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Wouldn’t it be great if Airbnb started rewarding good guests? This would give all guests an incentive to become better guests. Since it’s all about travelling cheaper, how about rewarding good behaviour with money (Airbnb coupons). It would be far more effective than what they’re doing now with the stars and reviews and would encourage loyalty and repeat business.
Instead, let’s say guests earn badges. Badges for cleanliness/house rules/communication, badges for bookings that they make and keep, badges for referring a friend, blah blah blah. After accumulating so many badges, they start to receive travel coupons.
And who will have to pay for these coupons you think?
I’d rather give a good guest a coupon myself, so they or a family member will return to me.
I am not willing to pay for a good guest to stay somewhere else.
Airbnb would pay and all it would take is a re-allocation of their current business development budget. The trickle down effect would create a much better hosting experience for all of us and give guests a big reason to be better behaved and to be loyal to Airbnb.
How about if they made Superhost harder to get and then took some money from that voucher program and put it toward a Superguest program? Also, rewards get given and never used so the cost is reduced. Last year I only used $85 of my $100 coupon.
My guests have never mentioned my review of them. I fear that if they stand to get travel credits they will badger me to write a glowing review. Some guests have told me that other hosts have tried to “guide” they review they write. One guest told me that she stayed at a place that had a cockroach infestation. The host begged her to not mention it in her review. I never ask the guest to write anything specific or leave anything out. The exception is if I do them a special favor like giving them a ride I ask them not to mention it in the review.
So you’re thinking there would be too much abuse of a guest rewards program? I understand it does happen in the reverse order (hosts badgering guests for a good review) just from reading posts on this forum. If hosts lose their stars they will lose bookings and therefore income. It’s all money based. Money is an incredible motivator.
I don’t know the answer, but it could be an interesting test project. Especially if the Superhost program were to be revamped into something that made more sense. Each program would work in simpatico. Airbnb currently doesn’t have a strong enough system to encourage good guest behaviour. That has to change. Hell, if they could get guests just to read the listing and house rules that would be a huge step forward.
One of the Airbnb representatives I spoke with said that they are thinking about making the house rules scroll slowly to encourage guests to read them. I think the best way would be to have first time guests watch a “training” video then answer some questions that were covered in the video as part of the process of opening an account.
They should expand them. Right now they have a Read More button. Or what about simply having them agree to the house rules as they are booking. What’s so hard about that?
When they Instant Book they do agree to the house rules and that they must agree to the check in/check out times. It doesn’t help. Our current guest told me that he would arrive at 3:00 P.M. which is my check in time. He arrived at noon.
