Airbnb is in many ways reinventing hotels from first principles. The economics and incentive structure of "just let somebody crash on your couch" are not at all the same as what Airbnb is currently doing or expecting guests/hosts to do. Guests treat the place like a hotel, but don't act as respectfully as they would in a hotel. Hosts charge what it costs to run something like a hotel, but don't provide the level of service necessary to qualify as a hotel, and at the same prices. Everyone is unhappy because everybody's expectations are unreasonable.

Who is creating the perception of what the product is? Airbnb. Who is making decisions that piss off both groups? Airbnb. But they're also squeezed by the unrealistic expectations of both sides.

I don't see a good way out of this, and the comment section isn't encouraging. People are either "hosts" or "guests" and they only care about the side they relate to.