I travel a lot and have stayed at 50+ airbnb places all around the world -- but the biggest problem is that the reviews are always so artificial you honestly have zero idea of what you're getting into.
Worst of all is the amenities, which are more often incorrect than not. I generally filter for places with washer + drier, as I'd rather not be looking for laundromats. Probably over 80% of listings that say they have a washer and drier do not. Most of the time the "drier" is a drying rack or a hair drier. Other times the host explains that I can visit his house or a laundromat, so that counts. Or the last place there was a shared washing machine between 30+ places.
And because you can't leave anonymous tips, I just add the problem by leaving positive reviews even when I'm unhappy with the place. Currently my airbnb profile shows me an an exceptional guest (I have nothing but positive reviews for me, and have given nothing but positive reviews) so have never had a problem getting any place I want. I don't really want to pollute my profile with candid feedback.
When I'm staying somewhere for 1 or 2 nights, I tend to just get a hotel. There's too much friction and problems in airbnb for it to be worth it.
> but the biggest problem is that the reviews are always so artificial you honestly have zero idea of what you're getting into.
> I just add the problem by leaving positive reviews even when I'm unhappy with the place
So stop actively making the problem worse. Retaliatory reviews aren't a thing, because the host can't see your review until after they post theirs, and the only outcome from a potential host tracking down all of your past hosts' listings, digging through possibly dozens or hundreds of reviews to find yours, and finding out that you said that the listing wasn't as described is that you'll get suckered by fewer accommodations that aren't as described. There's no good reason to post a falsely positive review of a bad listing.
"I don't really want to pollute my profile with candid feedback."
This is how I feel about most things. A lot of times I give everyone 5 stars (things on fiverr, reviews for customer support, airBnB reviews, etc) even if the service is mediocre, partially because I don't want to deal with the potential problems of giving poor reviews.
Potential problems include being unable to get files after a project (fiverr → giving someone a bad review), staying at a previous airBnB (giving them anything less than 5 stars), potential harassment (giving anything in general a low review), someone getting fired for anything less than 5 stars (Customer support), potential tampered food (not tipping even if poor service or leaving a bad yelp/google review).
Its kind of silly that the public standard (for 5 star reviews) is 3 stars is bad, 4 stars is ok, and 5 stars is good in general. 1 star is just biased, 2 stars are worse than 1 stars in my opinion just because it shows you put enough consideration to give them a 2.
This applies to reviews on airBnB, uber, amazon, ebay, etc.
Hosts (or anyone) can look at your profile to see the reviews about you, but not the reviews you've written. They would have to know the places you've stayed and then search through those reviews to find yours. So I don't think you should be worried about leaving honest reviews.
You complain about the problem but then add to it yourself. Post honest reviews. Host can't see it until they already wrote your review. There's also star ratings. I write honest reviews and also have "profile that shows me as an exceptional guest".
And they are only doing this in the big cities where there is plenty of competition. When I've stayed at sketchy AirBnBs, it was not a surprise. The real problem is in the boonies where there might only be a couple places available in an area and there is a shortage of experienced hosts. I recently left a 3* review (only one 4* out of 24 stays) for a place 30 miles outside Cleveland. Place was a dump with an absent host who had me call the cable company to fix the WiFi and then gave me a runaround for weeks when I asked for a discount. Three butter knives in the silverware drawer, bedroom door that had no key so God help you if you locked it. But it had great reviews!
A lot of people don't do the distinction between a washing machine and a drying machine. I'd be surprised if the places you visit did not have a washing machine at all.
This is strange marketing as it almost sounds like the non-Plus listings aren't what people already expect to some degree from an airbnb.
> With Airbnb Plus, you can always check in effortlessly. Every home is equipped with a lockbox, keypad, or a host who is on-call to greet you.
This is so weird. How would you otherwise check in to a home if it doesn't have self check in or a host?
