New Host tools and travel trend updates

Hi everyone,

I have a lot of exciting news to share this month! Read on for details about recent product launches, our Global Host Tour, and travel trends.

Product launches
I hope you had a chance to catch Brian’s announcement on May 24th about some new tools and changes we’re introducing to give you and your guests a more seamless, enjoyable experience on Airbnb. There are two important updates here that I want to be sure you’re aware of: flexible search and Arrival Guide.

We announced three flexible search changes, all designed to bring more visibility than ever to your listings:

• Flexible dates are designed for guests interested in a particular location, but have flexibility for when they travel. This feature, which launched in February, means that guests can now search for new date options, from a weekend, to a full week, to stays for a month or more.
• Flexible matching, which we will be launching at the end of June, surfaces listings that lie just outside the specified search criteria, to give guests more options—and increase your visibility. Let’s say your space has nearly everything a guest searches for, but is missing one amenity, like a hot tub. Now, our algorithm will still surface your listing to guests in their search results, but simply make it clear which amenity is missing from the search.
• Flexible destinations lets guests build trips around the listings they stay in, not the destination they go to. Because guests are now flexible in terms of when and where they travel, we are now able to highlight a wide range of unique listings including cabins, treehouses, farms, yurts and beyond. This feature will be available to guests starting in July.
  
• Arrival Guide: We now provide guests with an Arrival Guide prior to their check-in, which has all of the information they need to have a seamless arrival. Much of the guide is auto-generated from your listing, but there are some fields you need to fill in. I encourage you to update your information so that you can be sure you are setting clear expectations with your guests. We are seeing early signs that Hosts who have already set this up are showing an increase in 5-star trips. Find out more in our Resource Centre article—and you can update your guide there, too.

Global Host Tour
After Brian’s announcement, I had the privilege of meeting many Hosts at Host Club events in 10 countries (and I hope to meet more of you at Club gatherings in the future!). It’s so important to hear your thoughts about the changes we have in the works, and how they’ll affect your day-to-day operations. Here are some of the top Host questions we addressed during the tour:

• Cancellation policies: We heard that Hosts wanted more cancellation policy options to choose from, and that our ‘strict’ policy didn’t give Hosts time to potentially receive another booking if a guest cancels. We’ve carefully considered this feedback and rolled out a new firm cancellation policy. Under this policy, guests can cancel up to 30 days before check-in for a full refund.

• Superhost rewards: Hosts who earn Superhost status for 4 consecutive assessments receive a $100 USD Airbnb coupon. We recognize that your ability to use this coupon has been limited this past year, so we’re extending the expiration date for all 2020 coupons to December 31, 2021—even for those that have already expired.* We hope you can start planning your next adventure soon!

• COVID-19 safety requirements: With Hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world, we understand each of your communities are at different stages of their COVID-19 containment efforts. We're making two changes to better reflect this changing landscape:
  • First, for mask-wearing and social distancing when interacting in person, we’re moving away from blanket global requirements and instead now asking Hosts and guests to follow local laws and guidelines.
  • Second, to better align with the latest COVID-19 science on transmission, and to make the cleaning guidelines easier for Hosts to follow, we've updated our enhanced cleaning process. For example, Hosts will no longer be required to wear masks and gloves while cleaning (but it's still recommended), or to wash every dish in the cupboard if it has not been used by guests. (Here’s a deeper look at our updated cleaning handbook). If you’ve agreed to our enhanced cleaning process already, you don’t need to go through that process again. If you’re a new Host (welcome!), you’ll be prompted to review and agree to follow these practices.

There’s a lot more from the Global Host Tour that I want to share with all of you, so I’ll be addressing even more Host questions in the Community Centre.

Travel trends
Lastly, I want to highlight some interesting trends as travel starts to return around the world:

• Family travel has spiked from 27 percent of overall nights booked in summer 2019 to 33 percent in summer 2021 globally. 42 percent of the nights booked are in rural destinations, up from 32 percent the summer of 2019. Making your home family-friendly is one of the best ways you can increase exposure and bookings.
• Outdoor trips are booming. COVID changed the kind of destination travellers are looking for, and that trend shows no sign of waning. Rural travel continues to surge with locations well outside the city limits remaining in the top destinations for summer 2021—a departure from the top destinations just two years ago. If you have a rural listing, you can feature the natural attractions that are in your area in your description, and if you have an urban listing, consider adapting your listing description or adding a guidebook to play up proximity to an outdoor attraction (“San Francisco Apartment Thirty Minutes from Wine Country,” for instance).
• Cities are bouncing back with long-term stays. Though rural destinations are still trending this summer, travellers are starting to return to cities and for longer periods of time. The top three destinations for long-term stays on Airbnb are all cities: New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles. We’ve made it easy to adjust your listing to accommodate these longer stays.

We’re really excited about rolling out these changes as we head into what promises to be a very busy season. I’ll continue to take your feedback—you can always reach me directly in our Community Centre.

Best wishes from Malibu,

Catherine

^{Coupon Terms & Conditions
This coupon is one-time use, non-refundable, and expires at 11:59 p.m. UTC on the date indicated above. The coupon is valid toward the type of reservation on Airbnb communicated to you when originally issued. The coupon is not redeemable for cash or gift cards, or toward previous purchases, and cannot be transferred or combined with another offer, coupon, or discount. Airbnb reserves the right to any remedy, including voiding this coupon, in cases of suspected fraud, misuse, violation of our Terms of Service or Payments Terms of Service, or technical errors.}