Superhost news, travel trends, and more from Catherine

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well. It is good to be in touch again with a couple of updates on our Superhost program, travel trends, and some new hosting tools many of you have requested. But first, I want to wish everyone a belated happy International Women’s Day and take a moment to acknowledge how important women are to Airbnb. Did you know that 55 percent of our 4 million Hosts globally are women? New women Hosts who joined Airbnb since the start of the pandemic have collectively earned more than $600 million since last March, which is simply astounding.

I’m excited to announce that we’ll be extending Superhost status  through 2021 for Superhosts who continue to meet response rate and overall rating criteria. We know how valuable Superhost status is, especially as we prepare to welcome guests as travel starts to recover. These changes will apply to the next three Superhost assessments, happening in April, July, and October of 2021. This means that if you’re a current Superhost, we’ll extend your status through December 31, 2021 as long as you continue to uphold at least a 90 percent response rate and a 4.8 overall rating.

While this year is sure to be anything but normal, we are very optimistic about the revival of travel, and we want to help you get ready to welcome guests again. As CEO Brian Chesky noted, “People can’t wait to travel again and when they’re able to, we anticipate significant pent-up demand, which will be directed to you.” Personally, I am thrilled at the travel possibilities that are coming - for me personally and for all our Hosts.

A top priority for us in 2021 is to help you, our Hosts, prepare for this upswing in bookings by improving the entire end-to-end experience for both Hosts and guests. That means improving hosting tools and introducing brand new ones to help you save time and energy. Be sure to click through and check these out if you haven’t already:

• The Opportunities tab offers current travel insights and tips to help you adapt to what guests want
• Schedule your messages: Save time by automating your booking, check-in, on-trip, and checkout messages
• Adding and editing amenities is now easier than ever with a new layout

We’re also working hard to bring you news and insights to help attract guests. Guest searches and priorities have shifted over the past year, with the continuing new-normal of working from home—which can be anywhere with an internet connection. This would be a great time to revisit your listings, with these trends in mind:

• Guests are looking for listings that enable them to live and work anywhere
• Wireless internet is the #4 top-searched amenity
• Hosts who add laptop-friendly workspaces can earn 14% more than those who don’t
• Hosts who have cooking basics, like pots and pans, oil, salt and pepper, can earn 17% more compared to those who don’t
• Searches for gardens and backyards increased by 343% compared to last year
• “Pet-friendly” is the most searched-for amenity by guests
• Jacuzzis are currently trending 79% year-over-year in guest searches

You can drill down into this article for more details and data.*

That’s all for now, though I will be back next month with more news, updates, and resources. In the meantime, I hope you all continue to stay safe, even as we excitedly look forward to the spring and summer.

Warmest wishes,

Catherine

PS. Here’s a photo of me and Ozzy from my family’s recent trip to Joshua Tree. We didn’t go far (yet) but it was great to have a change of scenery, and we stayed in a terrific pet-friendly Airbnb with a jacuzzi.

*Estimates based on available data as of February 1, 2021