> When you book an Airbnb Plus home, you get the focused attention of our Airbnb Plus customer support team–a highly-trained team committed to great service and faster responses
Okay, so if there is no self check in and no host to greet me at a non Plus home, I'm stuck with a poorly trained unresponsive agent.
I realize that they want to differentiate the hotel-like quality airbnbs from the others, so they can give it a badge and therefore justify a higher price for it, but the delivery is odd, as other commenters have pointed out.
An alternative approach could be to describe such listings as "Guaranteed X, Y, Z". I think with that language it wouldn't undermine the quality of the non Plus listings as much.
Airbnb employee here: Re: the check-in and on-demand requirement, this means that there is 24 hour check-in available vs. a pre-set check-in time that you would have to coordinate closely with a host. This would mean that there's a keypad, lockbox with a key and/or a doorman or local key person who will bring the key on demand when requested.
Many Airbnbs I've stayed in will just have a key under a house plant or doormat. The key can be a little tricky to find that way but for a lower cost listing it's totally fine (by me).
I suspect that's the sort of practice they're trying to parse out for this Plus offering.
I don't usually care about naming at all because it's typically irrelevant to the actual product. But "Plus" seems like surprisingly bad naming, especially for a company that has excelled at branding (I don't love the new logo). Uber's "Select" and, to a lesser extent, Lyft's "Premier" seem better.
Agreed and as an Airbnb host myself, slightly confused. To add to what you said, why book and pay a premium for an Airbnb+ when there are thousands of standard listings that already crush plus listings.
As it stands, I have hosted 273 stays and have 184 reviews with an average rating of 91% five star reviews between two rooms.
The number one comment I get from guests is that my place is far better then a hotel and far less expensive. Enter Airbnb Plus "hotel like quality" which from my perspective and my guests, Airbnb Plus would appear to rank lower than many standard Airbnb listings.
And this does not even take into account hosting element.
I mean, it sounds fairly accurate. Checking in at my last AirBnB required texting the guy who rented it who had to drive out there to give me a key and it had to be between 5 and 7 pm. And don't get me started on tech "innovator" support...
This offering looks nice, but half the bullet items listed as benefits were things that I already thought were guaranteed by AirBnB... This seems like an excuse to lower their standards on non-Plus listings.
AirBnb sells feelings of authenticity, but it comes across in an uncanny-valley sort of way. I did an AirBnB cooking class experience in the suburbs of Mexico City. It was really fun, I got to meet a few great people, and it was in a lovely house. But how genuine are the host's laughs at my jokes when I'm paying him for the class? It doesn't feel real.
Staying at an AirBnB is a less homogenous than staying at the Hilton. There's a bit more risk involved (not necessarily safety, but cleanliness, noise, etc). Hotels, on the plus side, are run like businesses and feel more impersonal. It's more honest than an AirBnB experience in a way.
More to the point, I'm surprised the company keeps improving their product like this. It's not Dropbox or Yelp, which don't feel too different after 10 years.
Airbnb is trying to make more money by offering experiences (events that generally seem very expensive to me) and moving to a more high-end branding. If I open the website I mostly see the more exclusive places first.
I think this opens opportunities at the bottom. A website that focusses on functionality and cheaper rooms. The public is now familiar with the concept. Some people do not want to pay above hotel prices to stay somewhere for the night only. They are looking for a simple, clean and cheap bed. I am one of those.
I used to rent out a room on Airbnb, it was a great experience. Both renting and staying I met cool people, as they were often keen to chat or hang out. And cheaper than a hotel, usually hostel prices. I never minded that staying in someone’s house would often mean a haphazardly tidied room with no available cupboard space.
Fast forwards a few years and I rent out a spare room to a friend at below market price, well below Airbnb price. I can’t be bothered with the standard that people now expect, I hate the attitude of Airbnb (ie use instant book or get fcked), and I find myself feeling guilty at contributing to the short supply in housing.
