Tag: host

Airbnb Announces New Social Features With AI

Travel isn’t just about where you go—it’s about who you meet. But those connections often fade once the trip ends. That’s why we’re introducing new social features for Airbnb Experiences, to help you connect with other guests before, during and after your experience.

Airbnb Announces New Social Features for Experiences, Smarter Search, Expanded AI Support

With searches for winter travel on the rise, we’re also announcing new updates for guests and hosts in time for a busy holiday season, including:

  • Smarter search and improved maps, to help you discover hidden gems
  • A new way to pay with Reserve Now, Pay Later
  • Expanded AI-powered customer support in more countries and languages
  • More tools to help hosts manage their calendar and pricing

New social features for Airbnb Experiences

Airbnb Experiences are designed to be as much about the people as the activity. Now, we’re introducing new social features, so you can connect with other guests throughout your trip and long after.

  • Who’s going – In a recent survey, more than 7 in 10 respondents said they would like to know more about other guests before booking an experience. Now, before you book, we’ll show you guests who are already going on that experience, along with where they’re from.  
  • Direct messaging – Forget to swap contact info? You can request to directly message guests you first met during an experience to stay in touch or even plan your next experience together, all right in the app.
  • Connections in profile – Now, in the Connections section of your Airbnb Profile tab, you can see the people you’ve met on your experiences, making it easy to reconnect with them.

You can enjoy these new social features while staying in control of what you share with new people. For each experience, you can choose to share your profile, giving you clear and simple control over who can message you and how you’re displayed in other guests’ Connections.

Smarter ways to search and more ways to pay

We’re making it easier to discover great places to stay and pay in a way that works for you.

  • Flexible carousels – When you’re searching for your stay, you’ll now see more options for homes just outside of your search criteria. For example, we’ll show homes with similar prices, different amenities or stays in nearby cities for less, helping you discover great options you might have otherwise missed.
  • Improved maps – Maps now let you easily filter for nearby landmarks, attractions, restaurants and more. Tap on any point of interest to see a summary and how far it is from the home in your search—or from the place you already booked. Later this year, see different map views, including satellite, street, and transit, based on your preference.
  • Reserve Now, Pay Later – With Reserve Now, Pay Later, guests have the option to reserve an eligible stay and pay $0 upfront. We launched this in the US earlier this year, and starting next year, it will be available worldwide for both domestic and international trips.

Expanded AI-powered customer support

Our AI assistant is getting even better with smarter responses and support in more places for guests and hosts.

  • More languages, more countries – The assistant will be available in English, Spanish and French, for users in the US, Mexico and Canada.
  • Smarter answers – The assistant can recognize you, your reservation, or your listing and provide quicker, more tailored responses.
  • Built-in actions – The assistant will let you take actions right in the chat, with interactive cards for common tasks like cancelling a reservation or changing dates.

Upgrades for hosts

We’re also rolling out highly-requested features to give hosts more flexibility and insight.

  • Dynamic cancellation policies – Set different cancellation policies for specific dates—like holidays or off-peak seasons.
  • Improved price tips – View price tips for dates up to a year in advance and adopt all tips in just one tap.
  • Updated earnings dashboard – Starting next year, view earnings trends year-over-year and compare seasonal performance in an all new tab.

Digital Infrastructure Groups Merge to Strengthen Industry Representation

Today two key digital infrastructure organisations are merging to drive the growth and success of the digital infrastructure ecosystem in and from Ireland. Host in Ireland and Digital Infrastructure Ireland will join together under the Digital Infrastructure Ireland name, reflecting both the criticality of the industry and the need for urgent action by the Irish Government to advance the sector in Ireland.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Digitalisation and National Development Mr Jack Chambers TD will give the keynote address at the Digital Infrastructure Ireland Launch event next week which comes after five years of a de facto moratorium on the data centre industry and investment by-passing Ireland due to policy ambiguity and uncertainty.

The founder of Host in Ireland, Garry Connolly, said the industry needs one powerful voice to champion the digital infrastructure industry. “Ireland and the Irish digital infrastructure ecosystem have long been trusted global partners for designing, building, and supplying digital infrastructure. The industry needs a collective voice to represent the diverse sectors and communities that drive this critical industry. While the ecosystem has soared in recent years, the industry here at home faces serious challenges, including energy constraints, sustainability, and regulatory uncertainty.”

