Airbnb expects more than 300 million guest arrivals this year, following the end of the pandemic. The platform announced yesterday that it has therefore developed its most extensive set of new features ever, with more than 50 functionalities and features based on feedback from hosts and guests.
The most notable of the news presented yesterday, during the launch of Summer 2023, is Airbnb Rooms, a return to the essence of the platform, but in an improved way, according to the company's statement, which reported that the new features have been available worldwide since yesterday.
“With Airbnb Rooms, we’re returning to the original idea from which it all began, reclaiming our essence: sharing. The rooms on our platform are typically more affordable than hotel rooms and allow you to discover a city in a more authentic way. This is the driving force behind Airbnb,” said Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb.
The statement explains that Airbnb was born as an alternative to traditional lodging, allowing people to share homes with others while traveling. "This original idea has two main advantages. The first is that it's more affordable: more than 80% of private rooms on the Airbnb platform cost less than $100 a night; and the second is that, by staying with a host, you travel in a much more authentic way because you can not only forge a new personal connection, but also experience life as a local for a few days," it explains.
The platform explains that given the current economic context, people are looking to travel for less money and, after the isolation experienced with the pandemic, meeting people and experiencing something different while traveling is generating more interest.
"That's why now is the ideal time to stay in a room at someone else's house. But for even more people to try this experience, it's essential to feel comfortable with the hosts.".
Through Airbnb Rooms, all private room listings will display the host's passport, a cover letter so guests can get to know them a little better before a stay, among other information, detailed below:
- Host Passport : Airbnb wants travelers to get to know their hosts a little better before booking, so they feel more comfortable. The passport, exclusive to Airbnb Rooms, serves just that purpose. To open it, guests simply tap the passport icon, and a photo of the host will appear along with all the details they've included, such as where they went to school, what they do for a living, what languages they speak, and what their passion is.
- New Airbnb Rooms category : brings together 1 million private rooms, with access to shared areas such as the kitchen, living room or garden.
- Redesigned filters : The "accommodation type" filter has been updated, making it easier to switch between room listings, entire properties, or both. Additionally, the new price filter, which updates based on your chosen settings, clearly displays the average price for each accommodation type.
- New privacy options : When sharing a home, privacy is especially valued. That's why room listings will clearly indicate whether the door has a lock. They will also show whether the bathroom is private or shared, and if there might be other people in the accommodation besides the host.
Airbnb also explains that it has improved its design and that, starting with yesterday's launch, the user journey on the platform is graphically detailed: registration, booking, arrival, departure, and all intermediate steps.
"Then, a plan was developed that covered the entire experience and recorded all screens, policies, and interactions. Millions of customer service incidents were then analyzed and associated with that journey. Finally, thousands of social media posts were also reviewed, and a lot of guests and hosts were consulted about what could be improved," the report states.
“Today, we’re introducing the most extensive set of new features in our history. And, as always, we base them on design, so we never stop moving forward. These 50 new improvements and features are just the beginning. We’ll always keep improving Airbnb,” Chesky added.
Other improvements that Airbnb announced at its summer launch this year included:
Clearer check-out instructions, improved maps, updated favorites lists, more affordable monthly stays and enhanced search, and priority support during your stay. Guests in the United States and Canada can also pay for their stays in four interest-free installments spread over six weeks.
Another new feature introduced yesterday concerns immediate alternative booking credit, which stipulates that if a host cancels when there are 30 days or less until arrival, most guests will receive credit immediately so they can book alternative accommodation as soon as possible.
