Before they became Exhibit A of a supposed “Airbnbust,” Carrie Ann Rink and her family were living a host’s dream in Southern California. They had an attractive property in a desirable area near Palm Springs with five-star reviews. Business was brisk amid the “revenge travel” wave of guests shaking off covid concerns.
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Guests are over fees and chores. Hosts say they can’t fill vacancies. But the company keeps cashing in.
Then May arrived, and bookings at the Desert Hot Springs home kept dropping off, despite the family’s best efforts: lowering prices, adjusting booking requirements and tweaking photos.
“It picked up a tiny bit in June, and it just stopped,” Rink said. “I think we went from 80 percent to zero.” In a Facebook forum for Airbnb Superhosts, her husband, Jim Ewing, posted a question that helped launch a viral tweet and a cycle of headlines.
“Has anyone seen a huge decrease in bookings over the last 3 to 4 months?” he asked in early October. Combining Ewing’s query with someone else’s lament, a Twitter user wrote: “The Airbnbust is upon us,” setting off an extended airing of grievances across social media.
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