Frank Lloyd Wright Homes, Countryside Retreats, Glamping Experiences—Airbnb’s Latest Search Categories Showcase These Unique Listings

Have you ever dreamed of working from a design marvel or enjoying a getaway in a picturesque rural home? Well, Airbnb is encouraging users to do just that. On May 11, the vacation rental platform unveiled several exciting features, including a revamped website that emphasizes “categories” sorting its 4.4 million properties into 56 (sometimes whimsical) groups designed to inspire travelers. These categories emphasize aspects like a stay’s aesthetic (such as container homes or bed-and-breakfasts), location (for instance, beachfront or lakefront), and closeness to particular activities (like surfing or skiing).

During a press event in New York, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced two additional innovative features for the platform, marking “the most significant change to Airbnb in a decade.” One feature is the “split stays” option, allowing users to effortlessly divide their trips (of a week or more) between two accommodations. The second feature, named AirCover, provides complimentary travel protections for all guests booking through the platform.

What are the new categories on Airbnb?

As per Chesky, Airbnb designed these new categories to highlight homes that users might not think to search for themselves—accommodations such as trullis (a trullo is a rounded stone house topped with a conical roof, just so you know), vineyards, and shepherd’s huts. These 56 categories were developed using machine learning and insights from Airbnb’s curation team, reflecting current industry trends. The company reports that bookings for unique homes during the first quarter of 2022 have surged by 80 percent compared to 2019.

In the past, Airbnb primarily categorized its listings by location, requiring users to enter their desired destination, travel dates, and guest count. The new website design evokes Airbnb’s early days, reminiscent of the “collections” feature that highlighted unique and interesting properties around the globe.

Chesky shared with Dinogo that the previous collections feature led to the addition of thousands of new listings to the platform, and he anticipates a similar surge with the launch of Airbnb’s new category-focused design.

“Let’s consider ‘design’ [Airbnbs]. Many homeowners with stylish properties might think, ‘My home isn’t ready for Airbnb.’ I hope that when they see Frank Lloyd Wright homes listed, they’ll think, ‘If Frank Lloyd Wright homes can be on Airbnb, perhaps mine can be too,’” he expressed.

Curious about how quirky and captivating these categories can be? Here are some of our favorite examples that you can book.

Camping

Five of Airbnb’s new categories, including camping, fall under the activity theme (with others being golfing, skiing, ski-in/ski-out, and surfing). This canvas tent in Tetonia, Idaho, is an exceptional stargazing spot, featuring a queen bed, an outdoor shower, and a kitchen setup. This Airbnb is part of a collection of 32,000 listings in the camping category.

Countryside

Those exploring location-specific categories like “countryside” often prioritize the landscapes over the interiors. To cater to this, Airbnb’s curation team chooses images that highlight the specific category a user is browsing when navigating the website. In this instance, the beautiful meadow and mountain backdrop surrounding this Italian home take center stage in the visuals.

This charming cabin near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland, emphasizes its secluded setting as part of the countryside category. In addition to the two-bedroom, one-bathroom accommodation, guests can explore nearby natural attractions like a small creek and a lava field. There are over 200,000 listings in Airbnb’s enchanting countryside category.

Design

Head to Girona, Spain, and discover this cubic retreat perched on a rural hillside. With floor-to-ceiling windows throughout, this Airbnb highlights its breathtaking vistas of the Mediterranean and Cabo de Creus National Park. This property is one of 27,000 showcased in Airbnb’s design category.

Even homes crafted by renowned architects like Frank Lloyd Wright are within Airbnb’s offerings. Featured in over 20 national and regional publications, this property in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, boasts a 63-foot-long living room and wood-paneled ceilings, among other remarkable features. As part of the company’s redesign, users looking for homes in the new design category can view information about the architect and any magazines that have highlighted the property.

OMG!

Some Airbnb listings are so unique they defy categorization. To celebrate this, the company has introduced an “OMG!” category featuring stays that will truly leave you in awe. One standout example is Quetzalcoatl’s Nest in Mexico, which enchants guests with its whimsical design and vibrant exteriors, representing one of the category’s 700 extraordinary stays.

If you’ve ever dreamed of living the aquatic life without worrying about the mysteries of the deep sea, dive into this New Zealand Airbnb. This listing earned its place in the OMG! category thanks to its abundant quirks—think nautical mannequins and a boat helm. Gather your Beatles-loving friends and step aboard a ship that, as the host puts it, is “powered by love; because that’s what makes the world go round.”

Here are a few more new Airbnb categories that we adore . . .

The examples mentioned above represent just a fraction of the available stays. One of the largest categories is “amazing pools,” which features 1.5 million listings, enticing users with everything from stunning dips in Brazil to luxurious swims in Cyprus. Another category, “ryokans,” highlights historic and elegant accommodations scattered across Japan. On Tuesday, Chesky mentioned that he expects “many more categories” to be added in the future.

These categories are just one way Airbnb is encouraging users to explore its unique offerings. For travelers planning longer trips—nearly half of stays booked in the first quarter of 2022 were for a week or more—Airbnb has rolled out its split stays feature as part of its summer update.

Key Information About Airbnb’s Split Stays Feature

Airbnb’s “split stay” feature allows users to divide their trip between two different homes when booking stays of a week or longer. This feature can appear in various situations, such as when users exhaust their Airbnb options after entering their trip details in the search bar. It also shows up for those seeking extended stays in specific categories, like “national parks,” where it may suggest splitting time between locations like Joshua Tree and Zion.

Key Information About Airbnb’s AirCover Option

Beginning May 31, Airbnb will no longer accept COVID-19 as a valid reason for rental cancellations with a refund. Instead, Airbnb is introducing AirCover protection, a complimentary service for all users booking on the platform. This protection consists of four key features:

1. Booking protection guarantee: If a host cancels a reservation within 30 days of check-in, Airbnb will either find a comparable or superior listing for the guest or issue a full refund.
2. Check-in guarantee: Should a guest face issues upon arrival and the host is unable to resolve them, Airbnb will either secure a similar or better home or provide a refund.
3. Get-what-you-booked guarantee: If guests discover that their accommodation does not match the host's description at any point during their stay, they have three days to report it, and Airbnb will either find a comparable property or issue a refund.
4. 24-hour safety line: Airbnb is providing access to trained safety agents for guests who may feel unsafe during their stay.