Will a new STR platform rise from Airbnb's COVID Missteps?

[Avery Carl]

There are plenty of threads on how unhappy we all are with Airbnb's treatment of hosts around here: forced 100% cancellations, the new 40 page cleaning manual and 24 hour between guests suggestion (although guests will be able to see if we are subscribing to that suggestion so it's not really a suggestion), and the insulting bone we have been thrown with the 25% of our existing cancellation policy direct deposit too little too late.

Some hosts I know are snoozing their Airbnb listings in protest, some are taking measures to push more bookings toward other platforms and direct bookings. I have even seen one listing that said "We love our vacation home, but due to Airbnb's recent treatment of hosts, we are not taking rentals on this platform at this time." No matter what measures hosts are taking, one thing is clear: Airbnb caters mostly to guests, not the hosts who power their platform.

While there are plenty of other existing platforms, Airbnb has been the tech leader in the space for the past decade. I have been wondering for the past several weeks if there will be a new platform that arises from Airbnb's blunders. Maybe a baby company out there in Silicon Valley land waiting on a round of funding to get off the ground. What do you guys think? What measures are you taking to push bookings to other platforms?