Hi everyone,
Your response to the 2023 Winter Release has been incredible! I’ve enjoyed reading your comments, and I appreciate your openness and willingness to share your thoughts about the new features.
Since November 8, we’ve been gathering community feedback through the Early Access program, Host Clubs, the Community Center, and more. We’ve already received over 22,000 responses. You’ve told us what you love and what you’d like us to do differently in the future. You’ve also asked a lot of great questions. You’ll find my answers to the most popular topics below.
How does Airbnb plan to integrate Host and guest feedback into future developments? What processes are established for the community to actively propose modifications to the platform?
By Host: @Dolly36
We’re constantly listening to feedback from our community, and we use your suggestions to inspire and inform future developments. This feedback comes in different forms. In the past year, we’ve reviewed millions of customer service tickets, spoken with hundreds of thousands of Hosts and guests, and read thousands of comments on the Community Center, social media, and other online forums.
As you know, we now have product releases twice a year. Since last year we have invited all Hosts to opt into the public Early Access program for that release. It gives you a chance to explore new features before they’re widely available—and let us know what you think. We also welcome you to share feedback anytime through our feedback form on the Help Center. We can’t respond to comments individually, but we do make sure the relevant teams receive them.
Other great ways to share your thoughts with us include talking with Host Club leaders and chatting with our community managers here on the Community Center. If you’re not a member of a local Host Club, you can find yours here.
I hope you have seen in the recent feature or policy updates, that your feedback counts.
How does Airbnb plan to address concerns about the Guest Favorites feature? There have been discussions about inconsistencies and the ubiquity of this badge in certain areas, with some listings being 4.7 and below. How will Airbnb ensure that this feature genuinely distinguishes outstanding listings?
By Hosts: Original question by @Dolly36, supported by @Shinya0, @Mike-And-Jane0, @Daniel1651, @Omar202, @Till-and-Jutta0 and @Brux0.
We’ve heard from many of you on the Community Center and in Host Clubs on this topic, and I’m happy to help provide clarity here. Ratings are one of the many factors used to determine Guest Favorites. The average star rating across Guest Favorites today is 4.9, which means some listings have higher ratings and some fall just below.
Other factors used to determine Guest Favorites include subcategory ratings (for a listing’s cleanliness, accuracy, communication, location, check-in, and value), guest feedback in reviews, Host cancellations, and quality-related customer service issues. We're paying close attention to how guests use the Guest Favorite badge, and may adjust over time.
I want to share an experience I just had to help illustrate why Guest Favorites are meaningful for Hosts. One of my friends, who always stays in hotels, saw the launch of Guest Favorites. She said, “You’ve been asking me to try Airbnb for years. The fact that other guests—not just the head of hosting—are telling me these places are great makes me finally ready to try it.”
More new guests on Airbnb can lead to more bookings for all Hosts. Guest Favorites is a new way for listings to stand out when guests search for great places to stay.
Will deleted reviews and listing issues be included in the Guest Favorites algorithm? Also, does Airbnb consider Host initiated damage claims as part of the customer service quality criteria?
By Host: @Mary5479
Deleted reviews and Host-initiated damage claims do not factor into Guest Favorites. Listing issues do.
Guest reviews are an important factor in determining Guest Favorites. When a guest’s review includes a low overall rating, the Host receives an email alerting them to a listing issue. Listing issues also appear in the hosting menu under Insights.
We encourage Hosts with listing issues to use their guests’ feedback to make improvements, which can help achieve higher ratings in future reviews.
It’s been mentioned that there are nearly 2 million Guest Favorites listings. Is this calculated on a day-to-day basis? If so, how are issues such as guest disputes and reviews factored in, when these incidents don’t happen on a daily basis? How will the algorithm change the Guest Favorites status then?
By Host: Original question by @Daniel1651 , supported by @Jeannyna0
That’s right. There are around 2 million listings with the Guest Favorites badge today. The Guest Favorite badges update daily based on ratings, reviews, and reliability. New guest reviews or listing issues are factored in as they happen. This means a listing that may not yet have a Guest Favorite badge may get one; or similarly a listing that had a Guest Favorite badge may lose it for a period of time.
