support for people of Ukraine through Airbnb rental
March 7, 2022 11:00 AM Subscribe
In addition to donating money to several highly recommended organizations that are delivering help to people in Ukraine, I have been looking to “rent” Ukraine airbnb’s as a way to get money directly into the hands of Ukrainians. Looking for tips from those savy about using airbnb
1. If a host is shown to have more than one listing, are they more likely to be a management company and not the owner him/herself?
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
3. Does anyone personally know a Ukrainian airbnb host who either needs support or will use it to help others that do? If so, would you be willing to share their listing with me?
4. If the host posts/emails in Russian rather than Ukrainian, is that a red flag or is that done because more translator apps recognize Russian than they do Ukrainian?
1. If a host is shown to have more than one listing, are they more likely to be a management company and not the owner him/herself?
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
3. Does anyone personally know a Ukrainian airbnb host who either needs support or will use it to help others that do? If so, would you be willing to share their listing with me?
4. If the host posts/emails in Russian rather than Ukrainian, is that a red flag or is that done because more translator apps recognize Russian than they do Ukrainian?
1. If a host is shown to have more than one listing, are they more likely to be a management company and not the owner him/herself?
Yes absolutely
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
Click through to their profile. It is usually two clicks away from the listing page, the URL should be something like https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/1234567890
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 11:50 AM on March 7, 2022
Yes absolutely
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
Click through to their profile. It is usually two clicks away from the listing page, the URL should be something like https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/1234567890
posted by Press Butt.on to Check at 11:50 AM on March 7, 2022
Best answer: I did this. (And yes I've read all the commentary about why it might not be a good idea, and I did it anyway, because it felt like a meaningful way to forge a human connection and I decided the pros outweighed the cons, especially since I had already been planning to visit Ukraine this year.)
I chose to rent in Odessa because I'd already been hoping to holiday there, and because it is an area people are fleeing from, not to. I chose a listing that i would have genuinely rented on my hypothetical holiday (I'm a frequent user of Airbnb and have a pretty good sense of who is a "real person" vs. a listing company). My thinking was that I was spending the money I would otherwise have spent on a trip to Ukraine and helping someone who will not be getting any tourist dollars this year. I wrote the host a note explaining that the booking was a gesture of support and good wishes and I wouldn't actually be showing up on her doorstep. I did not expect to receive anything back, but I immediately received a message (in Russian) that made me cry:
"Thank you. My family is Russian, my mom was born in Kiev, but my grandma is in Russia, my father is from Saratov. In my soul and body I am Ukrainian. We speak Russian at home and on the street, and no one ever oppressed us for that. We don't need the 'Russian world' that Putin is bringing. His ideas and thoughts are absurd. My mom stayed near Kyiv, while we are hiding in western Ukraine with the children. The war broke all of our lives. Thank you very much for your help, God willing you will come visit us in Kyiv and Odessa."
To answer your specific questions:
1. If a host is shown to have more than one listing, are they more likely to be a management company and not the owner him/herself?
Not necessarily, but you can usually tell pretty easily just from reading the listing. Real people sound like real people.
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
I don't think so. FWIW I can't imagine many Belarusians are renting out Airbnbs in Ukraine. It's a very repressive state.
3. Does anyone personally know a Ukrainian airbnb host who either needs support or will use it to help others that do? If so, would you be willing to share their listing with me?
I can send you the listing I booked if you want to memail me.
4. If the host posts/emails in Russian rather than Ukrainian, is that a red flag or is that done because more translator apps recognize Russian than they do Ukrainian?
Absolutely not!!! See message above. Many, many Ukrainians speak Russian as a first language or are bilingual. And many of the tourists coming to Ukraine are Russian. It's totally natural and says nothing about the person's politics or loyalties.
posted by artisthatithaca at 1:09 PM on March 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
I chose to rent in Odessa because I'd already been hoping to holiday there, and because it is an area people are fleeing from, not to. I chose a listing that i would have genuinely rented on my hypothetical holiday (I'm a frequent user of Airbnb and have a pretty good sense of who is a "real person" vs. a listing company). My thinking was that I was spending the money I would otherwise have spent on a trip to Ukraine and helping someone who will not be getting any tourist dollars this year. I wrote the host a note explaining that the booking was a gesture of support and good wishes and I wouldn't actually be showing up on her doorstep. I did not expect to receive anything back, but I immediately received a message (in Russian) that made me cry:
"Thank you. My family is Russian, my mom was born in Kiev, but my grandma is in Russia, my father is from Saratov. In my soul and body I am Ukrainian. We speak Russian at home and on the street, and no one ever oppressed us for that. We don't need the 'Russian world' that Putin is bringing. His ideas and thoughts are absurd. My mom stayed near Kyiv, while we are hiding in western Ukraine with the children. The war broke all of our lives. Thank you very much for your help, God willing you will come visit us in Kyiv and Odessa."
