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X[quote=“Sarah_Warren, post:16, topic:7390”]
There is a reason I found the listing site that works best for me and why I’ve decided to not list on other sites. I’m not mad at the guy, I just don’t think he should be on Air if he doesn’t want to have a basic understanding of the platform and actually host his guests. I"m all for hands off in whole spaces as that’s what I offer as do you @konacoconutz, but do you really want Air clogged with commercial vacation properties? I’m tired of being buried in the results by listings that are “hosted” b
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But I’m still not getting why you found his place “commercial?”
We were all new once and deserve a chance to work through the learning curve without getting reported. Yes, he took down his listing, but what if he didn’t want to remove it and he got flagged just because he is new?
VRBO has recently enlisted a bunch of new fees and restrictions so long time users are getting discouraged and some are trying Air. I think that maybe you were his first inquiry.
Since he took his listing down I can’t go back and look at it. But his starting pic was of the condo building, he had barely any information, and when I asked for info he immediately responded with “send me your email and I’ll send you a contract”. When I said “I’m sorry, but as an Air host I do not think it is appropriate that you list on Air and then try to book outside the system.” He immediately got hostile and started personally attacking me. Then I flagged him. Not because he’s commercial (which I still don’t like), but because he violated TOS off the bat and then started to personally attack me when I said I would be booking elsewhere for his trying to go outside the system.
I report anyone, guest or host, that tries to get me to book outside the system. It’s not my job as a potential guest to educate a new host. I do consider it part of my job to help educate new guests, but again, not if they want to book outside the system.
I think that’s exactly what the “flag” is for. I’m not removing them. I’m flagging behavior that is against TOS. If it happens frequently or if Air looks it over and deems it a problem, they remove them. It’s not fair to those of us running legal places that fit the Air system to overlook places that give Air a bad name or violate TOS. No wonder municipalities are fighting Air, and hotels are joining.
Air doesn’t want you to go off platform because they would lose their cut. Period.
Municipalities are fighting Air and all other short-term rental sites because STRs subvert city zoning policies, urban planning, and reduce housing stock for local residents.
The Hotel Industry is fighting Air and STRs because it’s unfair competition and their bottom line is getting hurt.
But all those things hurt hosts trying to offer up their homes and actually host guests as a supplement to their income. I don’t think most hosts want people to buy up what used to be LTRs and listing several places on air. And we sure don’t want hotels joining. We want to quietly offer up our places and not be regulated out of business by hotels fighting us or municipalities who want to micromanage people in their own homes who aren’t a nuisance.
So flag listings that are hotels, those that ask to pay outside the system (if you’re listed on air you’re agreeing to the fees). I’m all about giving people who want to repeat my number as at that point it’s on me and I’m not using Air’s search engine and trying to bypass the system. I book for friends and acquaintances outside the system as they’re not using Air to find me.
And people listing on Air isn’t unfair competition to hotels. They have a market, and if Air would actually enforce what they market we offer a completely different product. Of course it makes hotels scared because many are gross in many cases or out of people’s price range if managed properly. But if I were wanting a gorgeous well managed resort stay I wouldn’t be looking on Air and I would be willing to pay the price. But if I want to rent from a host I shouldn’t have to sort through dozens to hundreds of listings that are listed on several other sites and then be asked to bypass the system I chose to use.
I wouldn’t have a problem flagging a host with clear violations or illegalities (say 10 beds in one room) or other over the top issues, but this one didn’t strike me as anything more than a clueless newbie. No you don’t have to be responsible for educating hosts but I would just use a lighter hand in flagging. Who’s to say what is commercial and what isn’t? You can’t really tell from the listing what the situation is unless it’s really flagrant violation.
As a host who you would consider a ‘remote’ host, I will disagree with you saying I’m not legit or the ‘style’ of ABB. The style of ABB host, in ABB’s eyes is anyone that will make money for them. Yes, they have started this live like a local campaign, but let’s not forget they are in this for one thing $$$ and a huge IPO.
We offer our guests in our ‘remote’ locations a comprehensive guide book, maps galore, discounts on activities, and even the ability to have local dinners with people we know in the area (that do this for a fee). So, just bc a host is remote, does not mean you will be getting a cookie cutter experience.
We split our time, mainly between 2 of our 3 ABB properties. Would you like to know what the common complaint we get from guests in our ‘main residence’? That it’s too lived in and not a proper vacation rental.
You’re working on making it personal. The one’s I’ve been finding live across the country (like plane ride, not road trip), and no personalization. I just think since there’s so much variety and over-saturazation guests have no idea when they’re getting. [quote=“azreala, post:30, topic:7390”]
That it’s too lived in and not a proper vacation rental.
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haha, those kind of comments crack me up because it’s clear that you’re in someone’s home!
Of course people manage off-site, and that’s up to the host what they want to deal with. But if I’m renting through Air, seeing “Hi I live in Texas and manage properties in many different states”. Hmm, not appealing on Air, especially since it’s been 12 hours and I still haven’t heard back. They should be listed on VRBO, probably are. People can make it work, but no wonder there’s so many horror stories about Air that are completely justified and ruin it for involved hosts.
We live a 20 hour plane flight between 2 of our ABBs. We have been making it work since 2010 and I only list on ABB. I think no matter where you live and or host, you need to be a good host, and that includes answering responses timely, and providing an accurate description of your listing. The people you were interacting with, just seem like bad hosts, or as @cabinhost and @konacoconutz pointed out new hosts.
I disagree with you that a remote host equals a bad hosts. I know plenty of local hosts that have very bland, non personal spaces, don’t communicate, etc. Like I mentioned above, bad hosts are bad hosts regardless of proximity to their rental.
Local municipalities get big dollars from the hotel industries, in the form of ‘occupancy taxes’. This is not easy to get out of a mom & pop operation not even registered as a ‘hotel’.
Airbnb, if I am not mistaken, has ONLY one policy when it comes to payment: 100% up front. VRBO does not. Imagine how many times this issue comes up by potential guests with a listing that averages say $2500 per stay (for 5 days) and is booked well into the future? Imagine how much money Airbnb is holding for something that hasn’t occurred, and the host doesn’t see a cent of till the guest arrives.
We have very good friends in Bali and although they mainly use non ABB, they have encountered 10% of these guests not showing up or paying the deposit. If they cancel because of no deposit then they get lowered on the search ranking.
True. But with VRBO I have the identical terms for me, as Airbnb. In VRBO they must pay 60 days in full prior to arrival. Since I am on 60 days strict with Airbnb, it is the same risk, from my point of view.
I thought that if they don’t pay the security deposit there is nothing the host can do, but cancel and risk a nasty gram from VRBO or lower search rankings??
Also, with ABB you would get 50% of the total booking even if cancelled?
Ah. Got you sis. I have never encountered that with VRBO. I dropped Bookings.com for something similar to that and just plain personal hate, actually because THEY write what you are offering. not the host.
I like the VRBO options more than Airbnb, in fact in my case, is the biggest hurdle with guests, they have to send say $3000 for a booking 2 years away, for graduation, honeymoon, get-together, birthdays, anniversaries,etc; and if they don’t they will never see the place. I go through this ~every single day~.