Whether a listing is a Guest Favorites also depends on how it compares to other listings across Airbnb. A listing’s badge may appear or disappear despite having no recent bookings due to activity on other listings
Why not bring back the Superhost filter so guests can look for both Superhosts and Guest Favorites and find the perfect listing? Also, does the disappearance of the Superhost filter mean Guest Favorites will eventually replace the Superhost status?
By Host: @Ronaldo-And-Carla0 @Daniel1651 @Clara116 @Geoff7 @Brux0 @Paola4 @Shirley313 @Sarah5000 @Till-and-Jutta0 @Joan2709
I appreciate all the questions and feedback about Guest Favorites and I understand how much effort goes into becoming a Superhost, as I recently earned Superhost status myself!
We simplified our search filters to help guests find Guest Favorites, the most-loved homes on Airbnb according to other guests. Guests will still be able to see whether their Host is a Superhost on the listing page. You’ll also notice that in the updated design of listing pages, Host details, including Superhost status and hosting tenure, now appear more prominently.
Guest Favorites are evaluated on an individual listing level, and their status is refreshed on a daily basis. Nearly two-thirds of Guest Favorites today come from Superhosts. The Superhost program, as you know, recognizes our top rated and most experienced Hosts across all of their listings, and that’s not changing.
Earlier this year, we celebrated reaching a new milestone with 1 million Superhosts around the globe, providing exceptional hospitality across more than 200 different countries and territories and representing more than 45 languages.
We’re grateful for your hard work and dedication.
With the photo tour, it appears that we can’t choose the order of the photos and in my case, the living room appears first. Will there be an option in the future so Hosts can customize the order of the photos? Also, what about listings where pictures of surrounding areas such as monuments, beaches, and forests are crucial to showcase guests the whole value of the property?
By Host: @Laëtitia-Stephy0 @Marie320 @Ronaldo-And-Carla0 @Susanna0 @Marielle135 @Joelle43 @Daniel1651 @Irfan34 @Joan2709
Firstly, thank you for using the new AI-powered photo tour. It’s a great way to help guests understand the layout of your home. You can add, move, and delete photos from your photo tour. You can also add or delete rooms.
You can’t currently switch the order of rooms, but it’s a great suggestion for a future release! Any photos that aren’t of your listing—for example, a nearby park or landmark—could be added to an album labeled “Additional photos.”
Could you please explain the rationale or policy behind excluding Hosts running more than six listings (or using Channel Managers) from accessing the new Listings tab? Will the Listings tab become available if we reduce our listings to five or below? If not, I would really appreciate understanding the reasons behind this limitation.
By Host: @Joy1578 @Kim881 @Karen114
We’re very excited about the Listings tab, and we plan to make its features available to all Hosts. We’re sorry for the wait. Rest assured, our engineers are working as fast as they can to make it work for everyone. This includes Hosts who use API-connected software or who have seven or more listings, including listings that are in progress or unlisted. We’ll keep you updated on its availability.
I love the new features but some Hosts are not tech savvy and these changes can be overwhelming for them. Will there be a future where Airbnb releases also include video tutorials showing how each new feature is used on the platform?
By Host: Original question posted by @Imilka0, supported by @Christian3161
Video tutorials are a wonderful idea! Even when the upgrades make tools easier to use, the changes can take some getting used to. I’ll absolutely suggest this to our teams for future launches.
If you haven’t seen Brian’s video for the Winter Release, I encourage you to watch it. In it, he demonstrates a few features of the Listings tab. It can help Hosts get an idea of what to expect before using it to manage their listings.
Above all, which has been your favorite update and why?
By Host: @Till-and-Jutta0 @Rachel1200 @Mauricio467
My favourite update is the new Listings tab. It’s a joy to use. I can quickly add amenities and
provide arrival information for my guests. I also like being able to easily remove old listings that I started but didn’t finish.
As a Host, I know how important it is to have a listing that attracts guests’ attention when they’re scrolling through search and browsing listing pages. I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting every section of my listing, and, so far, it’s paid off! I have some wonderful upcoming bookings that I can't wait to host over the holidays here in the U.S.
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Thank you for your feedback, and please keep it coming! I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with you. Your thoughtfulness is what makes this community so special.
Warmly,
Catherine
