Airbnb introduces Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb

With the pandemic finally over, this year over 300 million guest arrivals are expected on Airbnb. To prepare, company is making the most extensive set of improvements to Airbnb ever, starting with the introduction of Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb. They’re also launching over 50 new features and upgrades that address top feedback from our guests and Hosts across the end-to-end Airbnb experience.

Introducing Airbnb Rooms

Airbnb began as a way to stay in a room in someone else’s home. This original idea of sharing a home offers two unique benefits. First, it’s more affordable for guests. More than 80 percent of private rooms are under $100/night, with an average rate of $67/night. Second, staying with a Host is a great way to meet someone new and experience the city like a local.

Airbnb think this idea is more important than ever. In the current economic environment, people want to travel affordably. And after years of being isolated during the pandemic, they’re looking for ways to connect with people and have authentic experiences. Now is the perfect time to stay in a room in someone else’s home. But for even more people to try it, they have to feel comfortable staying with a Host.

Today, Airbnb introduce Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb. Guests have told the company that they want to know more about who they’re staying with. Every Airbnb Room features a Host Passport, which helps guests get to know their Host before booking their stay. A Rooms category was also created with over 1 million listings, redesigned filters and added new privacy features.

“With Airbnb Rooms, we’re getting back to the idea that started it all – back to our founding ethos of sharing,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO. “Airbnb Rooms are often more affordable than hotels, and they’re the most authentic way to experience a city. This is the soul of Airbnb.”

• Host Passport – We want every guest to feel comfortable staying with a Host. Exclusive to Airbnb Rooms, the Host Passport helps you get to know your Host before booking your stay. Simply tap the Host Passport to view a larger photo and details Hosts have shared about themselves, including where they went to school, what they do for work, fun facts about themselves, and much more.
• Airbnb Rooms category – Airbnb Rooms are easy to discover, with a new category featuring a curated set of 1 million private bedrooms. Listings include access to shared spaces, like the kitchen, living room, or backyard.
  Redesigned filters – We’ve redesigned the “type of place” filter to make it easy to switch between Airbnb Rooms, entire homes, or all types of places. It’s simple to view the average price for each type of place with an enhanced price filter that updates based on your choice.
• New privacy features – We know that when you’re sharing a home, privacy is important. All Airbnb Rooms will clearly indicate if the bedroom door has a lock. The listing page also shows whether the bathrooms are shared or private, and whether people other than the Host will be in the home during your stay.

50+ new features and upgrades based on your feedback

In preparation for an anticipated record-setting travel season, Airbnb is improving nearly every aspect of the Airbnb service – and they doing it based on feedback from their community.

To improve the service, Airbnb took a design-driven approach. They started by storyboarding the guest and Host journey – from sign up to checking out, and every step in between. They created a blueprint of the experience – every screen, every policy, and every interaction with customer support mapped out. Then, they analyzed millions of customer service tickets and mapped them across the journey. They also reviewed thousands of social media posts and spoke with hundreds of thousands of guests and Hosts about how to improve Airbnb.

“Millions of people have given us feedback on how to improve Airbnb. We’ve listened,” said Brian Chesky. “Today, we’re introducing the most extensive set of updates ever. Our design-driven approach means we’re always making Airbnb better, and our over 50 new features and upgrades are just the beginning. We will never stop improving Airbnb.”

Here are just a few of the 50+ new features and upgrades launched for guests starting today:

• Total price display – Guests can view the total price with fees, before taxes, across the entire app including in search results, price filter, maps, and listing pages.
  Transparent checkout instructions – Guests can now view checkout instructions on the listing page before booking, and they’ll receive a reminder before they leave the home. During the review process, guests can tell us about any excessive requests. And listings with repeated low ratings from unreasonable chores will be removed from Airbnb.
• Improved maps – Used by more than 80 percent of guests, maps were updated with faster performance, persistent pins when zooming and panning, and more results when searching.
• Redesigned wishlists – Wishlists now include a redesigned interface, one-tap saving, and an improved calendar that shows availability of wishlisted homes. Guests can also add notes to any wishlisted listing – making it easier to remember why they loved it.
• Simpler and more affordable monthly stays – For stays over three months, Airbnb significantly reduces the guest service fee after the third month. Guests in the US can also save for stays over one month when paying with their linked bank account. And when searching, the new Months tab features an all-new interface that makes it easy to dial in a range from 1-12 months.
• Priority customer service on a trip – Airbnb created a dedicated 24/7 support team for priority access when you’re on a trip, with a goal of answering 90% of calls in English in two minutes or less.
• Pay over time – Through a new partnership with Klarna, guests in the US and Canada can apply to pay for stays in four interest-free installments over six weeks. For bookings over $500, guests can apply to pay monthly (US only). More countries will be added throughout the year.
• Instant rebooking credit – If a Host cancels within 30 days of arrival, most guests will receive an instant credit that can be used to rebook another stay immediately.

As part of the 50+ new features and upgrades, Airbnb is launching 25 improvements for Hosts, including new pricing tools to help Hosts set competitive prices, easily add weekly and monthly discounts, and compare their listing to similar ones in their area. They’re also including a yearly view in calendar, the ability to easily enter checkout instructions, read receipts and new quick replies in messaging, and more.

The article Airbnb introduces Airbnb Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.