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?

[Larissa112]

Can an admin please tell us hosts how the new policy for guests getting a refund if they don't like the home works? Who is paying for these refunds? Is it coming from the hosts? If a guest shows up and complains that it is cold and rainy on the Oregon Coast in November (which has happened to us) will they be getting a refund because the home/experience is not what they wanted/expected? This puts hosts in a pretty bad situation. Guests can abuse this and come up with hundreds of reasons to request a refund. 

[Sybe]

@Larissa112 Do you mean the guest refund and rebooking policy? You can find more information about that here, but if anything remains unclear please do let us know. 🙂

[Gillian166]

@Sybe  there are 9 pages of questions and non-responses in that thread, it's clear as mud. 

@Larissa112 asked about the "new policy" so it's obvious she means the AirCover for Guests.   

Is the money used to relocate unhappy guests coming from Airbnb, via hosts? or straight from airbnb itself? I'm all for abb to hold terrible hosts accountable, they give us all a bad name, but i'm not for abb to enable unscrupulous guests to get a free holiday on me. 

[Aj119]

They probably found out about these sketchy updates after we did

[Darrin10]

This is a update with several real problems. The first which everyone here is already complaining about is that when you use the category search function, the map zooms out to recommend listings hours away from the original destination chosen. The other very problematic issue is homes not being included in  he category. Whats the point? I have a 4.97 rated cabin in the woods with 142 reviews and when you go to my area and choose cabin, it doesn't include me and instead suggests places at the other end of the state. And I should also be in the ski category as I'm minutes from a popular ski resort. Big mess up here. Fix it. 

[Molly396]

@Darrin10  I think the weird zoom feature is intentional. They’re trying to drive guests away from busy locations to alleviate some of the bad press they’ve gotten from big presence in big cities. 

this article illuminated the motives for me. I am trying to get our units into the right category. So frustrating. 

https://amp.france24.com/en/live-news/20220511-new-airbnb-feature-aims-to-redistribute-tourists-from...

[Darrin10]

Thanks, thats some weird thought they have going on their though. Guests want to search in Paris, show them Paris. My area is not oversold, Im in the countryside, if someone had a reason for coming here If they don't need Airbnb to suggest the next state over. The category placement is more problematic, leaving it up to some AI program to figure it out? I see a giant mansion near me in the "Cabin" category lol. 

[Mary3607]

Same here!  We’re not over saturated or oversold out here. There is (or was until these recent changes) high demand, but the rural community supports our industry because it brings jobs and tourist dollars. Why would AirBNB try to drive business to other area?  Yet that appears to be the case. SMH

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Tnx to bringing this up, it seems you are right @Molly396 

"...The goal is to "redistribute" users away from traveler-jammed venues, such as Venice, Paris or the biggest US cities, Airbnb executives said.

Under the new Airbnb program, consumers can pick from up to 56 categories .....

The revamp is an alternative from the search box long used by Airbnb and other online travel sites where users enter in a destination and travel dates.

Airbnb users will still be able to search the conventional way, but the category option provides an alternative to steer demand away from oversold locales, said Chief Executive Brian Chesky...."

[Molly396]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 this kindof confirmed that idea as well. Disappointing to urban and city hosts who are really walking the walk, and I think to our guests, who don’t usually have the crazy flexibility Airbnb is suggesting. Maybe it will push more “extra” trips but I believe at the expense and convenience of all the intentional planned trips. They could have designated special highly desirable properties into special lists but it really should not dominate the user experience unless they will instruct hosts on how to qualify… which they’re being a little cagey about. 

[Louise1097]

So if someone needs to come to a wedding or a funeral, or to visit their kids, in West Dorset UK, Chesky thinks he can sell them a trip to the Arctic?!?!

[Huma0]

@Louise1097 

Yes, exactly.

I host long term guests who book with me because they are coming to London to work or study. Or, they are relocating to London and need a temporary home while searching for a long term apartment. Or, they are locals in between homes, e.g. waiting for a property purchase to go through.

They do not want to stay anywhere other than London and not only that, they want to book somewhere that is convenient for their work/study, so where exactly it is in London matters.

Even when I hosted short term guests, all of them booked because they specifically wanted to come to London. It's an absolute nonsense that Brian Chesky and Airbnb think that guests can be persuaded to book something hours away from the place they intend to visit. Why on earth would they?

When this Summer Release was rolled out, I did a search for properties in South London using the 'design' category. The results kept trying to send me to France, and that included Paris, so it's not even driving people away from the oversaturated areas mentioned in @Molly396 's screenshot above, which includes Paris!! 

What a mess.

[Tony-And-Una0]

It will "steer demand away" to other booking platforms.

If I want to book a place in London, I will not want a houseboat in Belgium as an alternative. This is actually what the search result returned.

I would simply book on another platform.

[Suzanne302]

@Molly396 

OMG that's ridiculous.

[Lisa34]

OK maybe but they’re also driving business away from small towns all over  the rural areas of western North Carolina. Our region is known for national parks and amazing views. If I guest uses some of the popular categories for our region, like Amazing View, redirects you to Gatlinburg. That is hours away from the search area. So businesses being redirected to certain markets across the board. I was told it’s because they have the largest grouping of properties. But that wouldn’t explain why major markets that have a huge number of properties are also being redirected. To be clear, our area of North Carolina is mostly second homes so we do have hundreds of properties in our region.