There is one group that has been quietly benefitting from Airbnb and it may surprise you-seniors.
Currently about 10 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Canada are seniors, and half of that group say they are using the income to supplement their pensions. And Airbnb have been collecting those statistics as reported in this Globe and Mail article. Hosts aged 60 and older are Airbnb’s fastest-growing demographic. Senior women make up nearly two-thirds of all senior hosts. They also get the highest ratings from guests.
“Seniors come to Airbnb to earn a bit of money to pay for extra expenses. But it’s not just the increased earnings. It’s the whole component of social inclusion that comes with being an Airbnb host. This is a generation that grew up in an era where travel was about meeting people. It wasn’t about scoring the perfect selfie.”
In this Airbnb report hosts that are 60 years and older receive not only the highest percentage of five-star ratings, but the percentage of five-star reviews increases commensurate with the host age. Over 62 per cent of trips hosted by seniors garner a five-star review. Food for thought on your next Airbnb booking.
We’ve stayed in Airbnbs from San Francisco to Prague and we’ve noticed a different correlation that intersects with the age correlation: the more the host needs something from the guest, the more effort they put into the experience. In Prague, a relatively poor European city, our young host needed money and took a couple of hours off from his consulting job in the suburbs to come in to greet us, show us around and make sure everything was perfect. In San Francisco our older host need money to stay in her upscaling neighbourhood and was equally attentive. But in Copenhagen our middle aged hosts clearly didn’t need much at all and did nothing to make us welcome: the bicycle tires were flat and the apartment looked like they’d just left for the day because it was more lucrative to rent it out than stay home — no free coat hangers in the closet, no spare space in the fridge.
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Reblogged this on Sandy James Planner.