Icon Filters Removed From Airbnb Homepage

[Craig1038]

Why have the icon search filters been removed from the homepage?

That made it so easy for potential guests to filter through hundreds of listings to get down to a smaller number that were relevant for the type of property they want to stay at.

E.g., A Cabin

Now, it's just a generic search for "homes" at the top of the homepage.

I understand that once you choose a location and dates, that you can filter down to (house, apartment, guest house, hotel).

However, that is not the level of specificity that Air BnB specifically offered, which made it one of the best platforms for booking unique places to stay.

(The OMG, Cabin, Lakefront, Beachfront, Farms, etc. filters were what made this platform truly unique.)

Hoping that these will be brought back, as otherwise, sifting through the search results is too overwhelming to continue booking through Air BnB when someone knows exactly what they want.

[Thomas4363]

I am also super disappointed in the removal of this!!

[Amber1115]

Agree!!! I HATE the app now. Right now I’m trying to figure out where I want to go and can’t because all the interesting categories are gone. Now it’s like all the other apps. So disappointed.

[Caite1]

Adding to the pile here - I relied on those category filters to help me navigate through sometimes hundreds of search results in a way that was sometimes more meaningful than "has AC". I don't want just an average Airbnb, I want something with an amazing view or designy. Those filters helped me quickly narrow down to what I want. Now it's a more challenging and time-consuming process. And the fact that I can't even sort my results makes this all the more difficult to use. I feel like I'm being pushed towards certain properties.

[Matt7620]

I’m just here to echo everyone else. Searching by categories was not only helpful but fun. The removal makes it significantly harder to filter for the style of airbnb that I want

[Amorelle1]

Super disappointed in this update. I hope our voices will be heard and they make the change. 

[Lucas1438]

Até hoje esperando esse recurso fundamental retornar. Absurdo essa retirada.

Translation added by Community Manager

We're still waiting for this essential resource to return. This withdrawal is absurd.

[Lucas1438]

We're still waiting for this essential resource to return. This withdrawal is absurd.

[Sheena-And-Steve0]

I think the whole idea is that Airbnb wants the potential guest to scroll through all of the properties and make a selection. They want you to spend more time on the app and they want to direct you to the properties that they prefer like Superhost properties. So yes it is a time-waster for potential guest but time spent browsing the whole site is money to Airbnb. Then perhaps you may check out the experiences and book or maybe even book a luxury property as opposed to that yurt in the middle of the woods. I do not think it is as simple as they cant develop an app to handle "categories". I mean why not let the host choose as many categories as desired. Airbnb seems to be a leader when it comes to the technology for STR. They could figure it out if they wanted to. Just my two cents. 

[Alex14091]

Yup, literally no reason to book Airbnb anymore since those filters were the only properties we would be interested in. Not wasting my time (and thus MONEY) on airbnb

[Liza4796]

Agreed. If I want to specifically stay in a Yurt, I can’t filter for that anymore. Really wish this would come back!

[Vikki78]

I’m still bent out of shape about this and very thankful that I have so many options saved in specific wish lists.  I use Airbnb for one main reason—unique stays. I camp & “glamp”, do cabins, love historic buildings, etc.  I used to be able to find barebones sites, glamping tent set ups, primitive log cabins, and even truly historic homes. When Tentrr went belly up, it was no biggie because most tent hosts transitioned to their own Airbnb site.  When I went to Rome, I stayed in a medieval villa because history & experience mattered more than convenience.  I can’t believe they haven’t listened to customers yet to bring this back.  Based on some comments here I think I’ll give vrbo a try.

[Ren28071]

Found a workaround!

From google:

• Google Search: You can use a workaround with Google to search directly on the Airbnb site for specific keywords.
  1. Open your web browser and go to Google.
  2. Type the following into the search bar: site:airbnb.com intext:"your keyword".
  3. Replace "your keyword" with what you are searching for (e.g., "balcony," "penthouse").
  4. You can also add a location by typing intext:"your keyword" intext:"your city".
  5. The search results will display listings from Airbnb that match your keyword criteria.