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?

[Beth44]

Like the changes todays intro to 2022 travel. Who is going to choose the category that my property fits into?

[Sybe]

@Beth44 Great question! Millions of active listings are evaluated using machine learning to analyze titles, descriptions, photo captions, structured data from Hosts, and reviews.

There are a few things you can do to improve your chances of your property being included in a category, like making sure your list of amenities and features is complete and current, and key features of your space are clearly depicted with high-quality photography.

[Cathy899]

@Sybe Same question.  My studio is on a lake yet it does not show up as Lake or Lake front.  My property even has the word "lake" in the description. How can this be changed by the host?  Can the host tag the property with the new categories to ensure it shows up correctly because looks like machine learning isn't quite there.

Also feedback on the functionality... the new functionality should not zoom out to all of a particular country when you select a location.  IMO if you really want to go to a particular location, you should be able to select the location and then the new categories should enhance the search experience in that location, not zoom out to an entire country to then require the user to zoom back into the location they are interested in.

[Stephanie]

Hey @Cathy899 and @Beth44 ,

I'd like to share this Resource Center article with you as it has very useful information and answers to your questions on Categories:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/new-ways-for-guests-to-discover-your-listing-522

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Cathy899]

Thanks.  I read the article prior to posting my question, hoping that I was wrong in my reading of the Categories question.

I can see numerous refences to properties being miscategorized or missing categories all together.  This should be low-hanging fruit for ABB to resolve...allow hosts to tag their own properties with the new categories.  Hosts have a vested interest in tagging correctly. AI does not.  

Please revisit this asap since it's negatively impacting correct property search results based on the new categories.

[Huma0]

@Stephanie 

I've read this article but it really doesn't provide much detailed information. I try to keep my amenities list up to date, but the system has always been super glitchy anyway when it comes to that, which a lot of people have pointed out, e.g. for example, when I search for a listing with the amenities I offer, only two out of the three come out near the top, even though they have the same amenities offered. When I click on iron, one of those two disappears, even though both (actually all three) have an iron listed...

Perhaps my listing could be considered an 'historic home'. It's in a conservation area and nearly as old as Buckingham palace, and has a lot of period details, but what constitutes an historic home? Does it have to be Grade 1 listed in the UK or does it have to actually be a castle or a museum? What about in other countries? 

This is all so vague...

PS, my photos were taken by Airbnb photographers, so I would assume they are of high enough quality?

[Sybe]

@Huma0 When selecting the amenities, are you on the standard search (you entered a specific location) or on the category search (you entered "I'm flexible" as location)?

We're looking to get more clarity as to why the Historical Homes category only shows results in France, and we'll update you once we have more info.

As for the pictures, if they're taken by a professional photographer you could assume the quality is high enough though photographers may miss some of the key features because it's not their own listing they're photographing. It's a good idea to make sure you set expectations with the photographer so they capture everything that makes your listing such an amazing place to stay in!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sybe I was told (by Airbnb)  it was because there is a legal classification of Historic Homes in France. 

[Huma0]

@Sybe 

I have tried both. If I select "I'm flexible" and then selected the shared homes category, zooming in on the map. My listing do not appear. In fact, very few do. One of my listings then appears only when I select dates, but not the other two. A couple of the listings that do show up have a nice lead photo, but most of the photos are really "blah" to be honest, definitely not taken by a professional and often with bad lighting.

I believe the Airbnb photographers did a good job at my listings.

I'm happy with them. Airbnb marketing thought they were good enough because they interviewed me for an article on my interior decorating tips + sent a photographer here to shoot for a whole day to get images for their marketing purposes.

However, we're talking about actual people. When it's left to an algorithm, apparently "computer says no".

[Beth44]

Stephanie Thanks for responding however I watched the 22 new video and saw the announcements. I get the categories. My question was about who or what was making the determinations for property category. Does this mean that ALL properties will fit into a category and if not where does property fall in reveals-will a property drop in exposure if it doesn't fit? Eg. My property could be a little treehouse like but better categorized as " city walkable"

[Stephanie]

Hi @Beth44 ,

If your property doesn't fit into any category, it will be under the "All Homes" Icon in search:

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Natasha-and-John0]

i went from making almost 6k to $100 in two weeks time. This is devestating.

[Aj119]

Blast him on twitter, that's what I'm doing until he responds.... Same for me, 500 reviews, 4.9, superhosts for years, 10k a month to peanuts 

[Wendy1171]

Him who? How and I will do it.  Thanks