Nor have I stayed in an Airbnb for a couple of years, I’m back to hotels. It’s not cheaper (what are their fees even for?), and it’s usually a purposed Airbnb property, rather than someone’s home. It’s lost it’s magic.
That is definitely an interesting perspective and I would agree there are a lot of people who just want the lower cost and clean bed for a night. However, is this move to add functionality really moving Airbnb out of the low cost market? You can still find very inexpensive options (as long as there are hosts) on the website. Airbnb, I would say, is just expanding their market pool not limiting it.
I would say there's very little motivation for hosts to have cheaper rooms. These services make a bad reviews so high cost to the host that everyone just tries to make it 5 stars.
That and in the in the bottom there's always normal long term house renting for very little effort.
I think hotel booking sites are already moving into that market. Agoda has listings for whole property rental that previously would've only been found on Airbnb.
They don't explicitly state this, but I really hope one of the things they guarantee with Plus is that the host isn't expecting you to cover up the fact that you're in an AirBNB.
I love the service overall, but I absolutely hate getting the morning-of-checkin email saying "Hey can't wait to host you, by the way, tell the receptionist you're my cousin and if any of the neighbors are in the hallway please just pace around the elevator until they leave." This seems to happen 90% of the time in New York places.
This happened to me in Toronto (my local coworkers said it was a common thing) and the doorman threatened to not let me in and to not return my bags that the airline temporarily lost and delivered there.
Reliable check-in
With Airbnb Plus, you can always check in effortlessly. Every home is equipped with a lockbox, keypad, or a host who is on-call to greet you.
Love the implication that the check in process for their regular listings is unreliable :^)
Otherwise, as others are pointing out, interesting to see where their priorities lie - certainly these high touch experiences are bringing them more money than people renting out a spare bedroom.
I do wonder how much of a pain this must all be for hosts - anyone who’s ever been in a slightly expensive place knows how entitled people spending money can get, and that must be a huge pain to deal with when it’s someone staying in your house making a fuss because you didn’t offer them organic orange juice in the morning. This happened to a friend of mine who hosted someone for a few nights, on regular Airbnb, with no promise of breakfast whatsoever in the first place. Again, people can get really entitled when they’re spending money. She stopped hosting as the result of that experience (they complained about more than the breakfast, but that’s one thing they were weirdly pushy about).
I’m just writing with respect to personal experience, but I would rather book a hotel even over an Airbnb Plus. The reasons? Rewards are harmonized, reliable rooms, cleaning, 24-hour person on site should there be a problem. With an Airbnb, I might get a few of the qualities listed above, but never all of them. And Airbnb pricing often is the same as comparable (if not better) hotels.
I rented a place with Airbnb. A lot of the reviews said it's 13th floor with a gorgeous view. The actual place was on the 2nd floor. I called airbnb and the angry lady said that they are not responsible for the reviews and advised me not to trust them. She said I'll get no refund.
To me the homes, people and their experiences in the video feel artificial. Thus the whole video makes me strangely uncomfortable, even though I am probably in the target audience.
So they basically just used user feedback to sort their existing catalog into two catagories letting the upper one increase their prices.
Makes sense. You were able to find some killer deals with extremely nice places that where waay underpriced because the hosts were decent human beings. They'll likely get contacted by AirBnB with "You could join airBnB plus... and you can price it 40% higher than current with us only taking twice our usual cut" or similar
Makes sense - a subset that's had a bit more oversight from AirBnB, to filter out the ghost hotels and places with one fork, no coffee machine, and furniture that's all basic IKEA stuff.
I use Airbnb a lot. When the location is bad the reviews are often bullshit. People are afraid to leave a negative review. I would be willing to pay more to know the history of complaints that Airbnb receives directly through their support line. In the past I've discovered that Airbnb knew that there was a problem with a location but gave the owner another chance and did not follow up.
