To think the recent changes to Air BnB will mean fewer people will book with them?

[Movinghouseatlast]

Have you looked at Air BnB in the last 2 weeks and noticed the changes they have made to the website?

I ask because I have a glamping business and since the 'summer release' I have had no bookings at all. Absolutely there are issues with the cost of living/ energy crisis but it seems a bit of a coincidence that I was getting plenty of bookings before the changes happened.

I just wondered if from a consumer point of view if the changes are making a difference? I just think it's not user friendly any more!

I do have my own website but I have stuck with Air BnB as I have always had a lot of bookings and to me as a business they work out cheaper than other platforms like Canopy and Stars etc.

Thanks!

airbnb: my review

• searching is always a nightmare! I want a twin room. Why can I not search for this? My two kids are opposite sex and don’t want to share a bed!
• ffs why no smoke detectors, just dangerous..,
• the review system: I feel obliged to be nicer than I feel is strictly called for. unhelpful sorry I know
• The BLOODY RANDOM cleaning and service charges!
• late check in, early check out. :(

Just had a look.

Very IKEA 2006

So you are sleeping in 16 year old massed produced bedding
If you are going to charge £95 per night for a wooden hut in a field at least spend some money on proper bedding

I recognise the duvet cover and blanket.

I liked the shepherds hut :) but wouldn’t stay as I don’t like 10am checkouts!

I don't use Airbnb since we had a fraud through the site last year. Someone hacked into our account and used it to book holidays which I assume didn't exist. We got the money back through the credit card, but it really put me off!!

I have a few issues with most of the holiday let agencies

But there are 2 big issues I would like them to change.

When we use Airbnb Booking etc it is to go abroad somewhere hot and we like a private swimming pool.

i wish there was a filter to show only those places that have a pool that you don’t share with anyone.

The other is the extra fees. Be transparent and I won’t go reserving your place and then not booking it as I have found another place with the same facilities with a £100 less cleaning fee

Your cancellation policy is too strict.

@francesfrankenfurter sorry that last was for you - I thought you own the shepherd’s hut. My mistake.

@Frannyhy

ok so some guests won't give a 5 because 'nothings perfect', Annoying, but ridiculous that you're taking it out on OTHER guests because they're not aware of your secrets scoring. Only giving 5's to people who don't just do as you ask, but go against it to do what you'd secretly like guests to do is unfair & frankly ridiculous.

You can filter on number of bedrooms and number of beds. I've done this before as I have the same issue (although now they dont share a room)

I love glamping personally, we do it multiple times per year, and I don’t see £150 per night as a lot of you compare it with what you’d get abroad. There are very few travel costs for one and, sometimes all you want is a night or two away. We also mostly self cater when glamping and just visit a supermarket en route. When abroad you eat out most of the time, which my DH isn’t so keen on.

I have never used Airbnb to book a glamping holiday though. I’m surprised you get so few visitors through your website (which I’d love to see?) - clearly I’m the unusual one as I just tend to Google “glamping in x” rather than using one of the sites.

The cleaning expenses have put me off Airbnb as well. I don’t mind paying what a holiday is worth but it’s the way you don’t know what extra costs are coming that I don’t like. Kind of like when you go shopping in the US, pick something for $50 and then you find out there are various sales taxes at the counter and the total ends up as $60. I’d just rather see $60 upfront (the way pricing works in the U.K.). The only place I’ve ever booked via Airbnb got cancelled due to Covid anyway and I don’t tend to use it at all for browsing these days at all.

Yep, I don’t.

Oh and yes the 5 thing is so annoying, same as Uber. If you basically have to give 5 unless there are serious problems the whole score becomes so meaningless. 4/5 should be a good score and the fact that it isn’t under this new system of rating that we’ve all apparently gone along with is annoying.

Look I get it though - and I do tend to give 5 on Uber (although my own ranking is 4.5 and I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong?!) and 10 on Booking etc but I hate it.

@jamapop after reading a thread on here a while back, I discovered my Uber rating was 4.6

I was mystified as to why until I googled the topic. Apparently the drivers mark you down if you don’t tip them in cash. They are prompted to rate a passenger before continuing, so won’t know if they’ve been tipped on the app.

@Fizbosshoes When I use that search method - no. of beds & no. of rooms I invariably find somewhere great then realise there are 2 double beds and a sofa bed in the lounge!

They need a twin bed option… unless it’s just me that doesn’t want to be making up sofa bed every night and morning?

Would never use Airbnb. Too much of a faff to book, too many hidden costs and the risk of the host cancelling and you being stuck is too high. I use booking.com and never had an issue.

I dont travel loads but when I do its often with airbnb. I've never had problems and have had some brilliant experiences.

I don't share other people's issues with the website: I am able to see the correct price on the loading page, search eith exact dates, filter properties by price etc. I've used booking.com as well but find more options on airbnb

Airbnb do not give hosts any detailed guidance on how to rate guests.(If they do can someone share the link please.) If at some point in the future they do, I will comply with it.

I include the cleaning in the overall charge for my room. Most guests don’t think they should have to strip the bed, take their mugs and cups down to the kitchen, or take the rubbish out. Fair enough, but they are not 5 star guests.

As it happens my last guest gave me a 4 for cleanliness and an overall rating of 5. I haven’t a clue what didn’t meet her expectations. In return she got 4 for cleanliness, 5 for communication and 4 for complying with house rules - she checked in late.

I have cancelled on a guest once, in the four years I’ve been a host. The reason for this was that I had caught COVID.

I called her myself to apologise and found her somewhere else to stay.

My Airbnb bookings are in place for months so no, didn't notice any changes.

I love Airbnb but then again I'm not one for hotels (unless it's Uber 5star) I can't stand breakfast buffets etc. I love that you can find unique places to stay. I have been very lucky with the places I've stayed (but I do read EVERY review before booking).

I might check out a similar type of platform but I've built up a good guest review history now with Airbnb and see no real need to change that.

I was a cleaner. It means I know how to clean properly. Why you would equate that to being saintly I have no idea.

I haven't noticed any changes. And unlike others, I hate booking.com. I had so many problems with it with booking rooms for my wedding guests. Ugh.

I find booking self-catering holiday lets on booking.com or one of the holiday let companies much easier. You get the total final price displayed before booking, loads of space and can take the dog. It's cheaper than B and Bs (and hotels), and there's really good last minute deals.

I find the Airbnb website really hard to navigate and search. It never seems to let me search what I want to include, and the listings don't always include things I would consider to be important.
The add on fees are ridiculous. Have just found an absolutely beautiful shepherds hut for £174 a night. If you try booking for 4 nights the service and cleaning fee come to £155. That's almost an entire extra night.
It means when you search a particular price range you have to lower it significantly because you're going to get stung by a huge fee at the next stage. It makes comparisons very difficult.

Yes, I've had some terrible cleaners in my time, in and out in a few hours and nothing is properly cleaned. A quick once over and they are done.