Airbnb 2022 Summer Release: What you need to know

[Airbnb]

Our 2022 Summer Release represents the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade. We’re introducing:

• Airbnb Categories: A new way to search that makes it easy for guests to discover millions of homes they never knew existed

• Split Stays: An innovative feature that pairs two listings when a guest searches for a longer stay

• AirCover: The most comprehensive protection in travel, included for free with every stay

Get all the details on the Resource Center, and tell us: Will you be updating your listing for Airbnb Categories and Split Stays? How will you update it?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

me too @Gillian166  but it seems many guests don't even look at the pictures anymore

I recognize a guest who has read everything from his first message. I just have to respond with "Thank you, see you soon..." and that's it. I love him already 😄

With others, I know some 30 messages will follow... depending on how entitled and stubborn they are.

[Huma0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

So, so true. 

The reason I turned off IB (and am not planning to turn it back on despite the decimation of my bookings caused by the Summer Release) is because of the increasing number of entitled guests that not only don't read the listing/answer the questions, but go ahead and IB anyway, totally ignoring your messages that clearly state they need to provide this info PRIOR to booking. When I express my concern about that, they make some lame excuse, e.g. "Oh, I thought I had replied to that, but I guess the message didn't send..." , turn out to be crappy guests and leave you a bad review. I am done with that.

There is also an in-between though. I have a current guest who started off with this message:

"Internship at London for 2 months. Looking to check in on the 19th of May, late afternoon." 

This made me realise he has read something as I ask guests to tell me the purpose of their visit and check in time, but he hadn't read some important stuff like the house rules (no answer to my Easter egg question). The information about himself was far too brief for me (remember this is a two month stay in my own home with me, my cats and other guests). 

However, when asked for more info/to read the house rules, he responded quickly, supplied all requested info and has been an absolute dream of a guest so far. His first message was not ideal but, with a gentle prompt, his second message was exactly what I was looking for.

[Susan1188]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

Totally agree!  

Except for one thing.  If it is so hard for the guest to find your house rules, is there any merit in trying to get them across in a different way, instead of counting on guest reading on Airbnb?  If one guest is having trouble, maybe others were but not saying it?

It is very interesting to book a property as a guest to see what they are fed by Airbnb.

House rules are - indeed - very well hidden! Almost as if on purpose! Try it you'll see.   You have to literally seek them out and click on multiple things, to get them to appear.

So unless you provided a video, virtual guide, bullet points with emojis, personal phone call etc... perhaps there is a message to take from this guest.  Do your own communication don't count on them to read anything in the airbnb listing.  What's in the listing is to protect you from any kind of claim to CS.

[Tim3051]

There is no option to list a shepherds hut in the Glamping section under Unique Stays. Shepherds Huts are a very popular choice in the UK but guests are now unable to search for them where as they were able to before the summer update. This has has had a negative impact on our bookings.

[Sammy-L-0]

So far, the new system is horrible. There are more than more than 20 AirBnBs in my town, including mine. None of them appear in categories. Zero. Instead, if you type in the town name and check categories, AirBnB shows choices around Ashville, North Carolina and Sevierville, Tennessee, four hours from here.

[Lorna170]

Yes, and when I search for my properties in Asheville, I get YOUR property in Kentucky!

How is that helpful to a guest?

[Sammy-L-0]

🤣 At least someone is seeing our listings.

[Jamie206]

Lovely, more nonsense that no hosts or customers have asked for. The main page search engine was already problematic for guests to understand. Now it's a virtual minefield of stupidity that no one can understand. This should force more frustrated guests to vrbo and other platforms. Good job!

[Jamie206]

How about bringing back the pet friendly filter option? Isn't it just awesome that host and guest input is literally always been exclusively ignored by the airbnb management? Then we're somehow supposed to be super excited by some new rollout of junky software, that will send most guests to some other rental site because it's too difficult to navigate? I'll have my own site up and running soon. So at least my return guests won't have to suffer through this indignity of airbnb.com, currently rated as the worst navigable website on the internet...

[Mary3607]

This is particularly ironic because the promotional video features travel with a dog. 🤣🤣🤣

[Jodie115]

OMG HELP ME! Whats happened AIRBNB!!! I have just tried to open the website on firefox and the only way to describe the site is a nightmare. I can't even begin to search for categories as the whole thing is now completely dysfunctional.... I am wondering if I am going to have to list on booking.com or something instead. It seems to have lost all functionality. I haven't been able to search if I don't type an exact date and searching by location the map is all unformatted. Don't know how I am supposed to be messaging guests now the message page is point 4 font!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Jodie115  hit Ctrl +  to magnify the font on desktop

[Emiel1]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

it's the AI.

Depending on age of the host it decreases/increases the font size

Next features will be:

- Guests will also be classified in categories.

- OMG category automatically assigned to listings with bad reviews

- Off-the-grid category assigned to listings not within 400 mtr of a Mc-Donalds / KFC

-  New upcoming categories: nude beaches , horror stay, lighthouse, monastery, skyscraper, prison cell, brothel, lunatics only, and ??.

- Search results will also take your reviews into account.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Emiel1 

I guess I should be flattered that AI thinks I am a teenager and shows me my guest's phone number in 4 pt size and ccc color 😄

Uh, the brothel category would be THE most popular by 50% of guests 😄 😄 😄 how come no one from ABB didn't think of that???

[Lisa34]

I agree with this lighter fight and the smaller size for the phone numbers is really hard on older eyes. And I can’t even pinch to enlarge it either.

Actually, I just reloaded the app on my phone and it’s back to a bigger size. So there’s that.