How much of AirBnB's current valuation is predicated on the assumption that they'll eventually capture a hearty share of the business and high-end/luxury traveller segments (i.e., the high-margin profit drivers)?
I see moves like Plus as AirBnB trying to "professionalize" aspects of their product, but they'll never be able to provide the "guarantee (or recourse)" of an established hotel chain.
Outside of those who are cost-conscious, or those with unique accommodation needs (large groups, etc.), it's hard to imagine why any discerning traveller would opt for an AirBnB over a traditional hotel, all things being equal.
Way to level up! I actually think this combined with the new superhost incentives are a very well-considered, combination to elevate the overall quality of the platform overall.
The down side is: it seems like this may alienate new hosts by creating an (overwhelmingly) high bar for a listing. Not everyone is a semi-professional hotelier. How will that be balanced out?
Be careful not make would-be hosts feel too self-conscious to list their space. It's a fine line between building community and alienating it when curation bias turns into a core pillar of a company's identity.
I think discouraging new hosts by setting the bar (and company identity) so high is a net-negative for long-term community building. It makes total sense short-term, and it makes sense for an OTA like Booking. Long-term: it shoots the notion of home-sharing in the foot and without new hosts feeling welcome, a growing market can't sustain the demand.
Personally (I'm obviously biased lol), I'm obsessed with the notion that everyone is a host. Everyone would host someone, and it's a platforms job to help match those people to public listings, homes privately listed (networked via communities / friends), homes that have professional photos, homes that even have no photos (because if you're booking a friend's home, who cares). I'm not saying lower the standards, I'm saying change the frame; it's as a matching game threaded by community.
The main part I like about this is Airbnb actually verifying things in properties. It's always annoying when a listing has tiny lies in it about wifi and other small things. I really want that Airbnb rewards program though
Wow. First I was confused and then on reading closer I can only say - what a load of bs. So, they take the same experience and re-package it to charge more money. And here I thought Uber's packaging on some of their ride categories was bs.
[+] [-] grapehut|8 years ago|reply
Worst of all is the amenities, which are more often incorrect than not. I generally filter for places with washer + drier, as I'd rather not be looking for laundromats. Probably over 80% of listings that say they have a washer and drier do not. Most of the time the "drier" is a drying rack or a hair drier. Other times the host explains that I can visit his house or a laundromat, so that counts. Or the last place there was a shared washing machine between 30+ places.
And because you can't leave anonymous tips, I just add the problem by leaving positive reviews even when I'm unhappy with the place. Currently my airbnb profile shows me an an exceptional guest (I have nothing but positive reviews for me, and have given nothing but positive reviews) so have never had a problem getting any place I want. I don't really want to pollute my profile with candid feedback.
When I'm staying somewhere for 1 or 2 nights, I tend to just get a hotel. There's too much friction and problems in airbnb for it to be worth it.
[+] [-] BugsJustFindMe|8 years ago|reply
> I just add the problem by leaving positive reviews even when I'm unhappy with the place
So stop actively making the problem worse. Retaliatory reviews aren't a thing, because the host can't see your review until after they post theirs, and the only outcome from a potential host tracking down all of your past hosts' listings, digging through possibly dozens or hundreds of reviews to find yours, and finding out that you said that the listing wasn't as described is that you'll get suckered by fewer accommodations that aren't as described. There's no good reason to post a falsely positive review of a bad listing.
[+] [-] swaggyBoatswain|8 years ago|reply
This is how I feel about most things. A lot of times I give everyone 5 stars (things on fiverr, reviews for customer support, airBnB reviews, etc) even if the service is mediocre, partially because I don't want to deal with the potential problems of giving poor reviews.
Potential problems include being unable to get files after a project (fiverr → giving someone a bad review), staying at a previous airBnB (giving them anything less than 5 stars), potential harassment (giving anything in general a low review), someone getting fired for anything less than 5 stars (Customer support), potential tampered food (not tipping even if poor service or leaving a bad yelp/google review).
