Airbnb hosts in Ukraine are having their properties booked by people who do not intend to visit the country. According to CNN, the move is part of a creative idea to raise money for besieged Ukrainians in need of financial assistance as Russian forces bomb their country and cut basic infrastructure services.
The idea took a breath in the last few days. Last Wednesday (2) and Thursday (3), guests from around the world booked 61,000 nights in Ukraine, according to an Airbnb spokesperson.
As the intention is to help Ukrainians as quickly as possible, those interested in making this unusual donation have been making reservations and checking in at close dates. Generally, Airbnb issues the money order to the host 24 hours after the hosting begins.
The hosting rental platform has also been used for foreigners to send messages of support to Ukrainian hosts, who usually respond in gratitude.
In many cases, those responsible for the lease are no longer in their homes. Faced with the difficulty of staying in their own city in the face of the Russian threat, part of the hosts have already left Kiev, for example, with their whole family.
Not everything, however, is solidarity and compassion in the face of war. There are already warnings for those interested in collaborating to make sure of the property and the host before making a reservation, because scammers could take advantage of the moment to deceive donors.
One of the tips is to check if the place has been rented for a long time, as well as check the detailed profile of who is offering their own house or apartment.
This is relatively easy in some cases. People who have visited Ukraine in the past and stayed through Airbnb have been directly helping their former hosts, for example, by renting for a full week.
According to CNN, the organizers of the donation campaign are also asking people to ensure that the hosts are individuals and not companies.
In the late afternoon of this Saturday (5), the platform offered more than 300 accommodations in Kiev for two days next weekend. A bed in a hostel, with a shared bathroom, starts at R$46 a night. A luxury apartment for five guests, in the central region of the Ukrainian capital, charged just over R$13,000 a night.
Airbnb has announced that it is offering free temporary housing to up to 100,000 Ukrainians who are fleeing the Russian invasion of countries such as Germany, Poland, Romania and Hungary. On Thursday, the company also halted operations in Russia and Belarus as sanctions from Western countries pile up against Moscow.
