Skift Take
Many Airbnb hosts of the mom-and-pop variety — yes, there are a few left — feel aggrieved when they welcome guests into their homes and have to bear the consequences of hostile reviews penned with the worst intentions. Airbnb is trying to tip the balance back toward hosts — and is probably making neither party totally happy.
There has been plenty of publicity about scammers posting listings on Airbnb that don't exist or don't resemble their descriptions.
Now Airbnb is announcing a series of measures to protect hosts from misbehaving or scheming guests.
You've all probably seen or heard about the short-term rental or hotel guests who threaten to write a negative review if they don't get a discount or perk, for example.
Airbnb has rolled out, and is in the process of introducing, a series of new policies to protect hosts from unruly, scamming, or otherwise misbehaving guests. These follow earlier announcements about the company taking steps to attempt to verify all listings, and to stiffen licensing requirements for certain tours after California shootings at a Halloween party at an Airbnb-booked property, and revelations about a nationwide host scam.
Among the changes is a reworking on how Airbnb handles guests — and hosts — reviews on the platform. Airbnb support agents are empowered to remove posts and star ratings that stem from irrelevant, biased, and fake reviews,