Its kind of silly that the public standard (for 5 star reviews) is 3 stars is bad, 4 stars is ok, and 5 stars is good in general. 1 star is just biased, 2 stars are worse than 1 stars in my opinion just because it shows you put enough consideration to give them a 2.
This applies to reviews on airBnB, uber, amazon, ebay, etc.
[+] [-] pjungwir|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aquadrop|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrgordon|8 years ago|reply
If it’s not a lot more, I’ll definitely consider using it to ensure a smooth check in and accurate amenities when I need them.
[+] [-] wnissen|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] branchless|8 years ago|reply
And they don't have a drying rack? Something doesn't fit.
[+] [-] user5994461|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] annexrichmond|8 years ago|reply
> With Airbnb Plus, you can always check in effortlessly. Every home is equipped with a lockbox, keypad, or a host who is on-call to greet you.
This is so weird. How would you otherwise check in to a home if it doesn't have self check in or a host?
> When you book an Airbnb Plus home, you get the focused attention of our Airbnb Plus customer support team–a highly-trained team committed to great service and faster responses
Okay, so if there is no self check in and no host to greet me at a non Plus home, I'm stuck with a poorly trained unresponsive agent.
I realize that they want to differentiate the hotel-like quality airbnbs from the others, so they can give it a badge and therefore justify a higher price for it, but the delivery is odd, as other commenters have pointed out.
An alternative approach could be to describe such listings as "Guaranteed X, Y, Z". I think with that language it wouldn't undermine the quality of the non Plus listings as much.
[+] [-] calbear81|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] seatonist|8 years ago|reply
I suspect that's the sort of practice they're trying to parse out for this Plus offering.
[+] [-] pbreit|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ultraflux|8 years ago|reply
As it stands, I have hosted 273 stays and have 184 reviews with an average rating of 91% five star reviews between two rooms.
The number one comment I get from guests is that my place is far better then a hotel and far less expensive. Enter Airbnb Plus "hotel like quality" which from my perspective and my guests, Airbnb Plus would appear to rank lower than many standard Airbnb listings.
And this does not even take into account hosting element.
[+] [-] bsimpson|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] freeone3000|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|8 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] spaceflunky|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] whymsicalburito|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mjburgess|8 years ago|reply
I'd guess this is about saying "we've verified this" .
[+] [-] matte_black|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pradn|8 years ago|reply
Staying at an AirBnB is a less homogenous than staying at the Hilton. There's a bit more risk involved (not necessarily safety, but cleanliness, noise, etc). Hotels, on the plus side, are run like businesses and feel more impersonal. It's more honest than an AirBnB experience in a way.
More to the point, I'm surprised the company keeps improving their product like this. It's not Dropbox or Yelp, which don't feel too different after 10 years.
[+] [-] Gys|8 years ago|reply
I think this opens opportunities at the bottom. A website that focusses on functionality and cheaper rooms. The public is now familiar with the concept. Some people do not want to pay above hotel prices to stay somewhere for the night only. They are looking for a simple, clean and cheap bed. I am one of those.
[+] [-] epanchin|8 years ago|reply
I used to rent out a room on Airbnb, it was a great experience. Both renting and staying I met cool people, as they were often keen to chat or hang out. And cheaper than a hotel, usually hostel prices. I never minded that staying in someone’s house would often mean a haphazardly tidied room with no available cupboard space.
Fast forwards a few years and I rent out a spare room to a friend at below market price, well below Airbnb price. I can’t be bothered with the standard that people now expect, I hate the attitude of Airbnb (ie use instant book or get fcked), and I find myself feeling guilty at contributing to the short supply in housing.
Nor have I stayed in an Airbnb for a couple of years, I’m back to hotels. It’s not cheaper (what are their fees even for?), and it’s usually a purposed Airbnb property, rather than someone’s home. It’s lost it’s magic.
