Host questions answered: Airbnb’s Summer Release

[Stephanie]

Updated Jun 19, 2022

Just to share a quick update that we have created the promised Resource Center guidelines for listing descriptions has been published and you can read it here.

Hi Hosting Community, 

A month ago, we introduced the Airbnb 2022 Summer Release with a new way to search designed around Airbnb Categories. 

Since then, we’ve gathered feedback from thousands of Hosts through our Community Center, Host Clubs, emails, and in workshops with the Host Advisory Board and Host leaders. Thank you for your valuable comments and suggestions. 

Today, we want to share an update on some of the important feedback you’ve shared.  More updates will follow. 

You can read about them here.

Please continue to share your ideas and feedback as it directly assists in how we evolve our platform. 

Your continued support, feedback and constructive thoughts on this and many of our release features is incredibly valuable and I encourage you to continue sharing here.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi Huma,

Thank you for the additional feedback, we really appreciate your ongoing dialogue on this.

Some of the further improvements our teams are currently exploring are refinements to the map search and the overall booking experience, so everything you're sharing with us here is key in informing that work. We will keep you updated:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/host-questions-answered-airbnbs-summer-release-53...

Best,
Catherine

@Huma0 

[Huma0]

@Catherine-Powell 

Thank you for your response. I am glad to hear that a way for hosts to check which categories they are in is being developed and I hope it happens sooner rather than later. I would have thought that this would have been a basic thing that was programmed in from the start. It's confusing and time consuming for hosts to have to do endless searches to try to figure this out.

If Airbnb is determined to continue with the category idea (and it sounds like they are), firstly, these glitches need to be sorted as clearly the AI is not getting it right in a lot of cases. In the meantime, hosts need to be able to easily identify if they have been miscategorised so that they can ask for it to be fixed, e.g. one recent host was put into the 'zoo' category, when her listing is nothing of the kind. 

[Loretta126]

@Stephanie Once a traveller searches for a specific location, the presence of the Categories is confusing. It looks like a short cut to filters.

Where is the big pop-up that explains to them that these are just a few properties that ABB has picked in this category to promote for some reason?

[John5097]

"A number of factors can influence listing performance, including seasonality and economic conditions."

"Once guests enter a location, they are using the “All homes” tab—just as they did previously—to view all stays available in a particular location and book a listing that’s right for them."

........

Once guest enter the location the they are shown filtered listings with 7 available days, with a description in search bar of "Any Week". The weeks are also off season, a week in the winter or 2023, for listings in the "All homes". While the categories in my area, such as Amazing Views, are shown multi million dollar beach listings with next available dates in the prime summer season. 

I'm also not included in any category and guest often mention the amazing views for my listing, and I have high quality photos. In fact I changed my cover photo to the view from the patio of the rental unit that a guest took and started getting bookings again. 

As it is now I feel like only my guest appreciate me or my listing. And with all the confusion guest will think its host that are misrepresenting their listings. 

[Peggy137]

I had a guest book for a day in Sept. He wrote me, confused because he thought he had booked for 2 days, and wanted to change it. I told him to request a change to the reservation and I'd make sure to hold the day he wanted for him.

I just got this message from him: 

Peggy - something seems wrong with the app as it will not allow me to select Friday 9/23 as check in for a 2-night stay checking out on Sunday 9/25. I’m going to cancel the reservation. Perhaps something in the settings doesn’t allow a 2 night stay only on the prime nights of the week or the software thinks there is another booking. Either way I can’t seem to manipulate the app differently to make it work.

I have NO bookings for Sept, his was the only one. There are no conflicting reservations, the only problem is the new website.

This is so frustrating and infuriating that Airbnb does nothing.

[Matta1]

I am a superhost with 4.97 on 75 reviews. Every single review mentions amazing views and pools and we appear to have not made those categories. We usually had 70 percent Airbnb bookings vs VRBO. Have not received a single Airbnb booking since the upgrade and views have fallen significantly.

[Helen744]

@Matta1 that view is out of this world . Who knows what this rollout is doing but its not doing any one any favours . H

[Matta1]

Thanks Helen for the kind words 🙂 - I touched base with superhost customer service on why we don’t qualify for amazing views. I was told they only found the word “amazing” 7 times. Apparently the words gorgeous, inspiring, incredible, stunning, beautiful, dreamlike, etc, do not apply when categorizing “amazing views.”

I took a closer look and also noticed many houses around me are categorized as “beachfront”, but no I didn’t make that cut either.

I share the feedback with the hope that they look into some real case studies as they fix this. It’s upsetting because of all the hard work we have put in to deliver a great product and guest experience. And of course the concern as a small business owner whose primary marketing model has stumbled overnight.

[Susan1188]

@Matta1  The reasons that CS is giving, are not true.  You can do the experience yourself.  Look at the properties being proposed instead of yours.  Do they have "amazing" 25 times?
In the properties being proposed instead of mine, some were highly inferior, new hosts, bad photos, incomplete description etc.   

It's not fair that we just have to fish around and tweak and then hope and pray to be included in our real "category".  Feels very disrespectful to us hosts.

[Laurelle3]

Hi @Matta1 I am wondering how many times you can fit "amazing" in when you have a word limit in description of property and what does it read like in a sentence. "Amazing!"

[Matta1]

@Laurelle3 it is amazing. I hope they take the time to look at real examples like these.

[Susan1188]

Now my titles and description have "amazing view" and "amazing pool" written all over them multiple times instead of richer and more precise language I was using before!

[Matta1]

@Stephanie can you please assign a knowledgeable tiger team member to look into this case and those of others on this forum? The algorithm is not working - I have a “beachfront” listing with “amazing views” that are referenced in almost every guest review.  I am currently assigned to neither category and our bookings and views have plummeted.

The hosts on this forum are engaging in an attempt to provide real case studies for your teams to diligence further. Thank you!

[Susan1188]

@Matta1
I'm exactly same situation as you

[Patricia1945]

Totally agree and I would suggest most Hosts are experiencing the drop off without realising because airbnb have their heads in the sand.