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If you didn’t watch the 2022 announcement film for ABB yet, you might want to take a look.
The film was released this morning, May 11.
We now have many more new categories for bookings, and they appear even after you’ve selected a specific destination.
The other thing most of interest to us hosts is Air Cover for Guests. This means if your guest can’t check in, or if your property is not as advertised, or if the air conditioning isn’t working, or other problems, guests can go directly to ABB for help, including compensation.
I really love the ABB platform both as a host and as a guest.
Yes, but I’ll bet they come after the host for compensation that THEY decide to give to the guest.
And some computer algorithm must have created them, because we are under “amazing pool” (it’s a standard 15-by-20 rectangle) and not under “amazing views” (which we have)
Chesky is also stretching a little to say that no other platform has something like AirCover. Vrbo has their “Book with Confidence” guarantee that is a lot like AirBnB’s program.
Not necessarily cynical - just realistic. AirCover for hosts goes after the guest first, so I would expect AirCover for guests would go after the host, first, too.
And there are good things about the categories, but we need a process to at least request changes.
I just received an answer on the Community forum that a computer algorithm selects the categories and there is no current way to have them manually reviewed. I was advised to take the pool out of all the pictures, and, over time, the category would end up being about the views… SMH
The wording on the “learn more” button said the algorithm selects it based on pictures, guest comments and more. THEN a group of employees curates the final selection and photo.
I can’t find my listing anywhere in the spots I looked.
That’s not what the Admin said on the Community forum. Here’s the quote from her: “There’s an algorithm that curates listings based on a number of listing factors such as titles and descriptions, and ranks them based on factors like popularity and price, so all the Host needs to do is keep their listing up to date and Airbnb will do the rest”. No mention of humans. And her advice to me was to remove any pictures with the pool in them and then it would pick up the view as the main category. Really? The pool is a great amenity that I don’t want to hide.
This is just screwed up. Our reviews call the view “amazing” “unparalleled” “breathtaking” “incredible” and almost NEVER mention the pool. One of our neighbors’ title is “It’s all about the view!” and they aren’t in the Amazing View category, either.
Oh, well, we’ll see how this works out. I understand the ranking. But to roll out this complete redesign with arbitrarily-assigned categories with no process to submit a request to change or add? Frustrating.
Good thing we are diversified and don’t count on AirBnB for all of our business. It will probably be a lower percent of our business after this change.
I am sorry, have gone through this site several times now and just CANNOT find how to start a new thread. Are you able to help me pls?
It must be obvious, but i have all but given up.
Jennifer
New posters have to spend a bit of time here before starting a topic post (I’m sure a moderator will tell you here soon the requirement, or they can override that if they choose to). It cuts down on spammers, like you see all over the CC, who post for the first time solely for the purpose of selling whatever they have to hawk, often couching it in language that says they are trying to help, and lying about being a host, when if you click on their Airbnb CC profile, you see they just joined, and are neither a guest nor a host.
We have 12 ABBS, website Rylance Holiday Homes so a legit host.
What’s happening is I probably do have something to offer, but as a host I would love it!!
I am an established long term contact for all the major insurers in Brisbane, (Australia) and can’t get enough homes for them, so I am looking for hosts that can offer their homes for 2 wks to 6 mths. No cost to them, unless the booking confirmed.
So yes, I could make money, but I hope it would be seen as 2 way street? Quality bookings at a premium return.
Do you think that would be a passable post? Hosts certainly would benefit at no risk.
Probably not. This forum is a place where hosts offer help, commiseration and banter about hosty things (and many non-hosty off-topic tangents) for free and for fun. It rubs most hosts the wrong way when someone posts some link to something they would profit from, under the guise of it being something that could help other hosts, even if it might, because the underlying goal is personal profit.
What does an insurance company have to do with bookings, anyway? I don’t get it.
Hosting forums are not free advertising sites, even for legitimate hosts.
To get back to the original topic, this major update, the categories, seems to be a disaster for hosts. It might as well be called “New platform for GenZ trust fund babies and digital nomads who are free to travel anywhere and everywhere based upon whether they like the decor or think a place looks cool”.
Check your listings folks- an algorithm has changed our listing headings, put whatever the algorithm has picked out from our amenities list as desirable at the top above the description, and hosts are finding their listings in categories that they do not want them in, with the cover photos changed to whatever the algorithm has chosen. Places which guests book because it is on the beach can’t be found under the beach category, but under something inappropriate, with their cover photo, which was the stunning ocean view changed out for their photo of the kitchen. You cannot choose your category or the cover photo that appears there- the algorithm is in charge. And I can’t find anywhere that tells you what category it has shoved your listings under.
My listing now says “Dedicated workspace” right under the title, which is the last thing I want highlighted- I don’t cater to digital nomads, nor is that why people book my place. I am going to have to remove it entirely from my amenities list for it to disappear. And that is what the mods on the CC are telling pissed off hosts to do, as if it’s perfectly okay- play around with your amenities list and photos in the hopes that the algorithm will place you in a category that suits your listing. It’s like some game where you aren’t privy to the rules nor what you have to do to win. Airbnb has outdone itself on Kafkaesque.
I am now soooo glad that I’m selling the house and retiring! A fresh new Chesky Hell? Not me?
And The Brian was all over media today, MSNBC and MarketPlace on NPR, bragging about how he and his dog have been staying in AirBnBs, booking himself on the platform, for the past year. Since he announced employees can live anywhere, they have received thousands of resumes.
I was already tired to having my settings arbitrarily changes, or bookings suddenly opened when they were deliberately closed. This artificial unintelligence would have driven me to quit anyway. What the eff were they thinking, rolling out a major change like this without asking hosts?
I like this new experiment, hopefully it will play out. Of course it wont be what hosts want it to be, if getting into category just needs someone to post “Amazing view” then everyone would be doing just that. Spamming their way into categories they do not belong.
It’s human nature. Everyone thinks their place is the best and should be on top or in some category, but if you go into details you will quickly find out hosts are wrong.
That’s just simply untrue. I don’t click amenities or use misleading descriptions. Aside from the ethics, I’d just have pissed off guests who would quickly rate me low for the misleading details and ruin my chance at future bookings
When I click on the town I’m in, now instead of 135 rentals, there are 400+ because they’ve added other places even if they’re 25-30 minutes away.
This all seems like such a bad venture, per usual not thought out as to how it will affect people, but hey, the big splash.
They’ve also done some wacky thing where you’re looking at a listing and the calendar is for some time in 2023 instead of the current month. This makes no sense.
Edit. When I was looking in the private window for my town, things all things seem to be listed.
Now, it I just use a regular search, there are none of the usual rentals in town, it’s all cabins outside of town.
How is this helping anyone?
