Author Topic: Airbnb has released a feature where you can 'donate,' to your hosts...  (Read 9005 times)

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Offline Monkhouse

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And people are not loving it.

No McDonald's pun intended.

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After the COVID-19 pandemic obliterated Airbnb revenues across the globe, the short-term-rental platform has begun asking guests to chip in by sending "kindness cards" that include cash donations to their former hosts — who have seen billions of dollars in revenue vanish in recent months as travel has ground to a halt because of the pandemic.

The new tool appears to be another effort to assuage hosts' financial concerns, this time by soliciting contributions from former guests. An Airbnb spokesperson told Business Insider that 100% of the proceeds from the kindness cards would go to the hosts.

"In the spirit of rekindling connections, we developed a new feature that allows guests to send virtual cards with messages of support and encouragement to hosts who provided excellent hospitality. If they wish, guests have the option to add a voluntary financial contribution," the spokesperson said.

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The financial situation is especially dire for megahosts, some of whom bought up dozens of properties and built short-term-rental empires that made up their main source of income (about one-third of Airbnb hosts have more than 25 properties, according to the analytics site AirDNA).

Whoa, sounds like it's not my problem, huh?

Airbnb has served its usefulness, but I've also seen how they have decimated the housing market and made it hard for some people. Now, they are asking us to donate to them? How tonedeaf and stupid do these executives at Airbnb have to be?

https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-asking-renters-to-donate-kindness-cards-backlash-2020-7
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Offline KGs Knee

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I have a hard time conjuring sympathy for people who over leveraged themselves financially in an attempt to corner the market.

Unless your business is one where if you fail the whole of society is severely harmed I'm not interested in bailing you out. Capitalism is about taking risks, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

But I also don't have an issue with AirBnB asking for donations, people are free to give to others as they see fit. And it might very well make sense to help out a former host you appreciated staying with and wish to again in the future.

Now, if they started adding a surcharge, well, that would be a problem.

Online Roy H.

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It’s amazing how asking for stuff like this can strike a nerve.  Probably 10 years ago our former Webmaster, Bob Day, added a “buy a beer” feature, where you could leave “tips” for the unpaid moderator staff.  It wasn’t well received.

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Unless your business is one where if you fail the whole of society is severely harmed I'm not interested in bailing you out. Capitalism is about taking risks, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I’m curious:  do you feel differently if the government shuts down your business regardless of what pandemic precautions you take?  Bars, restaurants, hair salons etc?


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Offline KGs Knee

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Quote
Unless your business is one where if you fail the whole of society is severely harmed I'm not interested in bailing you out. Capitalism is about taking risks, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I’m curious:  do you feel differently if the government shuts down your business regardless of what pandemic precautions you take?  Bars, restaurants, hair salons etc?

To a degree, yes, I see it differently.  If you fail because of market conditions or simply being bad at business, too bad for you. But you shouldn't fail because society forced you to do something against your will that could not be foreseen and planned for.  I don't see bailing out businesses that had to shutter because the government mandated them to as a bad thing, generally, but there's a fine line there.  If your business model was one that was barely sustainable in good times, and probably a bit predatory anyway, I'm less inclined see you as deserving of aid.

Online SparzWizard

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One of those "ya don't know if your try". Thanks for trying, AirBnB!

But I've never stayed with the short-term rental house louging service before and have heard mixed reviews anyways, so no from me!


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