Airbnb website was down last night, 9th January 2020. According to Downdetector, Airbnb crash incidents are not limited to this single one. The website experienced outages and problems on 5th and 13th December due to maintenance or technical issues, who knows?! No matter what, the consequences of the Airbnb site crash can impact both ends of the host-guest spectrum.
Imagine a newlywed couple heading out to their Airbnb cabin to set out their honeymoon journey to be remembered for a lifetime, and all of a sudden all connection with their host is lost, and they wind up wandering around worrying how to check-in. Online check-in process, check-in and check-out instructions reporting maintenance issues, payments and all related issues will be impacted following Airbnb crash of whatever sort. As a result, as a host you will be left with a swarm of complaints you could easily avoid and use as a competitive advantage or a unique selling point had your guests’ direct contact details, what Airbnb fails to deliver to you.
Airbnb Email Addresses
According to Airbnb, in order to “help build trust, fight scammers and protect your personal information,” they create an anonymised, temporary email addresses for both the host and the guest once a reservation is made. This way Airbnb also makes sure the chances of receiving direct bookings through the host’s website are minimised to the slightest degree. Quite an ingenious scheme to kill two birds with one stone, right?!
But what if you, as a host, could take the initiative and change the rules of the game? This time around, contrary to the past, you can get your hands on your guests’ real contact details whether they make a reservation on Airbnb or on other OTAs and property listing websites. Good news is not only being able to contact your guests during Airbnb or other platform outages, but also possessing a sought-after database of real email addresses to marketing purposes. You wouldn’t want to let hard-earned money slip through your fingers again and again in the form of commissions to Airbnb and the rest of OTAs.
So, what can be done during Airbnb crash?
Zeevou’s 5-Step Online Check-In Process is designed in such a way to ensure GDPR-compliant contact details collection, what each and every one marketer in the industry desperately looking for! Guests receive a copy of the booking information and are invited to make any corrections or additions as necessary. Any forwarding email addresses provided by OTAs or booking agents are hidden, and the guest is asked for their real email address. They are also prompted to provide an estimated time of arrival and to opt into GDPR marketing. If the person who has made the booking is not the one who will be staying on-site, then the main guest’s details are also requested. Moreover, this step allows you to ask whether it’s a Leisure or Work booking.
You would never leave the fate of your vacation rental or hotel business to luck, or worse in the hands of industry giants like Airbnb! So, why not play by your own rules and join Zeevou, the Direct Booking Revolution, in 2020?
