what is a BDC model?
bookingdotcom
20202020
RR
Hi @Helsi, thanks for your feedback.
Its not my intention to âprescribeâ rather âdescribeâ.
Hosting and Landlording are what social scientists would describe as complex systems. Complex systemâs by their very nature cant be described with simple rules that catch-all eventualities just like you say. Social Scientists try to get around these issues by using terms like âas a rule of thumbâ.
What I should have said is: as a rule of thumb Landlording is product based and Hosting is a service based industry.
I think its really great that you treated your Long Term Tenants in the way you describe. But I think most landlords and tenants do not think this. I believe that the needs of the house (the product) is what is being traded rather than personal relationships (service).
On the other hand, (most) guests expect more than just a product. To use your example, they expect the equivalent of the Christmas cards you have given your tenants.
I agree with you that not all hosts think they run a service. As a rule of thumb, I think these hosts miss a trick. Simply presenting a clean accommodation without considering guestâs wants is what is becoming increasingly difficult in the hosting business.
On the other hand, I believe that in Long term Rentals business tenants still (largely) expect only their needs being resolved. They need 4 walls, a roof and guaranteed working boiler and these needs legal rights backing them up.
Tenants donât expect a Christmas card and assuming the product stacks up, they are still happy with it.
I think as a rule of thumb it is the hosts who are not service orientated think Airbnb is losing its shine.
Itâs only my experience, but I have just had the best ever month ever and in February too! To me, this is enough to conclude Airbnb is as shiny as ever. But then I also think thatâs because I run my Airbnbs as a service.
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Iâm on my way out gradually, migrating to Booking which is a far superior platform in many ways and is geared to older, more responsible guests. I do have to say that the whole âhey I know it sucks but itâs really kind of great tooâ defensive posture you adopt with regard to Airbnb is kind of curious. But to each their own.
Congratulations on your success. My business has been pretty constant over the last 4 years and I thus donât think my decision to part ways with the website is based on a product vs. service dialectic or lower revenue.
I do urge you to use some caution when looking to the future given the ways that Airbnb hosting changes dovetail with increasing municipal restrictions and hotel industry lobbying, which is the point of the message I wrote above when I first entered this thread. You might find that, somewhere down the long road that is real estate ownership, you have your âserviceâ commoditized and are therefore forced into more of a âproductâ model. But I am just describing not prescribing. 
@William_Norton Thanks for your advice I honestly understand your point of view.
I appreciate that my academic reaction to business these days would grate my previous instinctive business sense.
That said⊠(sorry its the way I function these days 
)
My studies would describe short term/ long term rental as examples of complex systems. They are always in a state of evolution. What the guests/tenants/councils do one day affects the landlord/hosts actions and visa versa.
Airbnb/Booking are still shiny as far as I am concerned due to the lack of municipal restrictions compared to the ones imposed on Long term rental. For example, my local council actively protected one of my long term tenants rights to remain in my house because they argued non-payment of rent is not a reason to evict someone. (Donât get me started on that one!
)
Iâve been taught that in a complex environment, one should act like a firefighter putting out a fire: sense, analyse and react. As opposed to a baker making a sponge cake by following a recipe.
If guests were to acquire these sorts of rights due to municipal or hotel lobbying my instinct would consider returning to rent my accommodation in the way I did for the 20 years before I moved into Airbnb. However, my education argues not.
Your instinct is right to warn against the increasing commodification of the service business too.
I have posted elsewhere about my excited reading of the experience economyâŠ
This article describes how each evolution of economic value is usurped by complex reactions to the market⊠so agrarian becomes industry becomes service which in their opinion moves to an experience economy.
If you believe these guys(I do) then for an Airbnb (service) business to protect itself from commoditisation, it should move into delivering an authentic experience, rather than move back to an industrial (product) business.
Iâm pretty passionate about this and Iâve posted about this before.
The Experience economy book gives more detail on how to do this. It has just had its 20th anniversary and I suspect has a great deal of influence on how Airbnb operate⊠which is one reason why I stick with Airbnb as a platform.
