@Clyde and @owasow if you do go make sure you sign up for the break out session AS SOON AS they open up. Last year it was a complete mess, bc Air didn’t have enough room for all the people that wanted to attend and didn’t sign up, so they essentially became first come fist serve. They sorted the issue by day 2 and religiously scanned everyone’s badge to make sure you were registered. Also, if you only by one ticket but register co hosts, like we did, the co host does not 1) get to sign up for break out session and 2) is not allocated in the head count for the break out session the ‘main host’ signs up for. Hopefully this will be fixed for LA, but just be aware, bc it was pandamonium. Also, I just brought my Hubby in with me and told the ‘guards’ to deal with, so there is always that approach. 
Thanks for that. Great advice. Hopefully they have sorted it out. To me a ticket is a ticket. Will get my wife to register as a regular AirBnB user. She is not a “co-host” as such at present. We just put both our names down for the user name. Ie, Fred and Jane SMITH
Just be aware they may not let her in, everyone has to have there own badge, at least that was how it was last year. We were able to go to the reception desk the first day and say we were ‘co hosts’ and they gave my hubs a badge, but we still ran into the problem of anytime we went to a session where we needed to be ‘scanned in’ he was always ‘denied’.
Not trying to be Debbie Downer! Just want you to have a pain free open!
Hello everyone: I thought it about time that to jump in here and give my two cents. As a relatively new Host, I attended the first Airbnb Open in San Francisco and was blown away by the experience - everything about it! It was so completely overwhelming and inspiring that I was glad I had scheduled an additional day just to “decompress” before heading back home. There was no question that I would be attending the next one (which ended up in Paris) regardless of where in the world it might be as I did not want to miss out. I feel the same about AO16. I not only paid for myself to go to Paris, but registered my adult son as a CoHost, paid for his flight, lodging, etc. as I wanted to share as much of the experience with him as he might be interested in; he is now an Airbnb SuperHost also.
Paris has not been a favorite place for me going back to experiences in the 80’s, but I trusted that Airbnb would make up for any negative memories I might have and make the experience worth it on levels I could not imagine. I feel the same way about this year’s Open in Los Angeles. It may not have been a place on my list of places I want to visit, but the Open is SO much more. Yes, Disneyland is close by. So is Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm and other amusement parks. Palm Springs, where I live and host, is just a couple of hours away - extend your trip and come experience the desert. Go hiking. Explore Joshua Tree National Park, take a Hot Air Balloon ride, watch a Polo match.
AO16 - Delayed Early Registration because Airbnb wanted the registration site to be "as complete as possible when it goes live.
" Additional speakers/talent will continue to be announced after registration, but they really "want hosts to know what they’re receiving if they choose to join and register early. Stay tuned. Keep logging on for minute by minute updates. What you saw and read on Wednesday morning is just the “tip of the iceberg.”
Additionally, they chose the word “festival” because as attendees of AO14 and AO15 can attest, this meeting “connects with our hearts and souls…as well as being educational and fun…for hosts from more than 100 countries.” I, myself, recall “feeling” the energy and connection in that big hall on the wharf in SF for AO14.
I recommend that all of you find the New York Times article by Freda Moon dated June 10, 2016 “36 Hours in Los Angeles” for an idea of what opportunities abound for attendees. As a native Californian, (and someone who only goes to LA if I have to), even I am excited to explore the “new” LA.
As for the food and beverage being offered, as many prior attendees can agree upon, we would like choices. Airbnb has heard our comments and has come up with a way to satisfy the wide variety of tastes with options - ergo, the food vendors. There will continue to be food and beverage provided at a number of the events, i.e., Thursday Open House dinners in hosts’ homes, banquets etc. on Friday night throughout LA - just like always.
Suffice it to say, Airbnb has our best interests at heart and are busy creating an event this year that we all will remember for a lifetime.
My personal advice is “don’t hold back” as some events will be size-restricted out of necessity. Dealing with the task of satisfying 6,000 participants from 100+ countries is not easy. The individuals at Airbnb handling this are passionate about creating an unforgettable and transformational event for all of us.
Good luck. I look forward to meeting all of you face-to-face at AO16 in Los Angeles. Mary Cornell, TranquilityCasitas.com
In order for my son to attend any of the events with me in Paris, I had to pay a separate fee and register him as a CoHost. I would imagine the same would be true for Open16 in Los Angeles.
I am beginning to think that I am the only living person (albeit a Neanderthal due to my age) that immediately Googles the names of individuals and products to discover all there is to know about them and their relationship.
Gwyneth Paltrow has very publicly stated that she prefers booking Airbnb properties for herself, her staff, and her family. Though I definitely do not have a multi-million dollar property like she booked in Cannes, Mexico, or Los Altos (check them out), I most definitely would like to hear about her experiences and glean some understanding of what a high-profile guest like her is seeking and clearly getting from Airbnb. I live in a very small gated community within walking distance to the Coachella Music Festival, Stage Coach Music Festival, and the new Desert Trip Music Festival. As such, my community has become the “go to” place for celebrity rentals; i.e. Leonardo Dicaprio, Katy Perry, Will & Jada Smith, Justin Bieber, and even some of the performers at the venues.
