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Introducing Airbnb Plus

airbnb.com

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Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#131

Post by calbear81 »

kelnos wrote: post #117
calbear81 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airbnb employee here: both parties have to leave a review before you can both see the review posted to prevent retaliatory reviews. Also, you can leave public feedback, private feedback, and feedback to Airbnb if you have specific issues with the guest/host that you want us to address.

Thanks for the clarification. In this case, I don't see why anyone would ever hesitate to leave a negative review or feedback if they've had a bad time. The parent who claimed he always leaves a positive review regardless of the experience is just admitting to being part of the problem.

I think review inflation is a problem in general across any service where there might be a more human/personal interaction element where you might feel compelled to be nicer or more generous. It's very different than buying a product from a retailer or rating a product from a company you've never had a direct personal interaction with. I think for most of us, it's in our human nature to be more generous unless there's an egregious violation of standards/quality.

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#132

Post by akhunt1002 »

KyleGalvin wrote: post #9
Gys wrote: post #5

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…

The extreme of the bottom end is couchsurfing.com which might chew into the niche you describe. There is still some room in the middle, but success isn't guaranteed in that sort of market.

I think transaction is important because it's explicit, and people are far likelier to respond. Couchsurfing is free, so the incentive is low, but the community is the most important part of it. I think combining community and transaction is a huge opportunity (I'm also biased :))

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#133

Post by akhunt1002 »

user5994461 wrote: post #69
ghaff wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that businesses initially built around genuinely amateur money-making on the side (Airbnb, eBay, Etsy, I'm sure many others) tend to attract professionals who often push many of the initial users out. And the higher volumes are more attractive for the businesses mediating the service so they don't have much incentive to really stop it. It does open up the opportunity for new entrants to come in that ar…

I'll agree with the previous post that renting a room or a flat on airbnb is a terrible experience. People really have crazy expectations and you need to be a professional hotel to handle it. I'm a firm believer that most hosts will stop renting after a few guests. The turnover must be high, only covered by the new supply of hosts following the hype. It will dry up eventually and mostly professional hotels will remai…

What do you think would make this better for people who don't fit the profile of a semi-professional hotelier?

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#134

Post by vkou »

kelnos wrote: post #75
EdJiang wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No key at all, just “it’s a safe neighborhood so we always leave the door unlocked”

I've never understood that. I grew up in seemingly safe neighborhoods in suburban New Jersey and semi-rural Maryland, but leaving our door unlocked (even while we're at home) was unthinkable.

During the time that you were home, but it was not immediately obvious from the outside - how many times have you had someone walk up to your door, and try the doorknob?

If the answer is never, then having your doors locked hasn't meaningfully increased your security (Only the perception thereof.)

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#135

Post by akhunt1002 »

branchless wrote: post #106
grapehut wrote: post #62

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…

Wait, I'm confused. Airbnb is part of the "sharing" economy, right? So mostly people renting out their home whilst briefly away. And they don't have a drying rack? Something doesn't fit.

Yeah — I mean all of the hosts that don't fit into this mold will be looking for a new home.

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#136

Post by lazerpants »

matte_black wrote: post #73
lazerpants wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Introducing AirBnB: Simplicity. Clean sheets, great hosts, for a fraction of the cost of a hotel." Game over^2.

AirBnB Simplicity, AirBnB, and AirBnB Plus? I don’t think so. I’d give that a D+ on execution.

Really? What about JW Marriott/Marriott/Courtyard by Marriott.

Edit: Marriott, across all of its brands, had nearly $23B in revenue last year. They're clearly doing something right by segmenting their brand.

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#137

Post by stronglikedan »

swaggyBoatswain wrote: post #125
organsnyder wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why leave a review at all if you're not going to be honest?

Some sites practically force / really encourage you to leave a review (e.g. spam you with email reminders until you do, have seriously annoying UI that won't go away until you review). Apps will constantly ask you to review it, but this can be circumvented by clicking the link and ignoring it. But if a review can be tied back to your account (e.g. the review is not private, rather public) this could hurt you long ter…

> spam you with email reminders until you do

I figure I'm reviewing the experience, not just the product. Amazon reviewers love it when I give their product one or two stars for an otherwise great product, and leave a review that says, "Product was fine, but vendor spams for reviews."

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#138

Post by get »

swaggyBoatswain wrote: post #116
get wrote: post #14

Interesting. I wonder what those "checked for 100+ things that guests told us they love" are. 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…

I'm confused what you are trying to build here. Every startup can be summarized in one sentence or company can be summarized in one sentence. For instance, linkedin is facebook for business users. Uber is peer to peer ride sharing. News.Ycombinator is reddit for tech oriented users. Ratings are always going to be biased to some extent. If companies can game any marketing in general, it will be done. Tags are also bia…

    I'm confused what you are trying to build here.
A site that gives you a list of apartments with a view for every major city.

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#139

Post by megy »

Why not? I have not found airbnb to be cheaper than a hotel, and a lot less convenient. So why not go the full hotel route.

However, there is that rare chance you get someone who is interesting to stay with.

Re: Introducing Airbnb Plus

#140

Post by get »

m1117 wrote: post #40

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.

Can you provide a link to that listing?

I am always looking for apartments with a view so I would like to see how booking one can go so wrong.

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