[+] [-] volkk|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] KyleGalvin|8 years ago|reply
There is still some room in the middle, but success isn't guaranteed in that sort of market.
[+] [-] m-watson|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dlg|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fimdomeio|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dageshi|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] halfteatree|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apetresc|8 years ago|reply
I love the service overall, but I absolutely hate getting the morning-of-checkin email saying "Hey can't wait to host you, by the way, tell the receptionist you're my cousin and if any of the neighbors are in the hallway please just pace around the elevator until they leave." This seems to happen 90% of the time in New York places.
[+] [-] sf_rob|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] get|8 years ago|reply
Shouldn't the general quality of the listing already be apparent from the ratings?
I'm always looking for apartments with a view. That is why I am starting a startup that will help locate these:
https://nothingless.github.io/
I will also list if an apartment has a table. Because I need one to work with my laptop on it.
What are other HNers looking for in an apartment that is not easy to find via the standard filters?
[+] [-] GuiA|8 years ago|reply
Love the implication that the check in process for their regular listings is unreliable :^)
Otherwise, as others are pointing out, interesting to see where their priorities lie - certainly these high touch experiences are bringing them more money than people renting out a spare bedroom.
I do wonder how much of a pain this must all be for hosts - anyone who’s ever been in a slightly expensive place knows how entitled people spending money can get, and that must be a huge pain to deal with when it’s someone staying in your house making a fuss because you didn’t offer them organic orange juice in the morning. This happened to a friend of mine who hosted someone for a few nights, on regular Airbnb, with no promise of breakfast whatsoever in the first place. Again, people can get really entitled when they’re spending money. She stopped hosting as the result of that experience (they complained about more than the breakfast, but that’s one thing they were weirdly pushy about).
[+] [-] Terretta|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jasonjei|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] m1117|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] w-m|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shafyy|8 years ago|reply
It feels really authentic (and it probably is).
[+] [-] matte_black|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jVinc|8 years ago|reply
Makes sense. You were able to find some killer deals with extremely nice places that where waay underpriced because the hosts were decent human beings. They'll likely get contacted by AirBnB with "You could join airBnB plus... and you can price it 40% higher than current with us only taking twice our usual cut" or similar
[+] [-] nmeofthestate|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] atomical|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ithinkinstereo|8 years ago|reply
I see moves like Plus as AirBnB trying to "professionalize" aspects of their product, but they'll never be able to provide the "guarantee (or recourse)" of an established hotel chain.
Outside of those who are cost-conscious, or those with unique accommodation needs (large groups, etc.), it's hard to imagine why any discerning traveller would opt for an AirBnB over a traditional hotel, all things being equal.
[+] [-] akhunt1002|8 years ago|reply
The down side is: it seems like this may alienate new hosts by creating an (overwhelmingly) high bar for a listing. Not everyone is a semi-professional hotelier. How will that be balanced out?
Be careful not make would-be hosts feel too self-conscious to list their space. It's a fine line between building community and alienating it when curation bias turns into a core pillar of a company's identity.
I think discouraging new hosts by setting the bar (and company identity) so high is a net-negative for long-term community building. It makes total sense short-term, and it makes sense for an OTA like Booking. Long-term: it shoots the notion of home-sharing in the foot and without new hosts feeling welcome, a growing market can't sustain the demand.
Personally (I'm obviously biased lol), I'm obsessed with the notion that everyone is a host. Everyone would host someone, and it's a platforms job to help match those people to public listings, homes privately listed (networked via communities / friends), homes that have professional photos, homes that even have no photos (because if you're booking a friend's home, who cares). I'm not saying lower the standards, I'm saying change the frame; it's as a matching game threaded by community.
[+] [-] lotsofpulp|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jzamora|8 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dazc|8 years ago|reply
Thus far, for me anyway, not a reliable method of finding great hosts.
[+] [-] thisisit|8 years ago|reply