As any of us who attended the AO14 in San Francisco are aware, Ashton Kutcher was the first investor to step up when the fledgling Airbnb needed an infusion of cash. At the time, I admit I was completely unaware of his support and contribution. It was only after his investment that the rest of the investment world took notice. We watched and listened to his taped speech in San Francisco. How fun will it be to actually be in the same room/theater with him! I, for one, would love to hear more about his perspective and insight that prompted him to become such a big-time supporter.
Then we have the author of the best-selling book on hospitality of all-time “Setting the Table” author Danny Meyer. I for one feel I want to and can learn a lot from him. How about you? His talk will simply be the foundation for what Michael Mina and Holly Stiel have to share about how creating an amazing guest experience is our best means of succeeding as a Host. I am very proud of my Super Host status and continue to search for new and different ways to delight both new and returning guests. I am open to all of it.
I am especially interested in what the "Senior Nomads (Michael and Debbie Campbell) have to share as after staying with me for two week last year, one of my guests actually decided to give up their expensive San Francisco apartment, put their belongings in storage, and decided to do Airbnb for a year while she traveled around the west coast to compete in horse jumping shows and he flew to wherever she is on Thursdays and out again on Sundays to wherever his consulting business needed him. As a result, I am far more interested in what they have to share than I was last year.
I will get to researching some of the others when I have more time, but I think we might find that the Host Educators might actually be the most informative. They have asked for Hosts to volunteer. They are taking applications now. Though I have not volunteered, I have been approached by other Hosts to offer a segment on my near famous “25+ item Toiletry/Amenity” basket. I could certainly provide some funny anecdotes about how my husband believed that each guest would simply empty the entire basket in their luggage as people tend to do with hotels. I find it “interesting” to note that has not been the case. Guests are forever grateful for the things they had inadvertently left behind - and comment about it.
I feel that I charge and get Top Dollar for both of my Casitas and I am proud to say my guests get a consistent Over-the-Top “experience” staying at Tranquility Casitas. Even if I only come away with one or two new ideas I can use, it will be worth it to me and my guests.
Are you on the payroll as well? 
No, I am not, I think I might actually be too old. But, now that you asked, I had a lengthy discussion with my husband, Kent, this afternoon about he/we view Airbnb in our lives.
We came to the realization that the reality is Airbnb works for me.
The way I look at it, they are my IT Department, my Sales Department, my Marketing Department, my Accounts Receivable Department, etc. For all of this service and support I pay a 3% fee. They even screen all potential guests, verify them, and provide me with insurance protection that I would not be able to afford on my own.
Being from “another generation”, I have yet to fully comprehend how to best use Social Media to promote my Hosting, so I rely upon Airbnb’s platform to promote my property. They go to great lengths to build a framework within which I can work. I try to take each and every opportunity to watch educational webinars, etc. to learn as much as I can. The Open is just another opportunity to learn from Airbnb AND other Hosts on how I might improve the Hosting experience for my guests and myself. I thank you for asking the question so that I could put the relationship in proper perspective.
Come to think of it, they do send me money. Does that count?
@konacoconutz I happen to know @Oesmec in real life, and undoubtedly she loves ABB in some aspect, but also knows their faults, she is an AMAZING host and dare I say mentor. I am clearly jaded when it comes to the Open and after to speaking to @Oesmec today for over an hour, I understand the excitement and energy people have that are attending the open. I agree it is not for everyone, but those who are attending will definitely get a once in lifetime experience.
Thanks Oesmec for such a positive slant on the Open which we are attending. Two things count in business. A solid platform from which to work and enthusiasm. If we can get even more inspired by attending the AirBnB then that is great. Being around enthusiastic people is always good. I understand the monetary costs involved and trust me, coming from Australia, it is a big cost. But we love to travel. The open was the catalyst for our next trip. By the way, probably go to Cuba for 7-10 days prior to the Open seen as we are on that side of the world. Had a quick look at the AirBnBs in Cuba and they look awesome. Maybe we can even met up with some Cuban hosts at the open - Cigars anyone!
I agree they do a reasonable job handling a lot of the infrastructure of this business but remember they charge two fees: ~3% to you and 10-12% to the guest. Generally, I find guests aren’t very clear about the room vs transaction vs cleaning fees. Put another way, if you were dealing directly with the guest that might mean you could charge ~13-15% more. If one factors in insurance and some other benefits, then 15% might be very reasonable but the transaction cost we as hosts pay is about 4 to 5 times 3%.
My thoughts, too. This Open thing seems like one big advertising, Tony Robbins type hype, which is exactly what it is. It’s just marvelous that Gywnneth uses the service, but she would never in a million years use the properties that most of us offer: small time, one bedroom, couch deals that are the core of Air’s revenue.
