Airbnb is shaking things up in a big way. In 2022, the company announced a revamp, including Airbnb Categories, Split Stays, and AirCover. This is the most significant change to the platform since it was founded over ten years ago, and it’s bound to have a considerable impact on the travel industry. In this article, we’ll look at what’s changed and what it means for hosts and guests!

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Airbnb Categories

Let’s tackle the big questions about Airbnb categories.

What are Airbnb Categories?

Airbnb Categories is a new way to search for properties on Airbnb. Rather than typing in a destination and date, you can now search by category. Airbnb Categories include search options like National Parks, Chalets, Arctic, Design, Tiny Homes, and even more creative titles.

This change should make it easier for users to find exactly what they’re looking for. No more scrolling through endless listings! And with so many unique options to choose from, guests are sure to find something that suits their needs perfectly.

What does it mean for hosts?

The new Airbnb Categories feature offers a whole new range of options for hosts to list their properties. Specifically, hosts can now market their listings to guests looking to adventure anywhere rather than in a specific city or area. This means that hosts can now list their properties under specific categories, making it easier for guests to find their unique stays.

It is an excellent opportunity for hosts to market their properties in a targeted way. By listing their homes under specific categories, hosts can highlight their properties’ unique features and amenities. This can attract guests who are looking for precisely what your property has to offer.

Split Stays

Split stays – sounds complicated. It’s not!

What are Split Stays?

Airbnb’s Split Stays feature is a great way for guests to mix up their trip and experience two different places. With Split Stays, guests can choose to stay for 14 days or more at two different homes. This allows them to get the best of both worlds – the comfort of home and the opportunity to explore multiple destinations.

Airbnb’s Split Stays feature is available in search results and categories, making it easy for guests to find the perfect places to stay. Airbnb says that they introduced this feature to match the increased demand of travelers and remote workers taking longer trips since the Covid-19 pandemic.

What does it mean for hosts?

For hosts, this can mean more business and more bookings. For travelers, it can mean more options and more flexibility when planning their trip. And for the travel industry, it could mean a new way to market and sell vacation packages.

Split Stays are a great way for hosts to get more exposure for their listings, as well as to reduce their workload. With Split Stays, multiple properties are displayed in search results, which means that users will see 40% more listings when searching for trips of 14 days or more.

This is an excellent opportunity for hosts to get more views and bookings for their listings. In addition, split-stays can also benefit your hosting business by significantly reducing your turnover workload (i.e., cleanings) and providing you with regular income from long-term stays.

AirCover

A new and improved way to protect your property.

What is AirCover?

Airbnb AirCover is a new service that offers four different protections for guests who book through the site.

• The Booking Protection Guarantee ensures that guests will be able to find a similar or better home if their host cancels within 30 days of check-in, or they will receive a refund.

• The Check-In Guarantee offers guests a refund if they are unable to check in due to an issue with the host and the host is unable to resolve it (Avoid this by integrating your listing with a Smart Lock!)

• The Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee protects guests from being charged more than what was listed on the site or from being given a different home entirely.

• Finally, the 24-Hour Safety Line offers guests access to specially-trained safety agents if they ever feel unsafe.

What does AirCover mean for hosts?

For hosts, AirCover is a great way to build trust with guests and give them peace of mind when booking. This can lead to more bookings and repeat guests. For guests, AirCover provides protection and safety, making it more likely that they will have a positive experience with their Airbnb stay.

Specifically, AirCover provides the following protections for hosts:

• $1 million liability insurance: In the unlikely event a guest gets hurt

• $3 million damage protection: Protects you from damaged caused by guests

• Pet damage protection: Peace of mind from unexpected accidents from furry friends

• Deep cleaning protection: Coverage for unexpected deep cleans

• Income loss protection: Reimbursements if you have to cancel upcoming bookings do to damage.

• 14-Day filing window: You have more time to report damages

• Quick reimbursements: You’ll have your cash typically within two weeks

• Faster track for Superhosts: Customer service is prioritized for superhosts.

How to Take Advantage of the Airbnb Categories, Split-Stays & AirCover Updates

Here are a few clever tips and tricks to easily utilize these updates:

Maximize your listing for Airbnb Categories

If you want to make sure that your listing is getting seen by potential guests, it’s important to update your listing for the new Airbnb Categories. By tweaking your listings to better satisfy the new categories, you’ll be much more likely to stand out in the latest release.

Some things you can do to update your listing include:

– Make sure that your titles and descriptions highlight key features such as exquisite design, a chef’s kitchen, a stunning view, or close access to a national park, beach, or lake.

– Emphasize the unique amenities that your home offers.

– Refresh your listing with professional photos

Ask guests to highlight specific amenities

In your automated check-out message, you should always encourage your guest to leave a review of your property. You can also find a creative way to ask your guests to mention a specific element or amenity of your home that they enjoyed.

For example, you might say: “We’re so glad you had a great stay! We would be grateful if you could leave us a review and let other renters know about the beautiful view from the balcony.”

Keep embracing a multi-channel distribution strategy

Even with the new release, listing your property on multiple channels is still essential. While Airbnb may be the most popular home-sharing site, there are many other options, such as VRBO and Booking.com. By listing your property on multiple channels, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience of potential guests.

Plus, when you automate your listings with Host Tools, you can manage all of these channels in one place and save up to 80% of the time you spend messaging guests, scheduling cleaners, updating your booking calendar, and chasing reviews.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the new Airbnb updates provide hosts with more opportunities to succeed on the platform. By taking advantage of the new features, hosts can increase their bookings and build trust with guests.

In addition, by using a multi-channel listing strategy, hosts can reach a wider audience of potential guests. With these tips in mind, you can make the most of the new Airbnb updates and ensure a prosperous future on the platform.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!