We need details on Chesky's "Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus"

What does this (below) mean for hosts in the west with an existing, upcoming reservation with a Russian guest living in Russia?

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No we don’t.

JF


,


We do when we have an existing reservation with a Russian guest – is Airbnb going to unilaterally cancel those reservations the way Boeing is cancelling its maintenance contracts with Russian customers? Are they going to block new reservations from guests in Russia, or just block new reservations within Russia?

So
 yes, we do need details.

No, you need details, from a purely financial perspective.

JF

Definitely something you need to know. I would think that existing bookings wouldn’t be cancelled, as Airbnb has already collected the money for the booking (unless he only paid half up-front).

They aren’t blocking Russian’s accounts- they can still book something outside Russia if they can find a way to pay for the booking.

Everyone host who has a reservation with a Russian guest is left wondering “Is Airbnb going to unilaterally cancel this reservation.” There is no financial consequence for me, we have been booked back-to-back since we reopened after COVID 20 months ago
 when I get cancellations the nights always seem to fill up. However both my Russian guest and I have been left confused by Chesky’s announcement.

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Umm, yes there is; but as you’re so busy, then do as you (should) see fit.

JF

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Yes – but the announcement begs the question “is that about to change?”

If Ireland-based leaseholders can cancel existing leases on passenger airliners used by Russian commercial airlines, Airbnb can certainly cancel travel reservations.

All over the world companies and governments are doing things they have never done before – in fairness to both guests and hosts Airbnb should not have made this announcement unless the tweet linked to a FAQ answering the obvious questions that it raises.

What is it you imagine I am doing?

Nothing, I was using the future tense, sort of. You’re using present.

JF

UPDATE
The company elaborated on Chesky’s tweet, adding that the ban would extend to Airbnb members of those countries trying to make any bookings on the site. from The Guardian newspaper:


 said a spokesperson for the company. “We will also restrict users in Belarus and Russia from making new reservations as guests.”

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I’m not sure why you are being chippy about this – an ambiguous twitter announcement left both my guest and me wondering, quite reasonably, “what does this mean for our existing arrangement?” – a question I imagine being asked by all other guests and hosts across the system who are in a similar situation.

In the meantime The Guardian ran a story several hours after Chesky’s tweet where the company offered some additional details:

"
 said a spokesperson for the company. ‘We will also restrict users in Belarus and Russia from making new reservations as guests.’ "

That is not very reassuring for current Russian reservation-holders, given that other western companies in other industries are unilaterally canceling contracts with Russian customers.

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I’ve no idea what “chippy” means from your perspective, in most forms of English it’s a colloquialism for a carpenter, and yup, that’s me.

I’ll be blunt. Your concern over this war all appears to emanate from the fact you might loose a couple of quid from a guest.

Personally, we know folk who are right in the mix, not guests, but real genuine individuals.

So essentially, take your faux concern and
 (stopping here as that naughty shelf is not a pleasant prospect).

JF

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@Sparky_O_Reilly You seem to have a genuine concern for your guest. Since rebooking hasn’t been a problem for you, perhaps it’s just best to wait and see; be as flexible and accommodating as you can to this real person, whose life is getting harder by the moment because his president is insane (I’m having flashbacks).

We should have compassion for everyone who is against this act of aggression
the victims in the Ukraine, and those, like your guest, who are willing to stand up and say so.

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The “former guy” is certainly insane. I don’t think Putin is insane. He’s evil personified.

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Chippy refers to the chip on your shoulder. If you are confused about the meaning of common English words you may want to turn to a very helpful online tool located at www.google.com

His cancellation would not cost me a farthing – as the space never fails to fill up (especially four months in advance in our busy season). His cancellation would actually open us up to more revenue, as we bumped up our summer rates after he booked, and there are a few dead days on either side of his reservation, so – to be blunt right back at ya – your ill-conceived comments about my motives have no basis in fact.

I should also point out that my guest is also a real genuine individual. He is risking his freedom by picketing against the war (he sent pics thru Airbnb channel) and I am sending him screen-grab jpg news stories from BBC, NY TIMES and CNN several times a day.

So essentially, take your faux mind-reading about my motives and
 (you know where I’m going here)

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That’s exactly what I am doing. What’s not clear is whether Airbnb is going to swoop in an cancel unilaterally

Well, I can see if a person is using a trip out of the country as a rouse to escape/defect why they’d be very anxious. Other than that, having a trip cancelled on someone seems a low priority concern in light of what’s happening on the ground. Maybe that’s what @JohnF is trying to say (not trying to speak for you JohnF, just trying to understand).

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having a trip cancelled on someone seems a low priority concern

I would agree if I went on a forum dedicated to discussing war or organizing peace protests and started talking about my Airbnb, but the whole point of this forum is that we discuss all sorts of little things related to managing an Airbnb. I started this thread because the CEO made a major announcement with vast implications for guests and hosts alike, and did not provide any details
 and that left both my Russian guest and me (as host) asking “What the hell does this mean?”

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I understand @Sparky_O_Reilly. It gets messy when worlds start colliding. It happens here from time to time (pandemic, crazy/wicked world leaders, etc)