Airbnb has launched a new network to find and hire co-hosts to manage a user’s property, as well as new personalisation features the company says will change the nature of travel apps.
The platform’s co-founder and chief executive, Brian Chesky, said “travel apps have been one-size-fits-all” but Airbnb is “changing that today”.
Its new Co-Host Network will include more than 10,000 experienced co-hosts across 10 countries, who must have an average rating of 4.86 in order to appear, with a personalised algorithm recommending the best fits for the user to manage their property for them.
The firm’s chief business officer, Dave Stephenson, told the PA news agency the company feels it is vital to support hosts as well as guests on the platform, because they often offer unique properties and experiences that help it stand out.
“The better we can do to support hosts and have unique features that hosts appreciate, the more they are uniquely on Airbnb,” he said.
“The majority of our listings actually are unique and only on Airbnb and so we want them to stay and not necessarily go elsewhere, and we do that by providing them demand that’s going to be their number one need and then just make it easier to host.
“And I think what we’ve uniquely done also is build tools for individuals to share their homes – whereas other platforms have focused more on professional hosting and large-scale hosting, and those kinds of needs are different.”
He added that the company has found many of its hosts would take on guests more “if they had more help”.
As part of the update to the platform, the US firm said it is also introducing more than 50 upgrades to make using the app more personalised, including new suggested destinations based on search and booking history, redesigned search filters, and the addition of new localised payment methods, supporting payment apps which are popular in different parts of the world.
Mr Stephenson told PA the company wants to have a “combination of both” personalising the app and offering up surprising, unique experiences.
“I think you want to inspire people to know that ‘Wow, I can come to Airbnb and get something truly unique and different’,” he said.
“And then, when they come, you want to do your best job of matching it up and understanding what their needs are, because sometimes you’re traveling on your own for work – that’s one kind of trip – but then maybe you’re traveling with friends, and that has a different need.
“And so, even understanding not just you but your use case, your type of travel and better matching that up, it’s super-important, and that’s one of the features we’ve launched in this most recent release – highlighting specific features in a listing that might appeal to you as a traveller.
“For example, if you’re traveling with kids, we’ll highlight that the listing might have a crib or has certain amenities that are helpful for them.
“So I think it’s a ‘Yes and…’ – you want to inspire with uniqueness and then tailor the specifics.”