From One Airbnb Host to Another

Please stop ruining it for the rest of us…

Photo from Pexels by cottonbro

I have recently read a significant number of blogs, social media posts, and even news articles regarding Airbnb horror stories — everything from hidden cameras to racism, paying a cleaning fee only to be asked to clean before they check out, and worse — threats of violence over bad reviews.

Can I tell you the common denominator in all of these instances? A host that puts making money over providing an experience.

Airbnb Needs to Get Back to its Roots

When Airbnb first started, it was an app to find a place to crash. Anyone with a spare room, a couch, or an air mattress could help a weary traveler out with an inexpensive, no-frills option for lodging.

But somewhere along the way — it got distorted. It became a way for people to invest in secondary real estate, increase their wealth, and boost their portfolios. It was no longer about sharing space or human experiences — the entire concept was warped by predatory capitalism. Suddenly, Airbnb became yet another way for the already well-off folks to swoop in, buy up affordable housing, and turn them into get-rich-quick schemes.

With this shift in hosting mentality, Airbnb became more about earning money for real estate investors and less about providing a unique, valuable service for travelers.

People Want a Human Connection

Do you know why people don’t like living next to a house that’s been transformed into a vacation rental? They can’t form a human connection with a neighbor that is constantly changing. They can’t drop in with a beer and say, “Hey man, that party last night was a little loud — kept my kids up, think you can keep it to a low roar next time, buddy?”

Chances are good, living beside an Airbnb rental they don’t even know the owner. So they are left feeling helpless when they have a complaint and chances are good that frustration is going to boil over to city authorities. And this is why so many cities are placing bans on short-term vacation rentals in residential zones.

Likewise, we’ve found that our guests typically want more than just a hotel room. If they wanted to…