“It’s time to try something new. The CRU consultation should initiate a collaborative effort, bringing together government, agencies, and industry leaders to plot a course for Ireland and this trillion dollar global industry. Ireland’s energy challenges demand immediate action from top public and private experts to address grid constraints, solutions, and investments—not just in the medium and long-term, but immediately, as there are too many opportunities in limbo. Now more than ever, we must move beyond incremental steps and take giant leaps to embrace bold, forward-thinking policies. We need to build on Ireland’s 60+ year history with data by embracing a future that demands us to be creative, brave, and relentless.”

To guide its strategic direction and ensure a partner-driven vision remains at the forefront, Digital Infrastructure Ireland is establishing a Strategic Advisory Board. This board will be composed of industry leaders and professional experts who will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the organisation. The initial Advisory Board will be co-chaired by the long-established data centre industry veteran, Maurice Mortell, and Michelle Wallace, COO for Host in Ireland.

“The challenges we face as an industry in Ireland are getting serious and require a proactive and robust approach to advocacy and awareness. A lack of policy clarity is putting future investment at risk,” said Maurice Mortell, co-chair of the advisory board at Digital Infrastructure Ireland. “The Government must take an active role in enabling the next wave of cloud and AI-driven growth, or Ireland will be left behind as other markets seize these opportunities. Digital Infrastructure Ireland is committed to addressing these issues through collaboration, advocacy and proactive engagement with policymakers to ensure the industry can continue to thrive.”

About Digital Infrastructure Ireland

Digital Infrastructure Ireland is a global initiative dedicated to driving the growth and success of the digital infrastructure ecosystem both in and from Ireland.

As a partner-driven organisation, our community brings together companies with world-class expertise at every stage of the digital infrastructure lifecycle. From design and construction to operation and maintenance, our partners embody a spirit of “co-opetition” and collaboration that strengthens Ireland’s standing as a global leader in digital infrastructure.

Digital Infrastructure Ireland serves as a collective voice for the digital infrastructure ecosystem to ensure it remains a trusted partner for designing, building, and supplying digital infrastructure across Europe and beyond.

Google Ireland host Kinia Educator TechFest

Google Ireland is hosting the Kinia Educator TechFest, a unique event that brings educators
together with the aim of increasing access to digital and STEM skills for young people, on Tuesday, November 14th.
This marks the second year of the event, which focuses on future skills, diversity, equity and access to digital learning
for young people across Ireland.

The event, which will take place in The Foundry at Google’s Dublin HQ, is open to all teachers, youth workers and
those in Ireland working with children in a teaching or youth development role through either English or Irish.
Organised by Kinia, an education non-profit charity and social enterprise, the event will feature panel discussions,
keynote speakers, industry professionals, educators, and youth representatives, covering themes which include:
“Addressing the skills gap,” “AI – the future and impact on education” and “Building inclusive careers and
learning pathways”.

Keynote speakers at this year’s event include ICT professional and entrepreneur Victoria Nxumalo, founder of AI
Ireland Mark Kelly, and founder and CEO of Mint-Tek Siobhán Ní Chofaigh. Educators attending the event can also
take part in two free skills-building workshops focused on the areas of AI, VR, green technology, smart energy, MoJo,
robotics and podcasting.

The event will also feature the launch of the updated Kinia Academy, an online community learning space, which will
enable educators to learn at their own pace while taking part in funded training opportunities with Kinia.
Marianne Checkley, CEO of Kinia, said “Educators in all youth settings work incredibly hard to make sure that no
young person is left behind in an increasingly complex and digital future. We want to celebrate their commitment to
professional development and creative learning at this event, inspiring the next wave of technology skills and giving
them a space to connect with peers and learn from other experiences.”
Victoria Nxumalo, founder and executive director of girls In STEM Trust, said: “The future of work will form the
basis of a great discussion at this year’s event. It will also be immensely interesting to explore the skills both educators
and young people will need to equip themselves with in preparation for jobs that will inevitably exist over the next few
years as AI and other 4IR technologies continue to evolve.”
For more information about the event, please visit: https://kinia-educator-techfest.zohobackstage.eu/event

Host Ireland rebrands as Elio Networks ahead of Cork launch

Host Ireland has rebranded as Elio Networks ahead of its launch into the Cork market in April. The connectivity service provider is investing and expanding across Ireland in 2023, with launches in Limerick and in Galway later this year too

Elio Networks worked with Tribe, a Dublin based digital agency, to develop the rebrand.

