Introducing new Airbnb Categories

[Airbnb]

In May, we introduced Airbnb Categories – a new way of making millions of unique homes discoverable to guests who would have never known existed otherwise. We want to ensure guests looking for a unique space, like yours, can easily find it in categories and feel enticed to book. 

So, we’re introducing new Airbnb Categories:

• New: Listings added to Airbnb within the past 10 weeks
• Trending: Highly rated homes receiving more listing views than the previous week
• Hanoks: Traditional Korean homes constructed of natural materials 
• Top of the world: Places guests can stay around 10,000 feet above sea level, often with stunning views
• Adapted: Spaces confirmed to include accessibility features, like step-free paths to the guest entrance, a bedroom, and a bathroom
• Play: Listings with basketball courts, game rooms, trampolines, water slides, and more
• Private rooms: This update to our Shared Homes Category offers 1.2 million beautiful and affordable spaces of all types, excluding hotels

Additionally, starting early in 2023, you’ll also be able to check which category your listing is in and provide more specifics about your space – we’ll share more info about this soon. 

Read more about it on the Resource Center.

[Emiel1]

Although it can be seen now (using a "trick") which categories are assigned to a listing, it is a good idea to have a more direct feature to check this.

But the "catagory" homepage is IMO still a useless feature as long it is not possible to make any filtering on a more specific area. When clicking in "destinations" and enter an area, the catagories will disappear.

[Bhumika]

Hello @Emiel1 ,

Thank you for your active feedback. Can you please elaborate on how we can improve this feature? This feedback will help us to create a better user experience.

Bhumika

Can't find what you're looking for? Click here to start a conversation!

[Gillian166]

@Bhumika  and @Emiel1  wrote, the categories need to be a filter after a guest has chosen a destination.  I've also brought this up at least 4 times.

[Bhumika]

@Gillian166 Thanks for clarifying. Noted the suggestion, will report it to the relevant team.

[Deb75]

All HYPE ....'will report it to the relevant team'...Airbnb has screwed up royal. But they will die on the vine before admitting it. Guests are annoyed and hosts are quitting.  Need more to 'report to the relevant team'????  What is it about today that makes what someone might expect to be a normal human CHANGE something because.....it's just time to change something...be in phones, cars, tv's...and now a program and platform that was working great for all involved was changed...why?  because someone (we know who) decided that it 'needed changed'...for no other reason than that .  So he tried to 'fix' what wasn't broke...and used lots of gobblygook to try and convince us. AND the guests.  And there were some out there who actually kept blaming US..."well, you don't understand how things have changed', or you have to change with the times' or..."gas is high and no one is traveling' (that one was particularly rich).... And the 'changer' came across as patently sactimonious and 'thought he smarter than the traveler' ( he actually implied this'...guess what?  HE was wrong and now Airbnb is in the toilet....BUT...so are many of us, hosts who chose to or had to quit because the system was killing their bookings...Good work Mr. Chesny.  But knowing that kind of arrogance, he will never back down, even on the steps of the bankruptcy court....what a shame...it was a grand grand platform for most of us....

[Tina9064]

Isn't it obvious?? These new "categories" draw rich travelers to exotic places where they can book $2000/night properties and put more money in AirBnb's pocket. Why make it easy (like every other travel accommodation platform) to just search for the basics (location, date and price?). Yeah, but don't dare anyone say it's a bad idea and hurts the hosts who only have a spare bedroom...you know, the concept that started AirBnb in the first place.

[Emiel1]

@Gillian166 

Indeed.

Or at least the choice already made for a certain category must be remembered (with option to turn it off) when searching.

[Emiel1]

@Bhumika 

I use the website.

The "categories" feature only works when using the map.

I can provide an example:

Imagine: I am looking for a CASTLE in the US.

 www.airbnb.com shows by default a menu with all the categories.

I choose category Castles

I see listings in my region categorized as castle

Then choose (or enter) in destination field: US and click "search"

Then the whole category menu disappears and i am in "normal search" mode.with different type of listings. Nothing anymore to filter for castles !

(so my choice for "castles" is ignored)

The only way to achieve such search is by using the map:

I choose category Castles

I see listings in my region categorized as castle

Then I choose button "show map"

Then I have to scroll all the way over the Atlantic Ocean towards US !

Then i choose button "show list" to see listings categorized as castle.

[Bhumika]

@Emiel1 Thank you for the detailed feedback, this helps. Will forward it to the relevant team.

[James2743]

I'd settle for it actually allocating the categories to my listing. I'm in a national park, in the middle of the countryside, with an 180 year old windmill in the garden.

I'm also in the middle of a village that is famous for boating, and only 5 minutes from the beach.

I don't appear in any of the categories at all. It's immensely frustrating.

[Trude0]

Not sure we really needed more categories… 

What we do need, is for Airbnb to make sure listings are in the right categories, and that the category system is ”fair”, i.e gives us all equal oportunities to succeed.

There are countless posts in CC showing this is far from reality. 

[Jenny]

Hi @Trude0 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I've made sure that we've taken a note of your feedback.

Jenny 

[Michael5047]

more categories?

I thought Airbnb was removing this because their search algorithm wasn't working that great.

I do like it though.

[Jenny]

Hi @Michael5047 

Glad you like it!

Over time, we're planning on introducing even more categories that showcase the unique features and special locations of your properties.

We'll also be looking to Hosts to help inform the future iterations of categories, so if you have any suggestions let us know. 🙂

Thanks,

Jenny