I noticed this yesterday when I was searching for a place for an upcoming trip. This morning, whilst doing my usual home-market research, it is still happening.
Prices are not showing up in searches (See screenshots)
All are showing up as dots on the map, with the accompanying sidebar of listings showing only the star-ratings and # of reviews.
If you click on a listing, a date needs to be entered before a price populates:
So then I wondered what would happen if a guest were using the price as a filter to start a search...users are requested to add dates to the filter before using it
My thoughts on this are somewhat mixed. As a guest, when searching yesterday, I found this annoying - my dates are still a little unfixed, so searching for listings by date didn't actually suit me, at this point. It WAS, however, helpful to have the price scrubbed on all the listings, as it allowed me to easily see higher rated and reviewed listings. Entering dates eliminates the "bait and switch" issue on pricing that we sometimes see guest complaining about. Listings are no longer appearing at their lowest price, and having to enter dates ensures the quoted price is actually what each guest will pay.
As a HOST, though, I can see where listing views (and therefore bookings) may suffer with this new scheme- especially for hosts whose marketing plan relies on lower pricing (and perhaps don't have the best ratings as a result, the review system being as flawed as it is).
What are your thoughts, everyone?