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Yes, exactly. And I was just talking with a friend last night who booked airbnb for his travels around Ireland - and his experience was the very same. After spending a great amount of time researching listings in his limited free time, he would request to book and BAM be told that the space was not available. Because he’s a single guy traveling with a female friend? Because he’s Filipino? Because he’s under 30? Or because airbnb needs to cull the hosts who aren’t professional?
And to restate for the OP’s benefit - of 6 places we contacted in Oslo, THREE were not available. Of the three that were, I could never get the host to explain to me where all 5 of us would sleep. The photos didn’t show it well enough. That’s a 60% failure rate.
The last two were both good options and we picked one of those. But the time I wasted examining listings in detail and then finally choosing one was RIDICULOUS. Had I not had other experiences with airbnb I’m pretty sure I would have given up after the 2nd denied request. (Is it because I’m white? Because two of my kids are Chinese? Because I have teens? Because I’m a super host?)
It was especially frustrating that the listing that was our #1 choice continued to keep her listing up even though she told me she was selling it. I wrote her a second time and said “gee, I see your listing is still up; have you had a change of plans”? Heh heh heh.
I truly support my fellow host’s decision to not use IB but for us it has worked well - EXCEPT when blocked dates become unblocked. Therefore we have to use the brilliant suggestion to set your prices on blocked dates over $1,000. And I won’t limit my searches to just IB. But from a guest view-point I see that airbnb does have some valid reasons.
As @konacoconutz said, that immediate response rate should count just as much as IB when determining our rankings.
I’ll chime in as well that after trying to find an Airbnb in NYC in 2015 I was quite frustrated. This fall I searched via IB first and then if there was nothing I took IB off.
Using Airbnb as a guest makes me a better host. There should be a badge for that. LOL.
Disagree. I don’t think it has anything to do with their anti discrimination policy/image. It’s all about maximizing the frequency of bookings and amk Ng things as easy as possible for guests because that is who generates their revenue. It’s more about dissuading guests from going to booking, Expedia, etc. where they don’t have to ‘ask permission’ to book with you.
I find it disappointing because one of the things I’ve always liked about the classic air model is the social component to it. Now it’s just becoming another faceless booking tool. Business is business.
You could be right. Correlation doesn’t prove causation and just because the IB push and the anti-discrimination push happened at the same time doesn’t mean anything. I thought I had heard or read a credible source saying that was why but maybe not. [quote=“jackulas, post:25, topic:10609”]
classic air model is the social component to it. Now it’s just becoming another faceless booking tool. Business is business
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I have IB and separate entrance for guests. But I’m still using the social component. Most of my social component is after they arrive not before they book. I really love IB, lol.
My stay at Susan’s has been one of the best Airbnb experiences so far. Her apartment is wonderful: spacious, clean, quiet and cozy. The bed is very comfortable. Bed linen and towels are of high quality. The bedroom and the bathroom are humongous and I liked having a studio to return to and get some work done; a place that was also a room where I could have breakfast on my own. The apartment is bigger than what I could grasp from the pictures. Susan is a warm and caring host. Thanks to her tips and advice I have spent a wonderful pre-birthday and birthday vacation at her place and have discovered a gem of museum, a great restaurant and lovely walks around Boston and Somerville. I can’t wait to return to Susan’s place in the spring or summer!
It’s interesting to juxtapose this thread with the one on the results of a study.
If you click on the link and read the study Dr. Gutentag stated it this way:
“Airbnb guests are most strongly attracted to Airbnb by its practical attributes (e.g., cost, location, and amenities), and somewhat less by its experiential attributes (e.g., novelty and interaction). The comparative importance of Airbnb’s practical benefits contrasts with Airbnb’s advertising , which focuses almost exclusively on authentic local experiences and interaction with locals, with no mention of cost and limited mention of other practical benefits.”
I was just about to write the same thing! Wimdu has been doing this for at least two years - but they are slightly more transparent. The cheaper your prices, the more flexible your cancellation policy, then the better “emoji” you get. He’s sad if you price at your desired amount, he smiles a bit more if you drop the price a bit, and you get a huge smile if you’re very, very cheap. It’s beyond ridiculous, but at least you know that your search placement is going up. So doing it my way, I’m the 28th out of 80 listings for (for example) four people. Do it as Wimdu wants, and I shoot up to 3rd out of 80 listings. Still gross, but at least you see the cause/effect.
I wish I had more reviews like that. They always mention how helpful I am with sightseeing tips and such, but less about the room that I put my whole heart and soul into!
@cabinhost the listings I was most interested in happened not to be on instant book, in fact instant book didn’t seem to be used much in the Berlin market at all.
I had a 100% failure rate trying to get a booking in Berlin. All 6 hosts I approached had reasons they couldn’t host me on the dates I’d selected. All seemingly had great reviews and an excellent response rate. 2 requests timed out and were not responded to at all; their response rates stayed at 100%. All rather bizarre and at one point I had a real fear I wouldn’t find anything.
