Ukraine Bookers on Airbnb Get Duped Despite Heartfelt Support
Photo Credit: Woman depicted in Airbnb promo for refugee help. Airbnb
Skift Take
Airbnb bookings in Ukraine are very well-intentioned and much of it may be going to hard-hit individual hosts. However, Airbnb doesn’t expressly identify professional hosts so a chunk of the funds may be unwittingly going to big property managers that aren’t even based in Ukraine.
Many people have expressed solidarity with Ukraine by booking stays on Airbnb that they think are with individual hosts, but often they are sending money to large professional hosts who may not even be located in the war-torn country.
That’s because Airbnb listings don’t identify whether the host is a professional or an individual just trying to make a living. In 2018, the European Commission and European Union consumer officials said several Airbnb practices violate competition laws, and recommended Airbnb “clearly identify if the offer is made by a private host or a professional, as the consumer protection rules differ.”
Airbnb, however, still in the vast majority of cases isn’t transparent up-front about the nature of the host’s enterprise.
Consider an Instagram user, @downhomedoodle, who posted an Airbnb reservation at Predslavynska Street 53 in Kiev, Ukraine for March 4-7.
“I just booked a night for every night t
