Airbnb has announced that it has launched Airbnb Start around the world “to simplify the process of listing a home on the platform”.
The new host will receive personalized advice from one of the platform's 1,500 'superhosts' in 80 countries: they will guide them through the first steps and answer their questions in audio and video calls or messages.
Airbnb Start also includes the offer that the host has direct access with a 'click' to a Customer Care agent, to help him/her with any problem with his/her account or about charges, via phone, text message or mail, in more than 42 languages.
In addition, the new host will be able to choose as a first guest someone who has already had at least three positive stays on the platform.
AirCover: More Protection
AirCover's protection for hosts is also expanded, extending the identity verification process for all guests traveling to Airbnb's top 35 countries and regions (areas that account for 90% of bookings), with plans to extend this system to the rest of the world in spring 2023.
In addition, technology is added to analyze bookings and identify risks, minimizing unauthorized parties (going live in the U.S. and Canada, with plans to roll it out worldwide in the spring).
Damage protection is tripled to $3 million, covering damage to lodging and interior items; protection is introduced for cars, boats and other watercraft that are parked or on the property; and the range of protected artwork and valuables is expanded (they will be repaired or replaced based on their appraised value).
It also simplifies the process of filing a claim, tracking it and expediting its handling, from application to the collection.
6 New Categories Added
Following the launch of Airbnb Categories in May, six more categories are on offer: New (Airbnb listings registered on the platform during the last 10 weeks), In the heights (accommodations at about 3,000 meters above sea level) and Adapted (accommodations for wheelchair access, without steps at entrances, rooms or bathrooms).
The other three are Popular (top-rated accommodations whose ads have more visits than the previous week), For Kids (accommodations with basketball courts, game rooms, miniature golf, water slides and other features) and Hanok (traditional Korean houses built with natural materials).
The way Categories of Airbnb listings are displayed has also changed: opening the application displays a category that is related in some way to the most recent search, and more details appear in the search results.
Great Profits
During the third quarter of this year, Airbnb recorded a turnover of 2,900 million dollars, which is a record figure for the Californian company. Moreover, during the summer season, from the end of July to September, Airbnb recorded the highest profits in its short history. Its profit increased by 46% to reach 1.2 billion dollars.
The company reported a 31% rise in Airbnb listings of single rooms during the third quarter, as more people seek extra income in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. Housing listings have increased in all regions, according to the company data.
During the pandemic, Airbnb recorded 99.7 million nights booked. At that time, a new type of customer appeared – a guest who rents houses or tourist apartments in his or her own city, to carry out a project, as a working base, for some time. The trend is getting more prominent.