New Search Feature - Flexible Dates Option ?

[Michelle53]

Hi all

This news item crossed my feed this morning. 

"According to a recent announcement from the company, Airbnb will now include a "Flexible Dates" option for guests booking on the platform. This apparently coincides better with post-pandemic travel preferences and is now live and available on both the app and website."

"Here's how it works, according to Airbnb: "Instead of selecting exact dates at the beginning of a search, guests can search for new options like a weekend getaway, a week-long vacation, or even a month-long or months-long stay. This will allow them to browse more options while staying flexible on the exact dates of their trip to make their trip fit with their schedules." "

https://www.fool.com/millionacres/real-estate-investing/articles/what-investors-need-to-know-about-a...

What do people think of this ?   Personally, I have reserved dates for cleaning and turnover - I'm not sure how a "flexible dates" option helps me. 

[Michelle53]

At the bottom of the article :-

"Finally, standing out is going to be critical with guests using this search function. You'll want your headline, main photo, or in-home amenities to set you apart from other properties they see displayed -- particularly if you're not the lowest on pricing."

[Emilia42]

@Michelle53 I played around with this last night - I am considering an Airbnb stay for April. 

This does not affect a host at all and is only an added feature to guests when searching. If you have no dates available then your listing will not appear in the search results. If you have a 7-night minimum then your listing will not appear in the search results for any flexible weekend, etc. etc.

As a guest, what I don't like about it is that right now it is restricted to only weekends, week-long stays, and month-long stays. I don't necessarily need/want to stay somewhere on a weekend. I am flexible. The other thing I don't like about it is that when searching an area with flexible dates all my wishlist places show on the map, making them look like they are available, when in fact they are not. 

[Michelle53]

@Emilia42  That's interesting. Thanks for the update !  What I'm wondering, though, is, if a person is searching for a "weekend" and I have a guest departing on a Thursday, for example, with a two-day buffer between bookings, would a weekend show as available ?    If someone was searching for the Saturday/Sunday night, I'd be available.  Presumably, a "weekend" is defined as Friday and Saturday nights. 

[Debra300]

@Michelle53,

You bring up a very good point, because the definition of a weekend isn't universal.  There have been instances where I've seen it defined as any two consecutive nights that includes a Saturday overnight stay.

[Emilia42]

@Michelle53 @Debra300 

As far as I can tell from my most recent search it is recognizing only Friday-Sunday as a "weekend."

[Ann72]

I noticed this a few weeks ago @Michelle53 when I was doing some test searches.  I think it's a really good additional feature for guests but needs some tweaking, @Emilia42 suggests.  For instance, when I put my dates in the search bar and then choose "I'm flexible," the date choices revert to this week's dates.  They should show around the dates already chosen.  For instance, say I want to go away in August.  I choose a date range in August and then click, "I'm flexible."  And I'm back in March.  Annoying.

[Michelle53]

@Ann72   That's the "field test"  😉

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

ah... another feature nobody asked for...  but, what about a "pet fee" option?

[Kori4]

This new feature is horrible.  Our property has a three-night minimum and many people book our place for a long weekend. However, it will not show up if people search for a "weekend".   There is also no way to do a fully flexible search - i.e., show properties that have any availability so guests can look at the calendar and find dates that work for them.