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

[Emilie]

@Nick2477 I do not have any more information for now than the advice posted earlier on in this discussion, which I believe you've already followed. We have however shared all the feedback on Categories here with the team, and we'll let you know should we get any more details!

Thanks, 

Emilie

[Janelle102]

My properties are in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We are the town literally named for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We are the closest- about 020-30 min to the gates- assuming youre driving on actual roads- and not flying like a bird. The system does not have ANY properties in Carlsbad listed as national park properties. It does put the three listings in Queen, NM as "National Park Properties", which makes no sense at all. Queen is an hour away from the national park, abd the only way to get there from the national park is dirt roads that are not accessible to normal cars, or drive the long way around the mountains. No one with any sense would say to stay in Queen to visit the National Park. We are also the closest to Guadalupe Mountains National park but again, not in the new categories at all. In addition, even when you search specifically for Carlsbad properties, the system recommends properties in towns hours away. My properties should qualify for "design", "tiny house", and "cabin", but they are not in the categories. Why were hosts not allowed to select which categories applied to their homes? Why are there 40 listings for Joshua Tree National Park and none for many other excellent national parks? I'm sure Joshua Tree is nice but why at the expense of everyone else? Really frustrating when Airbnb just pulls the rug out from under us hosts all the time, without asking us for feedback or ideas on how to market our own properties??

[Ruth413]

@Emilie I have Shepherd Huts that have always been in the unique category as the are actually extremely unique having a thatched roof and handmade.  I sometimes ask my guests how they found them and the majority say they search for unique places to stay.  They are looking for something different !

Now the huts do not show up under the unique category, they do not show up under shepherds huts.  They only show up as a "house", which they are definitely not.  Worse case scenario, we could get complaints that it isn't advertised as described !!!!

My photographs are all of huts.  And shepherds huts is in the heading.  I can't do anymore to for the algorithm to pick it up.  And waiting 2 weeks for things to change around, can mean a lot of missed business and then what happens 2 weeks after that do they disappear again,

Please mention to the powers higher up that this is not good for business and I am almost certain, we for one are going to lose business from Airbnb customers if we are not listed correctly and the property is actually falsely advertised.  

[Emilie]

@Ruth413 Thank you for pointing that one out - we'll let the team know!

[Edward679]

I am having the same problem, I can only search and find my Shepherd's Hut under "All Homes" If someone specifically wants to stay in a Shepherd's Hut in my area they won't find mine they will just stay at someone else's. I am new to Airbnb, all of my pictures are relevant and Shepherd's Hut is in the title. Please can you advise me how I can get into the category. 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/631580126283149195?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2023-02-12&...

[Mark-and-Carin0]

My listing no longer appears in the search general search results or on the map when zoomed into my location.  (we used to be the #1 or #2 search result in our area, Edinboro, PA.)  When I reported this to customer service, they pointed out that we appear when specific search dates are inputed.  I tried this and indeed we do appear, but we are now as number for.  If you change to more flexible dates like "a week in june," we disappear.

This does not look like a change for the better. 

[Bodil12]

I think the issue is already clear, but I'll add my problem:

Our listing is a farm (AirBnB even uses that in the title) on the southern danish countryside, and it's very clearly beachfront. This is all obvious in the descriptions, captions and photos, and an algorithm should easily pick that up from the map data alone imo.

It won't appear in any categories. Doesn't matter if you search for specific dates or flexible.

Please please get it fixed!

[Sandi48]

It seems that everytime Air introduces something to help the guests decide where to stay it ends up hurting the hosts. Just how many more glitches can there be?  And be insulted by the canned responses is getting really old.  

[Natasha-and-John0]

A customer service rep just said my concerns are "not true," that the website works fine. 

[Patti-And-Marty0]

I'm pretty sure this new category search is more of a "featured listings" thing rather than a search that should pull up all relevant listings. So I'm not fussed about not appearing there. However the listings that do come up should 100% be correctly in their category or the whole thing is a waste of time and confusing and misleading to the guest.

[Kris105]

I have a beachfront villa, the si keeps on insisting it’s a cottage. My listing is beachfront says it everywhere has pictures of the actual beach in the backyard and still I don’t spear in any category. 
the Ai is broken. Past guests msged that they want to rebook but can’t find me anywhere. Please fix this 

[Louise1097]

A property under earth homes and under farm stay is neither an earth home nor a farm stay. It's a stone barn. I check national parks in SW of England, and 95% of properties on map are not in national parks or even near. We are a historical home (Historic England Listed Building), but apparently the only historical homes in the world are in France! By implementing shoddy categories, you have relegated traditional filters to obscurity, plus property titles have vanished from search (my own property title includes '2 bath'), so people find it almost impossible to find a property in a certain town that fulfils certain requirements eg 2 bathrooms. They cannot find the traditional filters (now relegated to a back burner), and they no longer have property titles in search results. This is insane. People are just going to go to the other OTAs.

[Nancy1633]

ZERO bookings since Airbnb murky redesign, one inquiry whether my property was available on June 3-5, and for what rate. Before Airbnb messed with the site, the guest would have easily found those answers themselves.   

You're rebranding exercise is hurting the host community, and confusing guests.  

[SHL-Holdings0]

Same thing with me. ZERO bookings since this disaster rebranding, new algorithm.

[Janet201]

Me too!