3 Ways Airbnb Hopes to Get People Traveling Again in 2022

After a long time of travel being prevented, people are keen to get back to exploring. And Airbnb wants to help, launching three new features.

The last two years have been difficult for travel enthusiasts. But now, many countries have rolled out COVID-19 vaccinations. Moreover, several nations have relaxed entry requirements and domestic restrictions alike.

As some people might not feel comfortable traveling again, Airbnb has undergone a major facelift to try and encourage you to get back out on the road.

What Has Airbnb Done?

As mentioned in a press release on the company’s website, Airbnb has rolled out “the biggest change… in a decade”. The travel booking giant has given users more options to fine-tune their searches, along with allowing people to stay in more than one place for a long-term trip.

Although many countries have returned to normal, we’ve seen that the situation can change quickly. To ease any concerns that travelers might have about being left in the dark, Airbnb has introduced its AirCover protection scheme.

Below, we’ll discuss Airbnb’s new features in more detail.

1. Split Stays

Attitudes toward travel have changed in recent years. More people have explored the concept of “slow travel”, where you stay in a specific place for an extended period before flying home or moving on. Meanwhile, an increase in remote and hybrid work has enabled employees and freelancers to relocate to a new town, city, or country with greater ease.

Airbnb noted that “nearly half of the nights booked on Airbnb were for trips of a week or more” in its press release. To satisfy this growing demand, the company has launched a Split Stays feature—which allows you to stay in more than one rental for a long-term trip.

To access Split Stays, you’ll need to search for a long-term trip on the Airbnb homepage. When you zoom in on the map, you’ll notice that some properties are eligible for Split Stays. You’ll see a black line between the two, and—when you click on the accommodation—the dates that you can stay in each rental.

If you think the rentals look interesting, you can click through and finalize the booking.

2. Categories

If you’ve ever tried to create a trip itinerary without someone else’s help, you’ll know that finding suitable accommodation is sometimes a little irritating. People like to travel in many different ways, and Airbnb has sought to tackle this issue by dividing trip types into different categories.

The new Categories feature expands on the flexible search functions. With the new categories function, you can fine-tune the type of accommodation you’re looking for.

If you’re feeling adventurous but don’t know where you want to go, for example, you can select the Iconic Cities tab. You’ll find several other categories, too, including:

• Chalets
• Amazing views
• National parks
• Arctic
• Surfing

When you’ve picked a category, you can alter your search results to fit your price range by selecting the Filters button. There, you can increase or decrease your budget.

If you already know where you want to visit, you can choose a particular category after searching for that town or city.

In addition to categorizing rental styles, Airbnb also enables you to search based on a particular region. If you expand the Where section, you’ll see a Search by region option on the right.

3. AirCover

As part of its summer updates, Airbnb has introduced AirCover to give guests more protection when they stay at rentals listed on its website. AirCover includes a booking protection guarantee, where the company will find you an alternative place to stay or refund you if the host books 30 days before your trip or earlier.

The company has also introduced a “Get-What-You-Booked-For” guarantee, which entitles you to a different place to stay or a refund if the advertisement listing wasn’t accurate or difficult-to-fix issues arise. However, you’ll have to tell Airbnb within three days of the problem occurring.

Also included in AirCover are:

• A Check-In Guarantee, where you’ll receive a refund or get alternative accommodation if you struggle to check in and the host can’t solve your problem.
• A 24-hour helpline for you to call if you feel unsafe at your accommodation, and which is available in 16 languages.

Are Airbnb’s New Features What You Need to Rekindle Your Wanderlust?

The world is opening up to travel again, and more people feel comfortable heading further afield than a year ago. The travel industry can expect a lot of pent-up demand over the upcoming months, and Airbnb has sought to attract more stays at its rentals over the remainder of this year and beyond.

Airbnb’s updates are extensive and provide a much-needed facelift, with plenty of new features to help you book the perfect vacation.