Imagine waking up to a notification on your phone. Then another. Then fifty more.
For one Airbnb host, this wasn't just a bad dream—it was a reality that cost them thousands of dollars in a single morning. After hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) through the agency Be More Remote, the host handed over the keys to their digital kingdom, expecting help with guest messages and calendar management.
Instead, they watched in horror as the VA proceeded to cancel every single upcoming booking.
In a matter of minutes, months of revenue vanished, and the host was left picking up the pieces of a shattered reputation. Here is why this happened, the true cost of the damage, and—most importantly—how you can stop it from happening to you.
The "Be More Remote" Incident: What Went Wrong?
While outsourcing is a secret weapon for many successful hosts, the "Be More Remote" incident highlights the catastrophic risks of hiring through unverified or low-accountability agencies.
According to reports, the VA in question didn't just make a small error; they executed a mass cancellation of the host's entire forward-looking calendar. Whether this was an act of malicious retribution, a technical error, or gross incompetence remains a point of contention, but the result for the host was the same: total financial carnage.
The True Cost of a Rogue VA
The damage from an incident like this goes far beyond just the lost nightly rate. If a VA cancels your bookings, you are hit with a "triple threat" of penalties:
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Immediate Revenue Loss: The host lost thousands in guaranteed income instantly.
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Airbnb Penalties: Airbnb’s cancellation policy for hosts is strict. Hosts can be fined up to 50% of the booking value for cancellations made close to check-in.
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Superhost Status Revoked: A mass cancellation event almost guarantees the loss of Superhost status, which destroys search visibility and future booking conversion.
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The "Ghost" Calendar: When a host cancels a booking, Airbnb often blocks those dates on the calendar, meaning you cannot even re-book them to make the money back.
3 Critical Lessons for Every Host
If you are currently using a VA or considering hiring one from an agency like Be More Remote, you need to take these three steps immediately to protect your business.
1. Never Give "Co-Host" Access Blindly
The biggest mistake hosts make is handing over their main login credentials or granting full "Co-Host" access with no restrictions.
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The Fix: Use Airbnb’s Teams or Co-Host feature to grant limited access. A VA should usually only need access to Inbox and Calendar (View Only) initially. They should never have the permission to cancel reservations without your secondary approval.
2. Vet the Agency, Not Just the VA
Agencies like Be More Remote often market themselves as a "done-for-you" solution, but you must ask the hard questions before signing a contract:
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Do they have Liability Insurance? If their employee destroys your business, will the agency cover the thousands in lost revenue?
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What are their security protocols? Do they use LastPass or similar tools so the VA never actually sees your passwords?
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What is their vetting process? Are these VAs background-checked, or just random hires from a job board?
3. Diversify Your Booking Channels
The host in this story was likely 100% dependent on Airbnb. If they had bookings on Vrbo, Booking.com, or a Direct Booking website, a rogue VA on one platform wouldn't have been able to wipe out their entire existence.
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The Fix: Use a Channel Manager (like Guesty, Hospitable, or Hostaway). If a VA goes rogue on one platform, your master calendar on the Channel Manager can sometimes be used to restore availability or manage the damage control centrally.
Summary
The Be More Remote disaster is a wake-up call. Virtual Assistants are an asset, but they are also a liability.
Do not trade your peace of mind for cheap labor. Verify your permissions settings today, and if you are using an agency that feels "too cheap to be true," remember: you might be one click away from an empty calendar.