To answer your specific questions:
1. If a host is shown to have more than one listing, are they more likely to be a management company and not the owner him/herself?
Not necessarily, but you can usually tell pretty easily just from reading the listing. Real people sound like real people.
2. Is there any way to tell that the host actually lives in Ukraine, and not somewhere else (especially not Russia or Belarus)?
I don't think so. FWIW I can't imagine many Belarusians are renting out Airbnbs in Ukraine. It's a very repressive state.
3. Does anyone personally know a Ukrainian airbnb host who either needs support or will use it to help others that do? If so, would you be willing to share their listing with me?
I can send you the listing I booked if you want to memail me.
4. If the host posts/emails in Russian rather than Ukrainian, is that a red flag or is that done because more translator apps recognize Russian than they do Ukrainian?
Absolutely not!!! See message above. Many, many Ukrainians speak Russian as a first language or are bilingual. And many of the tourists coming to Ukraine are Russian. It's totally natural and says nothing about the person's politics or loyalties.
posted by artisthatithaca at 1:09 PM on March 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
President Zelenskyy is a native Russian speaker, for example.
posted by atomicstone at 1:26 PM on March 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by atomicstone at 1:26 PM on March 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
To make sure you're booking with a person and not a mamagement company, look for hosts with 1 property whose description of the property sounds really personal, or says something like "we live in the upstairs apartment and are always available to you". Look for reviews that mention the host by name and thank them for being so helpful vs just "we had a nice stay"
Another idea is to book experiences/walking tours that are clearly run by 1 person instead of a tour company. For either booking make sure to message the person and let them know you are not actually showing up.
It is totally normal that people in Ukraine are more fluent in Russian. Ukrainian wasn't really taught or spoken until the 90s, especially in larger cities that are closer to Russia. Many households still speak Russian at home just because that's what the parents spoke growing up and kept speaking at home.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 9:12 PM on March 7, 2022
Another idea is to book experiences/walking tours that are clearly run by 1 person instead of a tour company. For either booking make sure to message the person and let them know you are not actually showing up.
It is totally normal that people in Ukraine are more fluent in Russian. Ukrainian wasn't really taught or spoken until the 90s, especially in larger cities that are closer to Russia. Many households still speak Russian at home just because that's what the parents spoke growing up and kept speaking at home.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 9:12 PM on March 7, 2022
Bit of a derail, but This poll shows that 98.4% of Ukrainians have Ukrainian as their mother tongue.
It would be an underestimation of Ukrainian mothers to say that the language was lost or forgotten, just because it was officially suppressed until the 90's.
posted by dum spiro spero at 11:02 PM on March 7, 2022
It would be an underestimation of Ukrainian mothers to say that the language was lost or forgotten, just because it was officially suppressed until the 90's.
posted by dum spiro spero at 11:02 PM on March 7, 2022
@ dum spiro spero - the link you provided has a few issues.
First, the is for the Kyiv region only (and also breaks people down by 'nationality' so the true figure at the bottom of the link for Ukrainian speakers in Kyiv region is 92.3% as indicated at the bottom of the page). This is a better link for the whole country. Quote: 'The part of those whose mother tongue is Ukrainian totals 67.5% of the population of Ukraine, this is by 2.8 percentage points more than in 1989. '
Another issue with both links is that the data are 21 years out of date - they are based on the 2001 census. There are more studies and links mentioned on the Wikipedia page, however they do seem to suggest that a lot of people are bilingual and use either language in various contexts.
posted by plep at 4:30 AM on March 8, 2022
First, the is for the Kyiv region only (and also breaks people down by 'nationality' so the true figure at the bottom of the link for Ukrainian speakers in Kyiv region is 92.3% as indicated at the bottom of the page). This is a better link for the whole country. Quote: 'The part of those whose mother tongue is Ukrainian totals 67.5% of the population of Ukraine, this is by 2.8 percentage points more than in 1989. '
Another issue with both links is that the data are 21 years out of date - they are based on the 2001 census. There are more studies and links mentioned on the Wikipedia page, however they do seem to suggest that a lot of people are bilingual and use either language in various contexts.
posted by plep at 4:30 AM on March 8, 2022
From onlinethreatalerts.com : "Scammers are setting set up fake Airbnb accounts to capitalize on the world's generosity to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country after the Russian invasion. Therefore, those making donations by booking rentals are encouraged to examine the listing carefully and read reviews to make sure the host is legitimate and has been operating for some time."
posted by jcworth at 7:32 AM on March 8, 2022
posted by jcworth at 7:32 AM on March 8, 2022
« Older Please help me find this comedy sketch. | Have any scholars written about The Chosen? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by icaicaer at 11:25 AM on March 7, 2022 [2 favorites]