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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, y
by annexrichmond 9y ago
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.
- bsimpson 9y agoPerhaps "on-call" is the operative bit, as in "your international flight lands at 3AM? No sweat, you'll be able to get in anyway."
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- spaceflunky 9y agoNew slogan: "Airbnb Plus: Everything else is a dump"
- ultraflux 9y agoExcept that most standard listings are a step up on plus. Which just goes to show how bad they messed up here. In some ways it has an Apple feel to it, charge more for less.
- seatonist 9y agoMany 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.
- EdJiang 9y agoI've even stayed at one where they just didn't even offer a key and left the front door unlocked... Granted it was a house in the suburbs, but what about security from previous guests?
- vkou 9y agoThat's a reasonable way to do it. Keep the front door unlocked on guest swaps, keep the key inside the house.
- EdJiang 9y agoNo key at all, just “it’s a safe neighborhood so we always leave the door unlocked”
- megaman22 9y agoI've never locked my house door... The joys of living in rural New England...
- SmellTheGlove 9y agoI just moved from Maine to SF. The bigger problem now is that the door locks behind me...
- kelnos 9y agoI'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.
- pbreit 9y agoI 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.
- calbear81 9y agoAirbnb 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.
- ultraflux 9y agoI already do this and this is standard with the local airbnb hosts I know. I get that this obviously does not happen across the board but I can assure you anyone serious is already doing this. In some cases I even pickup guests.
- freeone3000 9y agoI 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...
- ultraflux 9y agoAgreed 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.
- somberi 9y agoI feel the same way - I am not a host but have rented via AirBnB a few times and I think this differentiation does not seem fair to well-rated hosts who did not make it to "Plus" whatever the reason. I understand AirBnb is under pressure to put up a product to counter Stay Alfred, Sonder and Parallel Travel, but this adds confusion.