Airbnb highlights offers with top ratings more prominently
The accommodation platform Airbnb wants to give more prominence to particularly well-rated offers in the competition for the favor of travelers. The new "Guest Favorites" category includes around two million houses and apartments with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 possible stars.
Users can now also sort ratings by recency or number of stars to get a better overview. It will be easier for hosts to create photo tours of properties and integrate networked door locks into the Airbnb app.
With the "guest favorites", Airbnb wants to convince those who have not yet tried the platform and are worried about reliability, for example, said Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk at the presentation of the new functions.
The accommodations for this would be selected with the help of software based on various evaluation criteria. The 4.9 average is not a fixed requirement for each individual accommodation. "The idea is that these are the two million top offers, so to speak," said Blecharczyk. The list is updated daily.
In search results, "guest favorites" should be displayed more often than average - but you can also limit the selection to just them. Airbnb competes with hotels and other accommodation platforms. Business grew strongly during the coronavirus pandemic, with people working and studying at home and the subsequent travel fever. Airbnb recently only issued a cautious forecast for the current quarter and expects slower growth in the number of overnight stays.
Increase in bookings from Germany
Some trends from the coronavirus era have remained, said Blecharczyk. "Maybe not everyone is working from home - but more people than before the pandemic." People are also more flexible with hybrid models of working from home and in the office. In the first half of 2023, 94% more long-term stays were booked on Airbnb in Germany than in the same period before the pandemic. Overall, bookings from Germany have increased by 63 percent.
It is now easier for Airbnb hosts to create photo galleries of their accommodation. Software analyzes the content of the images and automatically assigns them to individual rooms. Airbnb also wants to use software with artificial intelligence such as chatbots in customer service, for example to better narrow down user problems before an employee takes action.
The hospitality industry has seen a shift with platforms like Airbnb utilizing the Internet to boost their visibility. Airbnb's new feature, "Guest Favorites," promotes highly-rated listings, attracting travelers who value reliability and quality, as noted by Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk. This strategy also includes integrating smart door locks into the Airbnb app, popular among tech-savvy visitors, further enhancing the digital aspect of the hospitality industry.
Airbnb's German market has seen significant growth during the pandemic, with a 63% increase in bookings for longer stays compared to pre-pandemic levels. The platform aims to leverage AI-powered chatbots to improve customer service, addressing user concerns more efficiently and seamlessly, tapping into the growing trend of integrating advanced technology in the hospitality industry, similar to the use of smart door locks.
Source: www.dpa.com
