This week Airbnb published news of updates aimed at taking advantage of travel trends post-pandemic. The fact of the matter is people aren’t traveling the way they used to. Many people, though not all, have much more flexibility in their work and are able to work remotely unlike ever before.
In what they’re calling their Airbnb 2022 Summer Release, the company hopes to provide more opportunities within this new travel market. In this release, they have a variety of new features.
The first is called is Categories:
Searching for homes will no longer be focused solely on destination. The category feature allows hosts to feature their homes within specific categories, allowing guests the chance to find homes they might previously have never been exposed to. As a traveler, you’ll be able to click on a variety of diverse categories based on your interests. Some fun travel categories you’ll see when searching through the updated Airbnb home page are activity-based categories like camping, surfing, skiing, and farming - as well as architectural and style-specific categories like design, castles, and even my personal favorite, an OMG category for outlandishly unique stays. This new category search option works in conjunction with the traditional search option, so if you'll still be able to find a specific type of home within a destination.
Next is Split Stays:
Again, serving the recent travel trends of longer duration stays, you as travelers will have the option for Airbnb to split your stay between two homes within the same category and region. It lets Airbnb do the legwork of searching and matching properties for you giving you the chance of experiencing multiple homes and exploring different neighborhoods. While this option might not be for everyone, it could be a wonderful way for flexible and adventurous travelers to make the most of their time away.
And the last feature is Aircover for Guests:
This is a big one. If you aren’t an Airbnb host this term will be new to you. Aircover is the company-backed guarantee offered to all Airbnb hosts that protects them in the event of damage and emergencies. Extending Aircover for guests is a great gesture of reassurance for travelers as well. In a way, it’s a form of insurance that protects them in the case of unforeseen circumstances.
With Guest Aircover, guests are offered 4 new services:
Booking Protection Guarantee: for when a host cancels within a month of your arrival,
Check-in Guarantee: for when you're unable to get into your airbnb,
Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee: for when the home isn’t as advertised, like when you arrive and theres’ no Internet access or if there’s only 1 bathroom instead of 2. In a situation like that Airbnb guarantees to offer you a comparable home or refund your full booking fee.
24-hour Safety Line: for emergencies when you just need to speak with a human being.
For travelers, the updates within the 2022 Summer release are yet another layer of service and safety that give you the chance to dream up and build out memorable travel experiences. I’d recommend you head over to Airbnb.com and explore the home page to get an idea of how the new categories can boost your next vacation. Personally, I’ve already started adding a number of listings to my favorites based on my search and hopes for future adventures
For HOSTS: takeaways of the Airbnb 2022 Summer Release.
Categories:
I think this could be a great way for potential guests to find your home regardless of geography. It gives you even more ways to show up within listing searches. When it comes to designating a category for your home, the Airbnb platform will do that for you.
But here are 3 things you can do to improve your search within categories.
1 - Update your listing to make it current and accurate. Your listing is ranked on a variety of factors including quality, price, popularity, location, and photo quality. So spend time going through each one carefully. Last week I posted this video featuring 5 ways to improve your listing which is a good start in optimizing your
2 - Add great photography as your listing photos, as they'll be the greatest communicator within your category.
3 - Highlight your home’s unique features within your listing settings - things like design, architectural, and historical attributes.
Split Stays:
For this one, it’s all about calendar settings. Guests will be able to book split stays for your home if you have a minimum of 3 nights of availability and you’ll increase your eligibility for more split stay bookings if you increase your maximum stay to at least 7 days. In addition, be sure to update your amenities to show benefits for longer-term guests, things like comfortable work areas and reliable wifi.
Aircover for Guests:
I think this is a win-win for both the host and guests. The way I see it, this is Airbnb attempting to compete with VRBO in attracting hosts. What this does is alleviate a lot of pressure from the host in accepting guest bookings. With the 4 features within Aircover, guests are guaranteed measures of safety in the unlikely event that you’re unable to deliver on your hosting promises. Yes, you are still responsible to guests for the amenities and services that you outline within your settings and your hosting status may still be in jeopardy if you fail to deliver on that, but it removes the liability from the host if unforeseen circumstances should arise.
As Hosts, our takeaway from this is to continue to offer unparalleled service to guests through our hosting experiences and let Airbnb take care of the rest.
If you are new to hosting and looking to start renting your home then USE THIS LINK below to get a discount for signing up as a new Airbnb host.
And, of course, send us a message. We'd be happy to help.