David Russell, CEO of Elio Networks said: “Host Ireland is 25 years old. It grew out of a hosting business, but the name does not reflect what we do. We believe our new trading name and identity better communicates our goals and aspirations; it demonstrates our complete focus on offering better business connectivity solutions”.

“We worked to develop something clean, confident, and clear, that could be used across multiple jurisdictions. Our ambition isn’t just the Irish market; we want to look at a larger international expansion. We needed a brand and a name that would travel.”

The name is derived from Helios, the mythological sun god.

“If we don’t have the sun, we cannot live. Business cannot trade if it doesn’t have broadband. We are a connectivity and broadband player, but our business is moving towards business connectivity holistically,” Russell says.

Last year Elio Networks was acquired by Digital 9 Infrastructure, an investment business listed on the London Stock Exchange. Elio Networks currently operates its own fixed wireless network across Dublin and provides fibre connectivity globally.

“We believe in putting control back into the hands of our customers. We communicate throughout the install process, provide an install date that works for the customer, and have developed Elio Instant Fibre which is a unique industry product allowing next-day connectivity for customers,” Russell expands.

“We are uniquely positioned to do that because of our wholly-owned network and commitment to build out in urban areas. We want to change how businesses view connectivity.”

Countrywide Roll-Out

Elio Networks is investing and building infrastructure across Cork and is launching there next month. This will be followed by further investment and a launch in Limerick and in Galway before the end of the year.

“After that, we have an eye on international expansion. We believe that what we do, and the control we provide customers, isn’t replicated in many other countries, so we’re in a very good position to expand, backed by Digital 9 Infrastructure,” Russell continued.

“This time next year we will have an All-Ireland presence, servicing businesses across multiple connectivity options. Our focus is on challenging the Irish market, as we believe connectivity can be much better here; then we will look to international expansion.”

Come on over! – How to host the perfect game gathering

Whether you’re considering the rise in online casinos, the gamification of apps, or the influx of entertainment options, it’s clear that hosting a game night can be a huge win for you and your friends. Whether you go with a digital game, board game, or any other offering, you need to understand some steps that’ll make it a successful night. 

Hosting can be a big responsibility, but the satisfaction is worthwhile when you see the people you love having a good time. Keep reading for words of advice when planning a game night. 

Decide on the games and setting

Before anything, figure out what games your guests will enjoy. Bingo is an excellent game for a group setting. It’s a game built for large groups and can host as many people as you invite. 

It’s also a versatile game since you can play it online or grab some bingo cards and host bingo under the same roof. Certain websites offer free bingo to play, with live hosts and chat. Companies today let players log in using standalone apps or website access. You can go with this setup for a remote party, or play the physical game if you’re inviting people over. 

A murder mystery dinner party is an intriguing option that lets people play along with the theme and dress the part. You can also host a casino night featuring roulette, poker, blackjack, and other options. Choose some crowd-pleasers, pick the ideal location, and send out some invites so that you can get a headcount for who is showing up. 

Respect and enforce the rules

Having an understanding of the game rules is arguably the most important thing to bear in mind for your game night. 

If you’re hosting a bingo night, familiarise yourself with the rules of the game so that you know how to break ties and handle other nuanced points. If you’re hosting a casino night, consider hiring professional dealers or appointing people to serve as independent, impartial dealers and casino hosts. 

Send the rules of the game out in advance for people to see and understand. This way, everyone is on the same page once the games kick off. 

Carve out more time than you think you need

Choose a game night where everyone’s schedules are wide open. Start the game early enough in the day or night to let it potentially go on for hours without rushing. The reason for this is that you never really can tell how long a match will go on. 

It might involve an open-ended game like Monopoly, or a game like bingo that can go on for as many cards as people would like to play. If you’re hosting a chess tournament, you may as well be prepared to block out the rest of the night, because a single match can become a showdown of wits that lasts for hours. A murder mystery dinner party can go on for an indefinite amount of time if you don’t put a cap on it. 

Keep plenty of food, music, and other accommodations available so that eliminated players and people just watching are taken care of. It’s a social gathering at the end of the day, so keep tabs on every part of being a good host. Begin with the tips above and start planning out your next successful game night.