A Lesson On Listening And Acting

I’ve never used AirBnB, but I know they started out to be a disruptor to the hotel and to a lesser extent, the timeshare industry. I also know that they’ve had some significant pushback from consumers and hosts alike. 

Here’s a series of tweets from Brian Chesky of AirBnB. I’m not saying that this is a better alternative to timeshare because people have different needs, budgets and expectations. I am however saying that addressing the issues in this manner is commendable. 

“I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain. That’s why we’re making 4 changes: 

1. Starting next month, you’ll be able to see the total price you're paying up front.

When you turn this on, you’ll see the total price (before taxes) in search results, as well as on the map, price filter, and listing page. You can also view a full price breakdown with Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes.

2. We are prioritizing total price (instead of nightly price) in our search ranking algorithm. The highest quality homes with the best total prices will rank higher in search results.

We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today. During this difficult economic time, we need to help our Hosts provide great value to you.

3. To enable Hosts to set more competitive prices, we’ll be launching new pricing and discount tools. Hosts told us they’d like our help to better understand the final price guests pay and what price to charge to stay competitive.

4. You shouldn’t have to do unreasonable checkout tasks, such as stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming. But we think it’s reasonable to turn off the lights, throw food in the trash, and lock the doors—just as you would when leaving your own home.

If Hosts have checkout requests, they should be reasonable and shown to you before you book.

Thank you for all the feedback. We will never stop improving Airbnb.”

There’s a lesson that the timeshare industry would be wise to learn from. The question is…will it?