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?

[Gigi169]

Which other sites?  After being loyal to only AirBnb I am losing my shirt now. 
I would be happy to learn what sites are actually doing what AirBnb is supposed to be doing… 

[Natasha-and-John0]

Yes, most of my bookings have turned to one night last minute bookings as well. Folks asking to bring odd pets, and temperamental. As usual I get an awful review right before I am due to return to super host status. It’s like clockwork.

[Natasha-and-John0]

Yes, I feel like the company worker getting sacked with no explanation

after a decade of service. 

[David8879]

Loyalty is over rated

[Peggy137]

Oh, and zilch for the fall and winter outside of that one guy, who gave up and booked somewhere else. 

[Huma0]

The only bookings I have got are from repeat guests.

Today, one of my listings is showing as only having had four views over the past month. This is insane. Normally at this time of year I am flooded with enquiries. I only got one (yesterday) in weeks and weeks but that was for dates that are not available.

Interestingly, the guest wanted to book for September, but the enquiry was for dates in May 2023. I wonder if that's the earliest availability for the listing that showed in her search. I have of course received enquiries before for days that aren't available on the calendar, but the guest usually selects the next available dates in order to send that enquiry, not dates nearly a year away!

[Lisa34]

I am sorry this happening to you (most all of us). I think what is leading to this confusion and odd date enquiries is the default to a random week in the future, usually way in the future. IMO at best it creates so many click through a guests abandons the search and at worst they think we don’t have anything available until that odd, random week the algorithm chose. That feature is terrible for hosts and guests. 

2 of my places we added to a preferred category for our region but the algorithm is choosing lead photos that I know from A/B testing is not a good lead. 

i am getting the odd single night or 2 night booking fairly last minute, mostly repeats (thank goodness), but almost no new bookings especially for peak season. 

That some of our views are starting to go up is hopeful but not if the bookings don’t come with it. I think a lot of hosts are just mystified and hoping this will get better. In reading other threads on FB it seems no one knows what to do except change platforms, or add them, and cross their fingers. 

[Shar2296]

Our listing went from 3,000 views every 30 days down to 600 views. We have had only one booking since May 11. We are usually completely booked. I wonder if it’s the anti party blocking new users - we usually only get 1-2 night stays and most of our guests have had zero reviews. 

[Lisa34]

UPDATE: Views for our listings are steadily going up. (Of course that was after a huge loss a month ago, so one would hope month over month would finally be gaining.) However, bookings remain slow to no.

I know when I search in categories in the various regions we’ve explored I have also been shown properties in far flung places on page 1. The example I keep using is searching for Design houses in Indiana or the surrounding area and being shown houses in South Africa, which did result in me viewing the property only to figure out it wasn’t anywhere close to my search area.

This makes me wonder if our places are being shown in equally unlikely booking scenarios or if the default to a week is continuing to cause a lot of confusion, as the dates presented are almost always in odd ball times or in off peak and most of our stays are for 4 nights not 7.

[Huma0]

@Lisa34 

I also got results in other countries when I searched the Design category, even though I was zooming the map on South London.

I'm hardly getting any views but, like you've said, the views can be quite meaningless if they are from guests looking for an entirely different location. I am not sure why Airbnb would think that more than a tiny percentage of guests are going to book a completely different location just because Airbnb would like them to.

[Kathleen543]

Hi all. Our listing spent five weeks showing up as in London UK instead of Vermont, US (there is a Putney in both). Thanks to @Stephanie and @Sybe , that issue is fixed. Our bookings are not back to normal by any means, but they are a bit better. 

I would be grateful if any of you who understands the Views screen could comment on this screenshot. We have two little listings on our farm in Vermont. I can't imagine we ever have 20k or 30k views in any month. Usually when I check views we have a 100 or so a day - these giant swings are new (I just turned on the professional tools) and I have to think they are in error.  Can anyone weigh in on this?

[Peggy137]

I would also appreciate some insight on this, and in general how to boost views and bookings in this new Airbnb world.

[Lisa34]

That appears to be showing a 6 month period to a different 6 month period. (I wish we could easily do a month over month comparison  (like May 2021 to May 2022) or the same 6 month period in a different year. Based on what you said 100 or so views a day that would make sense with these numbers for the most part. Properties are being shown in searches where they would not hav been before. I am not sure this is a good thing the way it is happening right now anyway, but that could explain the huge spikes.

[Lisa34]

I am glad your location issue was fixed. 😉

[David8879]

How is THIS "Albufeira"???? Entire Algarve showing up!