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Just like last topics on new observed features, I would like to remind that what may be new to me is probably not new to others, but if it is new to me there is a chance that other people have not seen that on their Airbnb account.
Those 2 screens can be found in a new page: https://www.airbnb.com/users/booking_permissions. Probably not released yet globally (I don’t see even them under my own account, those screens come from a host based in the UK).
I live in a city with back to back music festvals in summer. Last year I had a couple of bookings by festival organizers for artists coming in. All great, but the downside is no reviews because they presumably send the reminder only to the person who booked. If they can correct that, it would be a plus for me!
I will allow someone to book for someone else PROVIDED that I get the guest’s full name, phone and home address and reason for visit at the same time. Often a daughter or son books for a parent or vice versa. But if they don’t provide all this information (I assume AirBnB gets all the required information and ID of course) I wont accept it. A woman who lives in my neighborhood recently inquired for her father and I replied that first she had to tell me his name, phone, etc. She never responded. I dont know why, if it was a legitimate inquiry.
@smartbnb.io, I was just reading through the new TOS and was very surprised to see it,state that using their API is a violation of their TOS?!! How do you handle this? Are you also a host? Do you keep,your identity on the down low?
Using an API is not a violation of their TOS. An API is designed to be used. Especially, this is the best secure way to ensure a mobile app can communicate with a remote server. There is no way around it.
Everyone in this forum is using Airbnb’s API daily, if not hourly, without knowing it. Hundreds of companies before Smartbnb are using Airbnb’s API, or worse, scrape Airbnb’s website which is much more expensive in terms of resources to Airbnb.
If you refer to point 14 of their Terms, it precludes any usage of the site, mobile apps or API to
use or expose private content that is not publicly displayed (The real address? That is not using the API: that is flat out illegal hacking.)
inconsistent with Air’s Privacy policy or Tos (which doesn’t say much, but is more than fair game)
violates privacy or other rights, in particular IP or database rights (Smartbnb has the same access to private data as you have, for the same time as you have, under the same conditions).
I had a closer look today for a client. Turns out, it was there all along in the first point of the TOS.
Airbnb provides an online platform that connects hosts who have accommodations to list and book with guests seeking to book such accommodations (collectively, the “Services“), which Services are accessible at www.airbnb.com and any other websites through which Airbnb makes the Services available (collectively, the “Site“) and as applications for mobile, tablet and other smart devices and application program interfaces (collectively, the “Application“).
And later:
Your Airbnb Account […] will be created for your use of the Site and Application based upon the personal information you provide to us or that we obtain via [Facebook or Google].
If you can use Airbnb.com, you have a licence to use the API. But Airbnb’s won’t give you the documentation on how to use it.
You have a space shuttle in your garden, but NASA won’t tell you a thing about it. NASA, however, will deny any claim that they have a space shuttle program.
