Since 2016, I’ve spent $26,243 on 50 bookings with Airbnb. (Sure, I went by and added them up.) That’s greater than I spent with Amazon in the identical time interval — $10,434 — and doubtless greater than I’ve spent with any single firm over that span.
So I should have, like, Extremely-Adamantium Elite standing with Airbnb, proper? Sadly, no, as a result of Airbnb doesn’t have a loyalty program. There’s no elite standing to earn, factors to accrue or little welcome items to obtain at check-in.
Regardless of spending a small fortune with the holiday rental large, I don’t even get a cool badge subsequent to my username.
However there’s hope: Airbnb introduced a brand new loyalty program, referred to as Superguest, outlined on its web site as “a brand new visitor membership program providing advantages throughout the whole journey.”
Even so, there’s dangerous information, too. That announcement was made again in 2018 and there hasn’t been an official replace since.
So, what’s the deal? As competitors inside the trip rental house mounts and traveler endurance with cleansing charges and disappointing leases grows skinny, will the platform throw a bone to its most frequent clients to make an Airbnb loyalty program?
The outlook doesn’t look good
Why hasn’t Airbnb launched a rewards program in its 15-year historical past?
“Airbnb is a noun and a verb around the globe, and we’re happy with our world platform,” stated Liz DeBold Fusco, an Airbnb spokesperson, in an emailed assertion. “Our focus for the approaching 12 months is on perfecting the core service and starting to construct the inspiration to broaden past the core.”
I really love the primary a part of this assertion, as a result of it’s so brazen. Airbnb is just too profitable to hassle with a loyalty program. Does Kleenex have a loyalty program?
No, as a result of the phrase “Kleenex” has turn out to be virtually interchangeable with the phrase tissue. What are you gonna do, purchase Puffs?
Regardless of all of the hemming about cleansing charges and hawing about an “Airbnbust,” the corporate recorded its greatest fourth quarter ever in 2022, with $1.9 billion in income, per its shareholder letter.
Airbnb continues to develop, and dominate the competitors, with out a loyalty program. So what’s the purpose of including one?
The enterprise of Airbnb isn’t enterprise journey
One other main issue lowering the probability of an Airbnb loyalty program? Enterprise vacationers. Or moderately, the shortage of enterprise vacationers who keep at trip leases.
The massive airline and resort rewards packages have been constructed to draw and keep enterprise vacationers, who spend quite a bit on journey. Nabbing these frequent vacationers is extremely invaluable, so journey rewards packages are keen to supply them costly perks resembling first-class upgrades and further rewards factors.
Distinction that with Airbnb, which, regardless of some efforts to draw company journey bookers, doesn’t have a transparent toehold within the enterprise journey house. With out these large spenders, a loyalty program won’t make sense.
That stated, some leisure visitors are staying longer at Airbnbs, probably due to the rise of distant work and digital nomadism. Almost a fifth of nights booked in 2022 have been made by visitors with reservations of 28 days or extra, in accordance with the corporate’s newest shareholder letter.
So the query shall be whether or not visitors pursuing long-term stays are comparability buying with the platform’s rivals or are comfortable reserving by Airbnb.
I don’t want no stinking badge
My spending on Airbnb has dropped off a cliff because the pandemic.
That’s not simply because I’ve been touring much less. Actually, I really lived in a resort in Seattle by a lot of the pandemic.
That may appear nuts, however I calculated what number of IHG One Rewards factors and elite standing advantages I’d accrue and decided that reserving a equally priced Airbnb merely made no sense.
Airbnb won’t have a lot competitors within the trip rental house, but it surely does within the lodging house. That’s, visitors who need a loyalty program (like me) can at all times stick with a big-brand resort.
Would I like a badge subsequent to my username for the tens of 1000’s I’ve spent on Airbnb? Sure. Would I like a cool avatar with a customized sword or one thing? Additionally sure.
However am I going to attend for Airbnb to roll out a loyalty program so I can earn them? In all probability not.
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