All Forum Posts by: Cliff H.

@Daniel Murphy just the email of the person booking, which is gathered via the PMS’ guest check-in form outside of the booking channel.

As others have said, I have an issue with accidentally gathering minor’s email addresses with a StayFi like solution. There are laws against marketing to children and those are laws no one should aim to be on the wrong side of.

@Katie Miller get your HOA to offer online meetings. If they won't listen to owners, run for the board and enact change from inside. I run one HOA and am a member of several others. Anything's possible if you're engaged and approaching from a win-win perspective.

DIY landlords should 100% screen prospective applicants before they ever agree to meet them in person. Realtors know this all too well and there’s real data behind the realtors killed in the process of showing a property to strangers.

This is why I automate and self-service all showings. People say you can’t do that, they might damage the carpet, all the while ignoring the real threat to their own life by meeting strangers without prescreening.

Nice work @Connor Eigen. I don't think there's much wrong with the photos, but I'd recommend adding some color and local flavor in the decor, doubling down on those exterior-lighted photos, and changing the order of the photos, which are currently scattered across a variety of different rooms and spaces. That last piece is something I see all the time with real estate listings and STR listings: photos the jump all around to different spaces of a home, which is confusing and makes it hard for guests to visualize themselves in your space because they can't understand where one room is versus another. Walk your guest through your home. With that log cabin exterior, you have a great opportunity to create a first impression / cover shot that truly pops.

Keep up the good work, listing looks great. Don’t neglect the likelihood of having to lower prices initially to get started with a few five star reviews. 

Turno’s great, but as others have said, does not replace your own cleaner screening. It’s like AirBnB’s screening: intentionally as minimal as possible. I’ve found great cleaners there and others happy to go in, ignore everything in the cleaning checklist, and bill back well over $150/hour for minimally viable cleaning. 

Absolutely love how Cheeky Chesky points out people complaining about high fees, yet chooses to focus on cleaning fees in a challenging labor market versus AirBnB’s own increasing platform and cancellation fees. 

"We got a lot of feedback that Airbnb is not as affordable as it used to be…”

”So we’re raising fees to pay for AI and asking hosts to pay their workers nothing like our friends at Uber” 

@Andrew Steffens I don’t give discounts on current stays unless it is something that’s totally on me like failed utilities that’s caused direct discomfort or items promised in the ad that weren’t there. Prefer discounts to future stays as a means to not reward bad guest behavior.

@Andrew Steffens sorry to hear about that dog situation. However, you bring up an interesting point that I haven’t seen mentioned much in terms of guest reviews and damage claims.

Ex: guests who file proactive complaints on a property in lieu of damages they’ve already caused to your property. I’ve experienced this numerous times and it’s as if they are trying to head off a bad host review by finding other problems in your rentals and using them as a smokescreen before you have a chance to find damages they’ve caused.

Very strange that some folks have that much time on their hands to go to that length, but have seen it a lot over the years before cleaners find issues with a turnover.

@Joseph Dasmerces thanks for posting your listing. Overall very nice but your money shot cover kitchen shot’s washed out and needs replacing to grab folks’ attention in the AirBnB infinite scroll.

Myrtle Beach is also down this summer 30-40% as a whole, which is certainly part of what you’re seeing, atop more competition from new listings and hotels that have slashed prices to get more heads in beds.

A quick search of 2BR whole homes for 4 adults and 2BRs in Myrtle Beach the weekend of 10/20 that’s open in your listing show 1k listings, most with ocean views, that you don’t have. That’s tough competition. Consider what makes your place different and double down on that.

Looks like AirBnB started a host penalty trend. Here comes VEBO with their own AirBnB-aped cancellation policy money grab:

Source: https://help.vrbo.com/articles/Partner-Cancellation-Fee-Policy

Coming soon: Cancellation and Premier Host changes

When the traveler wins, we all win, and partners like you do an incredible job of creating great experiences that keep guests coming back again and again.

To meet travelers’ expectations and help you deliver more value, we’ll be modifying how we manage partner-initiated cancellations and elevating our Premier Host eligibility.

Partner cancellation penalty:

Effective date: October 14, 2023 (U.S. only)

Partner Cancellation Fee Policy

Effective: October 14, 2023 (U.S. Only)

To maintain traveler trust in our marketplace, it is essential partners uphold all confirmed bookings. If a partner cancels an accepted booking, or is responsible for the cancellation, we will charge a tiered partner fee. Additional actions, such as temporary listing suspension, may also be imposed. Exceptions to the policy can be made for cancellations outside of the partner’s control.

These fees will offset the anticipated costs and negative impact of cancellations that would otherwise burden our travelers, Vrbo, and partners who do not cancel without proper justification.

A partner may be found responsible for a cancellation if:

The partner outright initiates a cancellation

The partner double booked a listing which led to a cancellation

The partner misled a traveler by substituting one property for another

Partners circumvent this policy, including requesting travelers initiate the cancellation

Cancellation Fee Structure

We will impose a fee starting at $50 USD for a partner-initiated cancellation. We will factor booking value and timing of cancellation when determining the fee amount:

If the reservation is canceled within 48 hours of check-in, or after check-in, the fee is 50% of the reservation amount for the nights not stayed.

If the reservation is canceled more than 48 hours, but within 30 days of check-in, the fee is 25% of the reservation amount.

If the reservation is canceled more than 30 days before check-in, the fee is 10% of the reservation amount.

Reservation amount includes base rate plus all your defined fees (such as cleaning or pet). If the calculated fee is less than $50 USD, it will be adjusted up to $50 USD. There is no upper limit or maximum fee amount. Cancellation fees will be invoiced to the partner or withheld from their next payout.

Additionally, partners who cancel (or are found responsible for a cancellation) will not receive the payout for that reservation. If the payout was already completed, future payouts will be reduced accordingly.

Fee Waiver

We understand not all cancellations are within your control. Partners may be eligible for a fee waiver if they are able to adequately establish one of the following circumstances apply:

Force majeure event, such as natural disasters

Government-imposed travel restrictions

Traveler did or intends to break house rules (including unauthorized parties)

Maintenance emergencies or circumstances threatening traveler health and safety

An error in Vrbo platform or services led to the cancellation

Failure of the traveler to complete payments

Suspected or probable risk of fraudulent behavior

Vrbo