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?

[Kathleen543]

@Sybe  would you help me with this? I have heard nothing. It has been days. We are listed as being in London, in the UK, and we are in Vermont. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kathleen543 when I look at your listings it says they are in Vermont. Where are you seeing London?

[Kathleen543]

Hi - Thanks for your message.

Yes, when you get to our listing page, everything shows up as correct and it does say "Putney Vermont".

But if you are searching for accommodations in Putney Vermont,  the thumbnails on the search results are all superimposed with the words  "House in London" "Apartment in London" "Loft in London" etc. All of those results are actually in Vermont, and it is very confusing for any potential guest since there is no London in Vermont. 

Once you click through, it does show on each listing's page the correct geography. And on the search results page, the map is correct. But it's quite confusing, on top of the new changes, which also seem inherently confusing.

I am assuming this is why I have had no new reservations or inquiries in almost two weeks, but given other host's issues with the new release, maybe it would have slowed down or stopped anyway, I don't know. We usually get requests and inquiries daily.

[Aj119]

Why did you remove the titles and review counts? Views and bookings are in the toilet now since it's confusing for guests. I don't understand who comes up with these updates and completely shatters someone's business with a bad idea. We're hosts with 500 reviews, 4.9 overall and Supershosts for the past 4 years and now our bookings have flatlined.... looking at the graph is directly proportional to when these updates came out. 

[Peggy137]

Same here. 
I'm scrambling to figure out how to pay the bills this month.

I slashed my prices, and have seen my views go back up, but no one is booking. 

This was not how it was before the change.

[Aj119]

Same here - I don't understand why they keep screwing it up!

[Aj119]

Lol search for a cabin in Edmonton, show's you cabins in Banff (5.5 hours away). This is getting more and more ridiculous. Imagine you search for a hotel in New York and it shows you options in LA...... They've ruined it. party is over. bookings are way down, reviews don't matter anymore, no titles. It's busted. 

[Kristina46]

Searching in my area reveals results in Lahaina. ON ANOTHER ISLAND! 

[Peggy137]

Hey Airbnb, 

Could you take a look at this thread and consider adjusting the new changes as it's seriously impacting us and obviously not working.

[Aj119]

Should we get a petition going? I'm sure if we got 5000 signatures or so maybe the CEO would explain the changes to us? It's ridiculous he hasn't done so yet but

[Peggy137]

I wonder if it would help... but it couldn't hurt. I mean, if it goes on like this I'm toast.

[Mark116]

It's an odd situation, maybe even unprecedented.  Airbnb created the short term rental market as it exists today.  Many hosts made good money for many years.  We all signed up for the TOS and the 'arbitration' and all the fine print that we probably don't even know about.

However, Airbnb is also, as a result of their new insane AI categories and flawed search function destroying the businesses that the platform helped create.  I can't even think of an analogy, I suppose it would be similar if you bought a franchise and then the corporation mandated a series of business crushing pricing or forced you to install an offensive logo, which destroyed  your business.

It's all very crazy and unfortunate.  But, other than listing on different platforms or going direct, I doubt there is much legal recourse. 

Of course a real class action lawsuit that included thousands or tens of thousands of hosts would bring down enough bad PR that it might cause Airbnb to change this destructive policy on its own.

[Peggy137]

I talked to a lawyer, they said no class action... but it's not something I want to pursue. Lawsuits are so ugly.

[Natasha-and-John0]

I’m reading a book called the Every where larger corporations buy small ones, then shut them down , forming one giant technocracy. 

[Peggy137]

FYI that was / is Walmart's model. Get exclusive rights to sell a product and force their prices down till the company goes under and then buy it.