Last summer, two days before a Huckleberry Travel client arrived to the riad they’d booked in Marrakech, a pipe burst. Since the agency had booked them through a preferred provider, they were able to get the client into a comparable property (which they ended up loving) on very short notice.

Thanks to that relationship, the issue was a non-issue. But if that property had been an Airbnb, says Thomas Carpenter with the Brooklyn-based agency, they might not have even known there was an issue with the riad until the client showed up.

That’s only one reason that Carpenter doesn’t book Airbnb properties for clients, and it’s a sentiment shared by many other travel agencies.

“Our whole business as travel consultants is rooted in ensuring that our clients have comfortable, no-hassle travel experiences,” says Carpenter. “We've had prospective clients who've booked too-good-to-be-true Airbnbs on their own, only to find themselves stranded in one of the most expensive cities in the world with nowhere to stay.”

Airbnb, for its part, is making inroads that might make change that perspective at least a little bit. Last week, among a flurry of changes, Airbnb announced the launch of Airbnb Plus. Each home in the Plus category will be visited in-person by an Airbnb staff member and rated on a 100-plus point quality inspection, checked for everything from must-have amenities like towels and pillows to thoughtfully arranged furniture and tasteful art on the walls.

In addition, every Airbnb Plus host must be highly rated (at least 4.8). The homes will be denoted by a “Plus” badge on their listing.

It’s a step in the right direction toward ensuring quality, albeit one that leaves many travel agents shaking their heads.

“I think it’s just good business for Airbnb to verify the quality (and existence) of the properties they’re renting, and I’m surprised that it’s taken them this long to do it, frankly,” says Carpenter.

Beyond by Airbnb, another category announced last week, takes aim at the luxury travel market. In an effort to shed any remaining perceptions that its rentals are only for couch-surfing solo travellers, Airbnb acquired Luxury Retreats, a company specializing in high-end home rentals last year.

“Take a trip of a lifetime and go beyond,” says a video on the company’s website. Another move to potentially gain loyalty from luxury travel agents? It sounds good in theory, but may not be enough.

Hilary Stockton, CEO of luxury travel company TravelSort, had a client staying at a Luxury Resorts villa in Kauai, Hawaii. The villa’s smoke detector beeped loudly nonstop throughout the night (not because of a fire, but because of a battery needing to be changed) until the local contact finally responded to the issue around 8 a.m.

“Needless to say, the guests did not get any sleep during those hours, which were excruciating for them,” says Stockton, noting it becomes nearly impossible to move guests quickly if a problem occurs with these properties. “Even Luxury Retreats has a long way to go to become a reliable partner in the luxury space,” she says.

The client experience aside, there’s another elephant in the room that’s had a massive impact on travel agents’ distrust in Airbnb: the lack of commission.

If Airbnb is serious about making inroads with agents, they need to develop programs that will compensate them for their efforts, and figure out how to establish relationships with larger host agencies and consortia, says Carpenter. “Honestly, though, I think that’s an uphill battle because of [Airbnb’s] reputation,” he notes.

Stockton is on the same page.

With regards to her client’s smoke detector incident with Luxury Retreats, the owner refused to honor her request of refunding 50 percent of that night’s rental fee. She escalated the issue to top management, yet it still took months to even get the client’s security deposit back, let alone her commission. (Luxury Retreats previously paid commission to travel agents—reportedly around 20 percent—and continues to do so under Airbnb’s umbrella, though Stockton’s example occurred before the acquisition.)

That Airbnb should focus on improving relations with travel agencies on a broader scale is a sentiment by echoed Albert Herrera, senior vice president of global partnerships at Virtuoso.

“Because travel advisors are such a significant channel for bookings, it is imperative that companies providing lodging options build bridges with them,” says Herrera. “Trust is the fundamental underpinning of any successful relationship in our industry, and the best way to create that trust is to recognize and reward the importance of advisors in booking accommodations for their clients.”

His message is a do-or-die one for Airbnb: “Companies that fail to build those advisor bonds will not thrive in such a competitive marketplace, especially with discerning luxury travelers,” Herrera notes.

All of this leads to the question: Does Airbnb think they even need travel agents?

On any given night, 2 million people stay in an Airbnb around the world, across more than 4 million Airbnb listings in nearly 200 countries, according to company data. More than 1.9 million of those are instantly bookable, meaning a guest can book a property immediately without prior approval by a host.

Last year, with the launch of Airbnb Experiences, the company stepped on travel agents’ toes a little more by adding new services that allow guests to book excursions, activities with locals, restaurant reservations and more. More than 5,000 experiences are now available, with an additional 25,000 coming by the end of the year, according to the company.

Airbnb did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

As seasoned travel pros argue, technology can’t replace the human element—and peace of mind—that agents provide travelers. And it usually can’t help solve problems like beeping smoke detectors and broken pipes. For now, agencies are still planning to focus on bookings with trusted vendors in the hotel space where quality and commission can be guaranteed.

“Our credibility as professional travel consultants and our relationship with our clients is too important to leave to chance,” says Carpenter. “We need to have trust not only in the quality of the product, but we have to have confidence in the company that provides it.