More and more restrictions in many cities around the world, consumers complaining about rules that sometimes border on the absurd from flat owners... The Airbnb model, after having been praised by the entire travel sector - with the exception of hotels! -Since the covid, it seems to have lost some of its seductive power..
It's true that over the years, Airbnbwhich was similar to a modern version of home-stay accommodation, has turned into a very lucrative business for many owners. There are countless numbers of entire flats that are not rented out to locals for use as Airbnb. In a housing shortage market in many towns and cities, this does not go down well.
Back to the good old basics
This is howAirbnb now wants to return to the fundamentals of its business model. Of course, the company will not be banning the rental of entire flats. But it is now placing greater emphasis on room rental.
Airbnb promotes savings by renting a private room rather than a flat. Inflation and a shortage of accommodation have contributed to the rise in prices in many cities. According to the company, more than 80 % private rooms are available for less than 100 dollars a night. Le average rate is 67 dollars a night. He adds that staying with a local is a great way to meet new people.
The airbnb Rooms concept also adds new details when booking a room in a home. Each Airbnb room has a Guest passportwhich helps users of the platform to get to know their host before booking their stay.
Better identification of the host and the place of stay
Exclusive to Airbnb Rooms, by pressing the Guest passportIn this way, the Airbnb guest is shown a larger photo and details that the hosts have shared about them, including where they went to school, what they do at work, fun facts about them, and much more.
Airbnb rooms are easy to discover, with a new Airbnb Rooms category featuring a total of 1 million private rooms. The listings include access to shared spaces, such as the kitchen, living room or backyard.
Type of location" filters The "space rented" feature makes it easier to identify the space rented and its access within the house. Users can activate this feature in their search, which also displays the average price for each type of space.
There is also a "confidentiality. It will tell you whether the room has its own lock, whether or not there is a separate bathroom, and whether there are any other rented rooms in the flat.
More functions
More than 50 new functions and updates are also being launched to simplify and improve the Airbnb offering.
- Total price display. Customers can see the total price with fees, before taxes, throughout the application, including in search results, the price filter, maps and ad pages.
- Transparent payment instructions. Customers can now view payment instructions on the listing page before booking, and will receive a reminder before checking out.
- Assessment process. Hosts may notify Airbnb of any excessive cleaning or tidying requirements prior to departure. Listings that are repeatedly rated poorly due to unreasonable chores will be removed from Airbnb.
- Improved maps. Used by more than 80 % hosts, the tracking maps have been updated and are now more powerful. Pins persist when zooming and panning, and searches produce more results.
- Simpler, more affordable monthly breaks. For longer stays, Airbnb significantly reduces the service fee after the third month. Customers in the US can also save for stays longer than a month when paying with their linked bank account. When searching, the new 'Month' tab features a brand new interface that makes it easy to select a period from 1 to 12 months.
- Priority customer service when travelling. A dedicated assistance team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be reached with priority access during the journey. With the aim of answering 90 % of calls in English in two minutes or less.
Will instalment payments soon be the norm throughout the world?
- Payment on credit. Thanks to a partnership with Klarna, travellers in the United States and Canada can request to pay for their stays in four interest-free instalments over six weeks. For bookings over 500 dollars, customers can ask to pay monthly (USA only). Other countries will benefit from this service over the course of the year.
- Instant credit for a new reservation. If a flat renter cancels their stay within 30 days of arrival, most guests will receive an instant credit that they can use immediately for another rental.
