Feedback Needed: Hosting Friends / Family

[blaine]

I’m creating a service that makes it easier for hosts to handle bookings of our homes / rooms by friends and family (typically non-paying guests). I’d like some feedback from fellow hosts who allow or have allowed friends / family stay in their Airbnb-listed homes or rooms.

I’m offering $25 Amazon gift cards to five people who can chat with me for up to 30 minutes on the phone to provide feedback about this idea and their experience with hosting friends and family. Please email me at blainev30 at gmail if you’re up for chatting. Feedback is welcome here too.

Thanks,

Blaine

[sitebnb]

I have a lot of family come over to my airbnb, usually they just come and I block the dates on the calendar and that’s it, I never charge them anything or do anything on top of that.

[RebeccaF]

I can’t imagine why a host would need such a service. Family/friends come to stay, and we have blocked the room on Airbnb for them.

End of story for me.

[jaquo]

@blaine

I’m creating a service that makes it easier for hosts to handle bookings of our homes / rooms by friends and family (typically non-paying guests)

How much easier can it possibly be?

[Brian_R170]

Maybe you should contact @vrbff , see this post:

Managing friends & family use of your property?

I realize this is a bit self-serving and I apologize in advance for that. One of the big challenges by home owners that rent on the big platforms is coordinating with friends & family. You might not want to use Airbnb for them but you still want to manage those bookings in an easy-to-use interface that syncs with the other services so you can block out dates accordingly. Over 50% of vacation homes aren’t rented on the big platforms. After surveying a 100 vacation home owners we found out that …

[blaine]

This is very helpful. Thanks, Brian!

[blaine]

I’d like to know the answer to that question as well. Would you be up for chatting about it?

[jaquo]

For an Amazon gift card? No.

[Helsi]

You haven’t provided us with enough information about the concept for us to know whether we want to chat to you.

What service are you actually offering. How much will it cost? In what way is it easier than simply blocking out the calendar on Airbnb and asking them to pay for any additional cleaning costs?

[Debthecat]

Don’t you actually talk to your family and friends? Surely we don’t need an App for this?

[jaquo]

@Debthecat

Surely we don’t need an App for this?

Exactly. It seems that people want an app to do absolutely everything for them. Recently, I asked my other half, who was standing by the window, what the weather was like. He looked at the weather app…

[KKC]

I sent an email and I’m willing to chat about it.

[GutHend]

@sitebnb

I have a lot of family come over to my airbnb, usually they just come and I block the dates on the calendar and that’s it

@jaquo

How much easier can it possibly be?

In my ideal scenario they just book through AirBnB … and behave like any other normal well behaved guest . Or better even they can just stay in other people’s houses for free or paid .

[blaine]

@Helsi

What service are you actually offering. How much will it cost? In what way is it easier than simply blocking out the calendar on Airbnb and asking them to pay for any additional cleaning costs?

Thanks for asking. I have a place in Las Vegas, and I frequently have friends and family who want to stay there. They usually text or email asking if they can stay for X dates. I then need to go check my calendar and get back to them on availability. If they want to stay, I need to block my calendar in Airbnb and tell the building that someone is coming. I then need to send my guest instructions for how to find the building, the wifi password, etc. Then, I need to email my housekeeping service to let them know to clean the unit. For while, I asked guests to simply pay the cleaning fee and at that time, I’d need to collect payment from them via PayPal or other.

My goal with what I’m building is to automate most of these processes. Rather than back and forth via text and email, I’ll simply send my friend a link where they can check availability and book. This link will most likely expire, so it can only be used once.

I’d like to understand other processes that hosts are dealing with to see what else this app might be able to automate. At this point, I know these services might not be worth paying for (at least for some hosts) and I’m not building this application to make money. Let me know if you’re interested in chatting.

[blaine]

@GutHend

In my ideal scenario they just book through AirBnB … and behave like any other normal well behaved guest . Or better even they can just stay in other people’s houses for free or paid .

Let’s keep this dream alive

[blaine]

@KKC

I sent an email and I’m willing to chat about it.

I’ll reply later today to find a time to chat. Thank you!

[blaine]

@Debthecat

Don’t you actually talk to your family and friends? Surely we don’t need an App for this?

Hi Deb, I do talk with them!

As you know, we all get busy though and I think this app might be able to simplify friends/family bookings. Please see my response to Helsi above for more details.

[Debthecat]

Check it is available - send them a special offer - I think the cheapest is $10 a night and it is all on the platform

[jaquo]

I still don’t get this. Why is the fact that the guests are family / friends any different to them being guests who are coming from Airbnb?

@blaine

I’d like to understand other processes that hosts are dealing with to see what else this app might be able to automate

1. Friend inquires. I look at availability on app. Approx 30 seconds
2. Block dates on Airbnb. Another 30 seconds.
3. Regarding cleaning, keys, etc. carry on exactly as I would if the guests were coming from any other lead source.

[cabinhost]

One thing you need to be careful with is tax implications in the U.S.

If you are giving away to friends/family - even if they pay cleaning and minimal amount - this will be used against the time you can use for your own home for personal stay use if considered to be price considerably under market.

Just keep that in mind.