People booking Air BnB to help Ukraine residents directly

[Cherie]

Members of the public are paying for Airbnb rentals in Ukraine to help get money to residents who are facing extreme financial hardship because of the Russian invasion.

The home rental platform has already moved to offer free housing to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, but members of the public have come up with a novel way to financially help those who either intend to remain or are trapped in the country owing to the conflict.

One couple who made a booking for 3-10 March in Kyiv, posted confirmation on Twitter and wrote: “Hello Maria, my wife and I have just booked your apartment for one week, but of course we will not be visiting. This is just so you can receive some money.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/03/ukraine-airbnbs-booked-in-effort-to-get-money-to-residents-pay-not-stay

[Niamh.]

Oh yes I saw this being shared around Fb

[Vanessa]

Aw this is wonderful :sad:

[UserSince2005]

Ukrainian airbnbs are the worst part about the Ukraine. They rip you off, dont provide clean enough places, say you can pay by credit card but then get threatening when you want to pay with card rather than cash, charge you fake city taxes, the list goes on.
made me laugh when i saw people doing this because those bastards i unfortunately dont feel sorry for. sorry for being as bad a person as they are.

[Cherie]

Ukrainian airbnbs are the worst part about the Ukraine. They rip you off, dont provide clean enough places, say you can pay by credit card but then get threatening when you want to pay with card rather than cash, charge you fake city taxes, the list goes on.
made me laugh when i saw people doing this because those bastards i unfortunately dont feel sorry for. sorry for being as bad a person as they are.

because you have personally visited all of them...what happened to your wonderful Kyiv ...not so happy to put your money where you mouth is it seems

[bots]

the aim isn't to review air BnB's its to gift ukrainian people money, so the calibre of the stay is just not relevant

[user104658]

the aim isn't to review air BnB's its to gift ukrainian people money, so the calibre of the stay is just not relevant

To be fair, it is relevant if they're not "genuine Air BnB's" (i.e. run as supplemental income for an individual or family) but are instead low-quality accomodation owned and run by someone/a group that's purely profiteering. Not really who you want your money to go to, if donating. Especially given that many of these individuals potentially don't even live in the area themselves... so you might actually be sending your money to some dodgy **** sat by a pool somewhere completely safe.

[UserSince2005]

because you have personally visited all of them...what happened to your wonderful Kyiv ...not so happy to put your money where you mouth is it seems

i have given a lot of money to personal contacts in ukraine since the war has started i have paid for people get to the border including their accommodation

[UserSince2005]

To be fair, it is relevant if they're not "genuine Air BnB's" (i.e. run as supplemental income for an individual or family) but are instead low-quality accomodation owned and run by someone/a group that's purely profiteering. Not really who you want your money to go to, if donating. Especially given that many of these individuals potentially don't even live in the area themselves... so you might actually be sending your money to some dodgy **** sat by a pool somewhere completely safe.

didnt even think of that, but this.
the bastards i have met on my trips.
I would never just give money randomly people on airbnb.
Also in Kyiv a lot of airbnbs are run by the same people but dont appear as such.
You literally pick up the keys for the apartment from a centralised location and then have to make your way to your apartment at where ever the address actually is.
These people do not need your money, give it to people who actually need it.