New ways for guests to discover your listing

Learn what the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade means for Hosts.
By Airbnb on May 11, 2022
4 min read
Updated May 11, 2022

Highlights

The most memorable trips often start with a simple desire to get away. To figure out where and when to go, travelers often seek ideas online as they try to come up with a perfect plan. So we’re introducing a whole new way for guests to explore Airbnb and discover great listings like yours.

The Airbnb 2022 Summer Release represents the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade. The all-new design showcases listings in 56 Airbnb Categories, making it easy for guests to find and book places they never knew existed, and an innovative feature called Split Stays, which allows guests to split a longer stay between two homes.

As a Host, you can benefit from these exciting features by making sure your listing has complete and current details, up-to-date availability, and high-quality photos.

More ways to be discovered

Airbnb’s redesign helps your listing—whether it’s a shared room, a private room, or an entire space—get discovered by a wider variety of guests earlier in their trip planning.

Guests can find your listing with:

  • Airbnb Categories. Every time guests open the app, they’re presented with great stays available in the near future that they can book immediately.
  • Split Stays. Search results for stays of seven nights or more now include the option for guests to split their trip between two spaces.
  • Greater flexibility. Guests can search for stays using open-ended dates and locations—using the features we rolled out last year—or they can narrow their results to meet specific needs.

How Airbnb Categories work

When guests open Airbnb, they’re presented with categories at the top that group listings into curated collections based on their unique style, location, or nearby activity. The categories showcase stays with features like amazing views or chef’s kitchens, proximity to a lake or a national park, or access to golfing or surfing.

When guests search for stays in a specific destination, they get results similar to before, in a category called All Homes. Now, they will also find additional categories based on that location, making it easy to discover incredible homes within, or just beyond, their search area.

Listings can also appear in multiple categories. If your lake house includes a chef’s kitchen, the listing can show up in the Lake Category and the Chef’s Kitchen Category — in addition to search results for your location.

One of the most special new categories is Design, a collection of over 20,000 homes chosen for their iconic architecture and aesthetically inspiring interiors. The Design Category includes homes from renowned architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Zaha Hadid properties, those that have been featured in design publications, and spaces offered by Hosts who’ve done an exceptional job of putting their own design principles into practice.

The all-new design showcases listings in 56 Airbnb Categories, including Design, Countryside, and Treehouse.

Here are just a few of the Airbnb Categories: Amazing Views, Beach, Camping, Chef’s Kitchens, Countryside, Creative Spaces, Golfing, Historical Homes, Iconic Cities, National Parks, Skiing, Surfing, Tropical, and Vineyards.

These categories are just the beginning of this new way to search, which allows guests to discover more places than ever before. Over time we'll introduce even more categories that showcase the unique features and special locations of your properties. We believe that categories are the future of search, and there is a category for every home and every Host on Airbnb.

Homes in each category go through a curation process. Millions of active listings on Airbnb are evaluated using machine learning to analyze titles, descriptions, photo captions, and guest reviews. So it’s important to make sure your listing info is up to date and complete.

How Split Stays work

Guests can browse—and book—all listings with as much flexibility as their circumstances allow. The Split Stays feature gives more Hosts the opportunity to be part of guests’ journey.

When guests search for a trip of a week or more, Split Stays automatically appear in search results. As they scroll down the All Homes Category, guests can find options to split their trip between two homes in the same destination.

The Split Stays feature adds 40% more listings to search results when guests search for stays of 14 nights or longer.*

In the past, if guests searched for a month-long trip but you only had availability for two weeks during that time, your home wouldn’t have shown up in search results. With Split Stays, your listing can be paired with another one to cover the guest’s entire trip.

Each Split Stay pairs two properties that match the location, property type, and amenities from the search. For example, if a family is searching for an entire home with accessibility features, such as a step-free entrance or doorways wider than 32 inches, Split Stays will pair two listings with these features.

When guests book a Split Stay, Hosts get separate booking requests. Your price and house rules apply for the number of nights booked, as with any other reservation.

What you can do to stand out

Airbnb’s new features showcase your home to more people in more places than ever before. Here are just a few ways you can do to make your listing stand out:

  1. Highlight what makes your place unique with high-quality photos. Descriptive pictures—whether taken by a pro or with your smartphone—can help your listing appeal to guests.
  2. Review the list of amenities and features—and check for anything new. Add or update everything your place offers, keeping in mind popular amenities guests want, so it ends up in the relevant categories.
  3. Take the wifi speed test. Reliable internet access can reassure guests that they’ll be able to work and communicate online as needed during their stay.
  4. Consider whether your listing is accessible to all travelers. Add photos and details of accessibility features, such as step-free entrances and wide doorways, that make it inviting to guests with diverse needs.

Updating your listing with all the details, big and small, can help your listing reach a wider range of guests. Your place might be just what they’re searching for.

*According to Airbnb internal test data as of 4/14/2022.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.

Highlights

Airbnb
May 11, 2022
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