest improvements. We can’t really help with the actual problem. But we’d love to help in some way.
I have decide to take a different road i personally contacted who offer in my town services like Breakfast and for our low they can’t so I told them to remove the adv and to respect the rules or I will report it.
Is clear that you are new here and you haven’t pay attention to the topic, in few words I talk about Italian problems and airbnb. In Italy and lots air bnb owner advertise they’re flat as B&B without have license, in Italy to serve a breakfast as a buffet (fresh food) you need to have a license. Now you understand? Please read ! before say something wrong …
You are a very sad person and very offensive, I don’t know how the stuff of this forum let people like you be here to write stupid things and offend people. Read more and travel more It seems you are stuck on stereotypes… well you nick name say a lot …
If my competes are in the illegality zone is our duty to complains and to report it as I did today by writing them, and in fact they will remove the buffet breakfast from theirs adv.
Well now that’s something that has deeply concerned me after joining Air in April this year. So much so that just today I renewed my buildings and contents insurance accordingly which went from what it used to be before I rented rooms (£200 a year) to now almost £1000 a year, and that’s the cheapest quote!, I’m in Scotland, UK). I’m now covered for public liability and many more things under ‘hotel and guest house’ insurance. So I can understand why registered businesses get peed off about hosts in residential properties renting their rooms without paying out for the necessary insurance policies. However at the end of the day if some guest trips down a flight of stairs and decides to sue when he gets home Air hosts who do not have the correct insurance policies are in deep trouble because they are basically NOT covered. After looking into this long and hard this is why I’ve insured my property to cover my butt!!
I see full service bed and breakfasts with multiple rooms and staff list in my area. They say they are full service B&B’s. I don’t mind. I hear many B&B owners express real anger over Air B&B, calling us a criminal enterprise. I wonder. I have a neighbor next door. He rent his upstairs apartment by the month, he owns a tiny little cottage next door as well, and rents that by the month. I have a large guest room and rent it by the night. So, my friends in the B&B industry, are you saying he can rent by the month, and I can not rent by the night?
I serve no breakfast, so have no food issues for the country to investigate. My city allows you to rent an apartment of house. There are no big legal obligations and taxes that he deals with that I don’t. I have my insurance home and casualty, and the Air B&B insurance.
When I hear B&B people complain about all the laws they must adhere to, I call them out. If you serve food, yes. I don’t. SO there is no reason for government to be in my house.
What you really don’t like is that we are in peer to peer relationships, and we are in America, if we want to agree to let folks stay for a fee, then we do it.
Sure, if communism is your bag, then yes, we are criminals.
Regular B&B’s have a tiny amount of regulation, and we all have to report to tax officials. What you guys really hate is the competition of the NEW economy. You want to use government to crush us, like any good communist eh?
But we’d love to help in some way.