Well, that and the fact they sent me a present in the post twice!
What can I say Iâm a cheap date.
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Many people on this forum have posted about booking.com and donât like it for their business.
https://airhostsforum.com/search?q=booking.com
That doesnât mean it wonât work splendidly for you.
Exactly. Every Airbnb and host is different. Your rental and mine are in the same city, donât attract the same kind of guests, donât produce the same results.
I donât know why you call this a defensive posture. When I acknowledge that Airbnb often sucks, Iâm recognizing that others have had bad experiences with it. Iâm saying that they donât care about hosts, only guests, as itâs just the way it is. Itâs called commiserating. I donât have to have had the same problems you have to feel sympathy for your experience. My 5 years, 700 guests and 98% 5 star reviews exist. My experience is just as valid as yours but neither of us taken alone can stand in as a representation of all that is Airbnb.
I hope your bitter cynicism serves you well on Booking dot com.
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No, thatâs not correct. The guests you specifically may receive from BDC might be older, but in our case itâs the complete inverse.
Our BDC guests are spread over the complete age spectrum, but weighted towards younger domestic guests. The age demographic with Airbnb is the weighted towards the older guest, usually non domestic and spending several weeks in Spain/Portugal/France.
Why this is? No idea, and donât have the time or inclination to do major analysis on our visitor stats 
JF
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Exact opposite in my case.
I was CONSIDERING AirBnb & STR. I have a number of LTRâs, none of which would be âgreatâ for STR. As a result, I would have to go out and find a good STR location/property.
However, I am starting to ârethinkâ this idea. There have been a LOT of DEATHS reported at Airbnbâs recently. Some were via shootings, others were accidents. Add in the difficulty of getting insurance from major carriers, and I think I will âpassâ & stay with my LTRâs.
Granted, you take a risk with anything, but I donât see a need to invite more risk over a few dollars.
If single numbers of deaths across the entire world are enough to make you scared then you indeed should not be hosting short term.
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Mea culpa! Over time I inherited a lovable crew of long termers. I was able to background checks and they are fully vetted. And they are good people.
CatskillsGrrl: Not the ONLY reason, but A reason. I have a bunch of LTRâs that run like âclockworkâ. I have owned them for 10+ years. I can count the late pays on one hand.
It just looks to me that STR are too time intensive & a lot more added risks.
A-Lan
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Air worked very well for me for a long time, and I am grateful. The one star bullet was very demotivating, but I would be willing to fight. And I live in a city that seems pretty laid back.
What killed it for me was having a home share, and not being well suited to having critical strangers.
I still have the odd listing, but it is no longer my primary source. As mentioned, my insurance firm may deep six that, too in favour of all LTRs.
What brings you to this forum if you have no short term rentals?
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I thought this was and airbnb host forum? I didnât realize it was limited to STRâŠI for one welcome input on LTR options as the STR industry is really getting cracked down upon.
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First of its not â few dollars" . Itâs a significant difference overall per year. To buy a property for STR nowadays is too risky. Most people started out with what they already had
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Yes, it is primarily focused on hosting on AirBnB, although much of the information is applicable to other platforms.
There are hosts (including myself) who rent LTR as well as STR. In general, it doesnât make sense to do LTR through AirBnB, as most people look for long-term rentals on Craigslist, Zillow, etc. thatâs part of the reason why you donât find as much discussion about LTR on this forum; the other major reason is AirBnB is a very expensive way to acquire a tenant.
I have a bunch of LTR and I was considering it as a future business model. I am wanting to buy a condo in Cali & rent it out when I am not there. My goal of being on this forum is fact finding/exploration. I didnât realize I needed to justify myself. 
Thx.
Makes sense! 
I will say, however, that I feel your contention that there are âlots of deathsâ is not accurate. Worldwide I am sure it is a minute fraction the guest stays and probably tracks with homicide and accident rates generally. But a death at an âAirBnbâ makes good copy. A death at a hotel does not.