Airbnb Has Simplified the Search for Quality Listings

In May, Airbnb launched 50 new features and enhancements to address frequent customer issues, such as high cleaning fees, chores, and hidden costs. Yet, Airbnb didn’t stop there. Today, the vacation rental platform introduced three more enhancements to simplify the creation and discovery of quality listings for both guests and hosts.

“Airbnb boasts over 7 million unique homes worldwide. This distinctiveness is what sets Airbnb apart,” stated Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky at a press conference in New York City on November 7. He recognized that the primary reason travelers often opt for hotels is due to their predictability. “With a hotel, you know exactly what to expect,” Chesky remarked.

Naturally, Airbnb is aware of the customer complaints that have arisen in recent years. However, Chesky noted that 23 percent of new Airbnb users book listings with lower ratings. As guests struggle to differentiate between high and low-quality listings, Airbnb needed a method to guide them towards the best options. Fortunately, Airbnb has insights into top listings, thanks to the 371 million guest reviews collected since its inception in 2008.

Thus, Chesky shared that the Airbnb team considered all this data and posed the question, “What if we could merge the unique charm of an Airbnb with the consistency that you expect from a hotel?”

Introducing a new “Guest Favorites” collection

The result is Guest Favorites, a fresh collection of the most popular homes on Airbnb, launched in the app on November 8. (This effectively replaces the Airbnb Plus category, which was quietly discontinued on November 6.) Now, when searching for vacation rentals, listings marked with a “Guest Favorites” badge will appear in search results, similar to how “Superhosts” can be filtered.

The Guest Favorites collection debuted with 2 million homes globally, including the delightful A-frame cabin near Quebec City shown above. More properties will be added as they receive additional reviews. “For context, Hilton Hotels, one of the largest chains worldwide, offers approximately 1.1 million rooms globally,” Chesky noted.

Airbnb selected homes for the new Guest Favorites designation based on “ratings, reviews, and reliability,” according to Chesky. To qualify, listings must have at least five reviews, a maximum host cancellation rate of 1 percent, and an incident rate below 1 percent. Upon launch, Guest Favorite listings boasted an average rating of 4.92 out of 5. (Airbnb was unable to specify a minimum rating requirement, as the designation relies on a dynamic model that evolves with incoming ratings.)

Enhanced ratings and reviews

Airbnb has also completely revamped its ratings and reviews pages, emphasizing that “ratings and reviews are the most effective way to gauge the quality of a listing,” said Chesky. He noted that the previous reviews page offered insufficient information, making it challenging for guests to find relevant reviews.

The redesign enhances readability of the ratings, prominently displaying the overall rating alongside subcategory ratings (such as cleanliness and value). Reviews now offer more details about previous guests, including their origins, length of stay, and whether they traveled with children, pets, or large groups. Additionally, reviews can be sorted by highest ratings or by the most recent stay.

New Listings Tab for Hosts

The final aspect of Airbnb’s recent update streamlines the process for hosts to manage their listings and include important details that guests find valuable. This enhancement aims to make it easier for guests to comprehend what they are booking.

Previously, Airbnb noted that only 17 percent of hosts provided details about sleeping arrangements, and merely 8 percent took the time to manually tag images for a photo tour to help guests visualize the home's layout.

To address this issue, Airbnb's design and engineering teams revamped the app, placing a newly streamlined listings tab prominently. Now, amenities are organized alphabetically rather than by category, simplifying the tagging process for hosts. Additionally, Airbnb has trained AI to categorize photos automatically by room, creating a cohesive photo tour that better showcases the home's layout.

Finally, Airbnb has integrated its app with smart lock systems from brands like Schlage, Yale, and August, allowing hosts to link their accounts to generate unique access codes for each booking. Hosts can also determine the activation period for these codes before and after reservations. To assist guests who may be unfamiliar with these locking systems, Airbnb has included custom animations on each check-in page to demonstrate how to enter the codes.