As the world undergoes a revolution in how we live and work, Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, today revealed via a streamed announcement multiple platform upgrades, including 50+ new product features aimed to meet the new way of travelling brought on by the pandemic, and the wave of guests it will bring with it.
This announcement offers a range of upgrades that make it easier to host and support the changing needs of travellers, including:
- AirCover – Top-to-bottom protection. Free for every Host. Only on Airbnb.
- Translation Engine – The most advanced translation technology ever offered to our community.
- Accessibility Review – Every accessibility feature is reviewed for 100% accuracy.
- I’m (even more) Flexible – Search for more unique homes up to 12 months in advance.
- Verified Wifi – Our new speed test tool verifies the speed of the wifi in a listing.
- Smarter Trips Tab – A redesigned Trips tab with all your must-have travel details.
- Ask a Superhost Expansion – Connects new Hosts to a Superhost in their area for 1:1 help.
Additionally, Airbnb shared trends data, looking at how guests are travelling now and into next year. Some key insights include:
- People increasingly are living on Airbnb: From July to September, 20% of nights booked were for stays of one month or longer.
- People are travelling at any time: Nearly half (45%) of nights booked on Airbnb were for at least one week, compared to 38% two years ago; and families are travelling more during the week, with the most growth in stays on Mondays and Tuesday nights globally
- They want amenities for living, not just visiting: Globally, the most searched-for amenities in recent months were: 1) pets-allowed, 2) pools, 3) wifi, 4) kitchens and 5) free parking.
- Greater interest in holiday travel: As of the end of September, we had over 40% more nights booked for Thanksgiving week in the US than at the same time in 2019
- Border reopenings reveal pent-up demand: In the US, which historically is the largest inbound travel market in the world — during the week following the October 15 announcement of the November 8 reopening date, nights booked by foreign guests for stays starting November 8 increased by 44%