We’re on IB but only accept verified guests. I am not sure if this is causing our bookings to dip - we are very quiet in Dec and nothing so far for January. I’m wondering if I should relax it even further. However, we’ve already had non-IB guests who were a bit weird that we’ve declined (e.g. no profile picture).
Thanks for bringing up my study . I think the IB push really aligns with my research showing what Airbnb guests tend to be seeking.
To take it a step further, if you look at the market segmentation stuff (p.16-22 of the PDF), it’s clear that there are some guests who are comparatively much more drawn by the social/experiential aspect of Airbnb, and they are comparatively more likely to rent private rooms instead of entire homes. I think this is noteworthy, as I assume hosts renting private rooms want more screening ability and are therefore more resistant to IB. Consequently, even if Airbnb wants to push IB, it would be more sensible to focus exclusively on entire homes.
And I agree with the posters who feel this is more of a “increase bookings” issue than an “anti-discrimination” issue, regardless of how it may be presented.
Indeed, I think this is part of a broader pattern that will play out in various different ways. Here’s how I summarized it in the summary report:
“Looking towards the future, it is likely t here will be increased convergence between Airbnb and hotels as both strive to imitate some of the other’s strengths. While Airbnb does not want to sacrifice the authentic, personal touch that characterizes its accommodations and helps define its brand, it will continue experimenting with ways to provide a more reliable and professionalized hospitality experience…” (p. 24)
In my full thesis I explore this in a bit more detail as well, but didn’t have space to fit it into the summary report. (If you’re so inclined, the full thesis is linked to from the summary report page; see pages 223/4.)
Last year I remodeled my guest room, adding an ensuite bathroom and separate entrance while maintaining the entrance into my space. I didn’t do it with any confidence that I would get enough additional bookings to pay for it. Your study makes my expenditure seem like a better investment. It’s not as good as a self contained apt because there is no sitting area or kitchen but it’s quite affordable at $50 for 2/$40 for one and the rest of the house is here and I make it available by request.
Sounds good. I assume it’ll make a difference. As for a kitchen, that’s something that some guests would care about, and some not at all. Hope it works out!
That makes a lot of sense. Our rental is a separate apartment which is one of the reasons - maybe the main one - that Instant Book works for us. If Airbnb is heading more towards our type of rental (using IB) then the Airbnb ‘experiences’ make more sense as it allows guests to stay in a private space yet still get the local experience - for a price.
I wonder if it’s a model that other rental services will copy?
One of the factors I really like about Airbnb is the fact that it’s always evolving and changing. Even though the company has been around for quite a long time, they keep experimenting which I enjoy.
EEK! That would completely depend on the type of separate space and whether or not the owner is on site, etc. For example - I rent out a cabin that is secluded, no view from neighbors, etc. So I have surveillance cameras. Many guests assume the owner will not know if they decide to throw a wild bachelor party, and even a wedding. I have had to pry out of people if there would be extra persons. One time I even had a person say there would only be about 30 photographers and models there. Another person said it would be a small wedding. I could go on and on…
I have an efficiency set up that has been put on hold till another project gets complete. But when that gets up and running, my partner will be on site. I don’t believe we would have any issues with renting to a younger age group. The place will be completely different than the current rental - I would never allow six 18 year olds to rent my current rental. But I would have no problem renting out the efficiency to 18 year old guests with no screening. That’s only if they don’t lie about having an over occupancy of 2 persons.
Another thing to consider is that if you are instant booking on one site, you can easily double book from another instant book site. Unless, all the sites sync in real time, there is always a chance to double book. People with whole homes often times advertise on multiple sites. So unless you are 100% devoted to only advertising on Airbnb, then instant book will not work.
I feel if I lived in my own home with guests, then I would feel more comfortable with instant book, versus travelers instant booking a whole home. At least living in the home, you can stop bad behavior right then and there. When you rent out an entire home you have no idea if a group is destroying your house over a week’s time. You have zero control to even physically see or hear what is going in that home unless you are onsite or have cameras, or neighbors who will watch.
I rent the spare bedroom in my house. I have Instant Book enabled. If I rented a whole house where I couldn’t keep an eye on the guests I would be more concerned about screening guests.
Yep. Agree with previous posters… I would want to vet a guest more if they were renting a whole property instead of a room. My overriding concern is damage to a property, not theft, and so whole properties represent considerably more risk to me.
Our place hosts up to 14 guests with different bed configurations available, preparation required, etc.
Instant book simply wouldn’t work for us, and would likely hit our ratings in a big way, with no real benefit.
For the kind of groups that would be interested in a larger place, my experience is they are usually willing to take the time to request, and even do a little inquiring of their own.
So I try to achieve high search placement by quick responses, trying to maintain high reviews, and perhaps riding on superhost status, to overcome my not having instant book enabled!
. I think the IB push really aligns with my research showing what Airbnb guests tend to be seeking.