Summer 2022 release - Airbnb category issues

[Clay0]

Hello all,

Airbnb has released a new design for searching using Airbnb categories. I notice 2 that specifically  apply to my property: "Amazing views" and "Cabin". However, when I filter on these categories, one at a time, in my specific area, my property does not appear.

How does airbnb determine which properties fall into a specific category? And is there anything that can be done to get my property in a category? This is going to be problematic to Hosts if Customers are relying heavily on these category filters for searching and Airbnb is leaving out host properties that most definitely apply to those categories.

I'd like to see if others see the same issue when searching on categories that apply to yours properties in your specific area.

Thanks

[Molly396]

I am having the same issue. With categories like chefs kitchen and design, as well as more obvious ones like our tiny house not being listed under tiny house. I called and the person on the phone agreed it should be categorized. They said it’s an engineering problem and submitted a ticket. I would call and be patient I bet it will be fixed for you! 

[Stephanie]

Hi there @Clay0 and @Molly396 ,

So happy to hear you are looking into our new Categories launch. Have you had a chance to review this Resource Center article that shares a bit more info on what a listing needs to include to be including in Categories? 

You can read it here: https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/new-ways-for-guests-to-discover-your-listing-522

Let me know if you have any other questions - happy to help.

Stephanie

[Jacqulyn3]

Hi Stephanie!

My listing is a national park listing but isn’t appearing as I can see when you click on national park. How can I make sure my listing shows up there? 🙂

[Emilie]

@Jacqulyn3 What a lovely location your cabin is in 😍

To be included in a Category, please ensure your amenities are up to date, your pictures are high quality and include something relevant to the category you'd like to be included in, and that you include category key words in your title and description. The article Stephanie shared further up might be useful too!

@Kelly897 This might answer your question as well!

[Yvonne759]

@Stephanie 

Hi Stephanie,

Hoping you can confirm that the rollout is a guest focused draw--which if I am booking as a guest I love the new widgets. But not particularly helpful for hosts. In fact, nothing in the video launch promotes benefits for hosting properties, though it does add new layers of guest protection--against what, exactly? Individual hosts face mounting challenges to providing short term stays at our properties, none of which Brian addresses in the rollout of new features.

If Machine Learning (ML / AI) is at work for us hosts, we need to understand the underlying data-based curation of spaces used to build the algorithm.  It is not enough to suggest we take better pictures, we need to adjust our listings to meet different queries.  We have a right to know the way data is used for guests to search potential bookings. And any differentiation between individual vs. property management hosting entities.

Don't get me wrong, I love choosing Airbnb properties as a guest and truly enjoy sharing my second home with this community. But as others have indicated, just a cursory search in the new environment suggests many properties don't fit the new categories, or at best list them far down the search pile. 

Please respond with host specific guidance, respectful of all we do to keep the Airbnb engine churning.

[Emilie]

Hi @Yvonne759,

I'm really glad to hear that as a guest you find those updates exciting!

You might remember that in November 2021, we released a number of Host updates, including AirCover for Hosts. While we iterate on guests and Hosts offerings year round you are right that this time we've focused on a slightly different set of features. We continue to work behind the scenes to improve upon Host feedback though, and we'll have more exciting updates for Hosts later this year.

Thanks,

Emilie

[Natasha-and-John0]

crickets

[Francesca1604]

Hi @Stephany

my listing has the key word ‘Tower’ in the title. The main image is of the tower and I refer to the tower many times in all my descriptions and yet it doesn’t feature in the tower category. 

any other ideas? 
thanks 

Francesca 

@victorianwatertower 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/582349795289203103?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&location=Benington%2...

[Francesca1604]

Hi @Stephanie

my listing has the key word ‘Tower’ in the title. The main image is of the tower and I refer to the tower many times in all my descriptions and yet it doesn’t feature in the tower category. 

any other ideas? 
thanks 

Francesca 

@victorianwatertower 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/582349795289203103?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&location=Benington%2...

[Emilie]

@Francesca1604 What a gorgeous listing! 

Categories are currently updated roughly every two weeks and are curated based on where guests are located, so just because you do not show up right now when you do a search, does not mean you will not show up at all in that Category when guests make searches going forward. 🙂

I hope this helps, and as with every other comment on this thread I'm taking your insights back to the team so thank you for checking out the updates and letting us know your thoughts on it!

Emilie

[Francesca1604]

Hi @Emilie 

Thank you for your reply.  I have searched for my property under the icon Tower uk but find lots in France and a few others scattered in the uk. No sign of my listing.

The worse thing is that zooming into my area on the map, the  Tower icon on the top bar disappears completely!  

it seems amazing that a listing that is clearly a tower with photos to show that, it’s in the title and mentioned numerous times  in the descriptions should not feature in that category.

I have had no bookings and no enquiries. What is the point of being on Airbnb if no one can find us.

thanks 

Francesca 

[Natasha-and-John0]

Two weeks without booking will hurt people.

[Maxwell49]

@Stephanie  I am having the same issue many others are having. My listing isn’t showing up in any of the catagories it deserves to be apart of. “The Hawks Nest Cabin - A Delaware River Hideaway” it’s a cabin over looking the river. I’m a superhost with strong bookings. I went through my entire listing and cannot find anything to update. My pictures are high quality and depict the cabin and river views. I went from being a top search in New York to being virtually invisible. Please help. 

www.airbnb.com/h/thehawksnestcabin 

[Ann72]

I just searched @Maxwell49 - 3 adults, 2 children, week in August, Glen Spey.  Did not zoom in on the map at all, got 15 pages returned and found you on page 3.  Also, it seems like everything up there is a cabin so I wonder how much impact the cabin category would have?