Travelers are emerging from more than a year of confinement with a major travel itch. According to the latest Airbnb Report on Travel & Living, guests booked vacation rentals in more than 94,000 destinations over the course of the pandemic, and the amount of long-term stays (28 days or longer) nearly doubled—increasing from 14 percent of nights booked in 2019 to 24 percent in Q1 2021.
As travel demand continues to grow, Airbnb is responding with a series of new innovations and upgrades to its web and app services to support guests and hosts alike. Greater flexibility and increased ease are at the foundation of the more than 100 updates.
“We are seeing three fundamental shifts in travel as people become less tethered and more flexible,” says Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky. “People can travel anytime, they are traveling to more places, and they are staying longer. The lines between travel, living, and working are blurring and we are upgrading our service to make it easier for people to integrate travel into their lives, and for more people to become hosts.”
Guests can now take advantage of expedited checkouts, detailed arrival guides, and refreshed cancellation policies. The reviews system has also been revamped to provide travelers with a more comprehensive spectrum on which to rate their stays. A new support team for hosts and superhosts will now be available along with a slew of inbox improvements that maximize efficiency. New hosts can also enjoy a redesigned hub with insightful articles and testimonials, as well as tools to estimate potential earnings from hosting.
Click here to see the full list of new Airbnb upgrades.
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