Airbnb to verify all 7 million of its listings to gain trust

Airbnb says it will spend next year verifying that all 7 million of its listings are accurate and that homes and rooms being offered for short-term stays meet basic quality standards. It’s one of several moves San Francisco-based company is making to improve user trust and make it easier for guests, hosts and ors to report problems and obtain refunds when things go awry. changes come after a rough week for Airbnb. Last Thursday, a shooting at an unauthorized Halloween party in an Airbnb rental in Orinda, California, left five people de.

A Vice story, meanwhile, revealed a scam by Airbnb hosts who put guests up at inferior properties after claiming ones y initially booked weren’t available. Guests told Vice y h trouble obtaining refunds from company and were given b reviews by shy hosts. And on Tuesday, voters in Jersey City, New Jersey, approved restrictions on short-term rental companies in a referendum in one of Airbnb’s most important markets. In an e-mail sent to employees Wednesday, Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said company will take its most significant steps to improve trust since its founding in 2008.

“People need to feel like y can trust our community and that y can trust Airbnb when something goes wrong,” Chesky wrote.

Airbnb plans to:

— Verify all listings on its platform for accuracy of photos, dress and or details. y will also be verified for quality standards, including cleanliness, safety and basic amenities. Those that meet Airbnb’s quality expectations will be labelled. Airbnb said every listing will be reviewed by Dec. 15, 2020.

— Beginning Dec. 15, Airbnb said it will rebook guests to a new listing or refund ir money if a property doesn’t meet its accuracy standards.

— By Dec. 31, Airbnb will launch a 24-hour hotline staffed by a rapid response team in U.S. so neighbours, guests and ors can report a problem. hotline will roll out globally over course of next year. company has asked Charles Ramsey, former chief of police for Philelphia and Washington, and Ronald Davis, former chief of police for East Palo Alto, California, to act as visers and help train response team.

— Beginning Dec. 15, Airbnb will be expanding manual checks of “high-risk” reservations flagged by its system to cut down on unauthorized parties. One-night reservations at large homes will get extra scrutiny, for example. Airbnb stressed that it doesn’t consider race, profile pictures, or nationality when assessing risk associated with a reservation.

company is under some pressure to improve its reputation as it eyes an initial public offering of stock next year.

“Most hosts do a great job, but guests need to feel like Airbnb has ir back, and we believe this commitment is a necessary step in giving guests peace of mind,” Chesky wrote.

But critics of company say its efforts don’t go far eugh. If Airbnb really wants to be a good neighbour, it would verify that listings are complying with local regulations, said Jessica Black, who les a Texas group called Moms Against STRS, which backs regulation of short-term rentals.

“By t voluntarily removing illegal listings, Airbnb continues to outsource costs of ir business to cash-strapped cities,” Black said.

RE | Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, banned 'party houses' after Orinda shooting