Njihu me Bordin këshillimor të pritësve: Pascale Hasson

Hi everyone,

I’m Pascale, a Superhost from Bordeaux, France, and a member of the Host Advisory Board. Each month, we’ve been sharing updates from the Advisory Board and a little about the board members to help you get to know us.

I’m excited to share more about my hosting journey with you and let you know what we’ve been working on.

I traveled by myself using Airbnb for eight years before becoming a Host. I was really into connecting with local people, and I had good experiences with so many Hosts who helped me explore their communities.

A friend of mine was hosting in Paris and told me it was easy to work with Airbnb. I decided to try hosting when I was back home because I missed interacting with travelers. I've been hosting for nearly five years now.

Becoming a Host was a way to have more financial security because being an artist isn’t always easy. It’s really nice to be in control of your schedule, too.

I soon discovered the Bordeaux Host community and helped start a Host Club with two other Superhosts. In two years, the community expanded from 17 Hosts to almost 350!

Hosts in France care a lot about giving back to the community. For example, they help clean the beaches and donate food to students, many of whom lost their jobs during the pandemic.

My advice for Hosts is to be yourself. Be proud of your room or your apartment because it's part of you—you built it yourself and your home reflects who you are.

Being an artist has made it easier to decorate, and I like having special paintings or sculptures that people haven't seen in other places. Art is a way to connect with people without words.

Because my guest room is full of paintings, many people ask about exhibitions in my area, and it’s nice to share what's going on. If they want to meet artists, I’ll even introduce them to local artists.

Hosting on Airbnb helps me meet people with different hobbies than me who I might not have met otherwise.

My first guest from abroad was a chef from Hong Kong who stayed with me while he learned to cook. I’m not a very good cook, but we had such a fun time while he was here. Four years later, we’re still in touch—and some of my drawings and paintings are part of his home.

Hosting is part of my lifestyle now, and I really appreciate that it’s a never-ending source of inspiration. It’s also a connection to the world and to others.

Last month, my colleague Peter shared that we’ve been consulting on diversity and belonging initiatives and Community Support upgrades. Here’s the latest news from July:

Creating a marketing task force

• Based on feedback from Hosts, Global Head of Hosting Catherine Powell created a new marketing task force that includes members of the Host Advisory Board and senior leaders from Airbnb’s marketing department
• The goal of the task force is to help ensure the Host voice is heard in how Airbnb is portrayed
• We’ll work alongside the marketing team to review campaigns and give feedback on projects that are in development
• In our first review with Airbnb’s marketing and creative teams, we’ll discuss the direction of upcoming Made possible by Hosts commercials

Working with Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is an international nonprofit organization that helps people share housing and resources with each other in times of crisis. The organization evolved from the Open Homes program, and more recently Frontline Stays.

One example in France is the #appartsolidaire initiative. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the French community provided more than 3,000 caregivers with a place to rest so they wouldn’t endanger their loved ones. And in Bordeaux, Hosts offered 115 accommodations for free, which makes me particularly proud to belong to this beautiful and caring community

Here’s how the Advisory Board has been working with Airbnb.org:

• We’ve advised on upcoming changes to the Airbnb.org program
• These changes will help improve the experience for Hosts providing stays for Airbnb.org guests around the world, which can include people impacted by natural disasters and other emergencies

• We’ve also brought diverse perspectives and ideas to the Airbnb.org team about how Hosts can assist in Airbnb.org’s mission to unlock the power of sharing space, resources, and support in times of crisis

One way you can help support your neighbors is by joining Advisory Board members like Susan and Merrydith in signing up to host free stays through Airbnb.org.

Find out more about what the Host Advisory Board has been up to, and stay tuned for monthly updates and tips from board members.