Agree. I am also a great believer in having your own website so you can take direct bookings. Many are not comfortable with the AirBnB platform so we also need to consider them. My website enables direct bookings at just about the same price as they would on AirBnB. My attitude is if they come to my site, I have done the work. Downside is the host guarantee not being applicable and the general review process. With a maximum of two persons, not generally a problem.
How much is gwenie compensated to be the Air spokeswoman?
Off the record, as a writer for a major travel guidebook, I interview many of the activities providers here in Hawaii. One of them told me that Chris, Gwen and the kids came to use the zipline and just showed up. They didn’t request or expect special treatment such as shutting the whole attraction down for them. They were wonderful and down to earth, and you don’t hear that all that often. Can you imagine sharing the zipping platform with Mr. And Mrs Coldplay?
Hey Clyde. I think that’s great you’ve got your own web site to attract guests. I’ve often thought about doing that but didn’t quite know how to go about it. There is Craig’s I suppose, but my fear is that I’m going to get people who are really down on their luck and who probably don’t have a credit card so they can’t use Air. I do use Craig’s for drawing in prospective tenants for some properties I help manage and it works very well. But I have them fill out an application, plus I get to see them or hear what they sound like on the phone.
Would you mind telling us how it’s been using your site? As you mentioned, the down side is the lack of a review system as well as not having some protection from a 3rd party.
Hello J Wang. Sorry for the late reply. Actually just building my website now. Should be finished later today. We used to operate a large holiday park and sourced bookings from a variety of sources. Booking.com, Wotif, T.A and our own website. Doing direct bookings always best as we are in control and no commission payable.
With our current AirBnB listing, my thoughts are these. AirBnB has a relatively low penetration rate in Australia. Ie, it is not anywhere as mainstream as Booking.com, Wotif, Stayz and the various aggregators such as Trivago. If I just stick with AirBnB, I will miss out on those others who don’t use AirBnB. However, some of them are not suitable for my purposes. In short, the only sites I currently use are AirBnB and Stayz. Current booking mix is 50:50.
My golden rule however is never to have a business dependent on one source such as AirBnB. Regulations change. Markets change. Commissions change etc. By having my own website, I can be master of my own domain. (Apologies Seinfeld fans!). This also means that is a potential clients does an organic search, we get another chance to list our property in addition to sites we have already signed up to.
Initially I was going to link my AirBnB property to my own website. Ie, if they wanted to book, I would have a link to the AirBnB booking page for my property. However, I did some basic research and found some people (here in Australia) would be reluctant to use AirBnB due to a variety of reasons - trust, security, poor press in some areas etc etc) So instead I use a booking button for which I pay around $50 per month with no commissions payable. The payment system is linked though my Paypal though there are other options.
Downsides include the loss of the AirBnB insurance policy and the review systems. However, I still get to deal direct with the guests so I can still screen them in other ways. Other downside is room management but this is okay. Ie double bookings. As soon as the room is booked on one platform, I just need to go and block it with the other platforms. Quite easy with one property.
No point in sending my website link to you just yet as it is only half done. Give me a week or so if you want to see what it looks like.
Would like to see others who have their own websites. Am sure there are many.
To sum up, never build your business to rely on one external party like AirBnB. Things can and do change.
Wow. Sounds very complicated what you are doing. I see you mention some booking companies that seem very impersonal and even less likely to have any human contact with users. Airbnb still, at least in my corner of the world (Southern California) has a robust presence. Their best feature is the rating system because Air attracts the travelers who want to do it on the cheap; and that’s not a bad thing but it does attract some who are “on the fringe”. The review system filters out the poor souls you don’t want but allows people like me who cannot afford to stay at mainstream places to be able to travel.
Hi Oesmec. Taken me a while to catch up and read your post. Great rundown on your thoughts of the Open. We are going there with our eyes wide open. I really don’t expect to learn much at all from the actual open. Where I do see value is connecting with other hosts, sharing dinners and drinks and generally networking.
It is a long way for us coming from Australia - but I can claim a pro-rata portion of the whole trip on tax. (thats the accountants job anyway!) Going to fly into LA, then head straight down to Cuba for 7-10 days, then back to L.A for the open. I think 3-4 days left over. Ideally straight to San Francisco where I travelled a couple of decades ago. Maybe a day to visit Disneyland or Wally World.
One final thing, I just checked out your website. Very interesting, but can I offer one piece of advice? I had to look pretty hard on your site to find where and how to book your place. Suggest you put the link or booking button on your landing page as prominent as possible. This is how AirBnB do it. First up you see where you can input your dates and destination.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my Website. I totally agree with you about getting the Airbnb property links up front on the Main Page. Will get right on that. What is a “Booking Button?” Is that something unique to Australia? Your trip sounds absolutely amazing. Making the Airbnb experience “intimate” for 6,000 attendees is definitely challenging, but I do believe that the staff is doing everything possible to give us all the experience we are seeking. Glad you are coming.