Airbnb Just Rolled Out Major Changes for Hosts and Guests, Plus New Tools for Groups Travelers: 'It's Going to Be a Big Win'

The nuances of group recreation tin beryllium rather a hassle, and according to Tara Bunch, caput of world operations astatine Airbnb, it's besides been a monolithic symptom constituent for Airbnb users and hosts.

"The immense mostly of our recreation is group travel," Bunch told Entrepreneur, noting that complete 80% of each Airbnb bookings are for group travel. "In each motorboat that we spell through, we walk a batch of clip looking astatine customer feedback and big feedback."

Related: Airbnb Goes Viral For 'Insane' and 'Excessive' List of Rules

On Wednesday, Airbnb revealed changes to group recreation arsenic a portion of its Summer 2024 event successful Los Angeles, and really immoderate seemingly mini tweaks are group to beryllium crippled changers for some customers and nan group who willingly big them.

Trip invitations

If you've ever stayed successful an Airbnb, you're astir apt acquainted pinch nan load that falls connected nan constituent personification who books nan trip. Historically, they've been nan only personification who has each of nan accusation astir nan stay, including check-in and check-out instructions, Wi-Fi passwords, and immoderate different wide information.

Now, users who book an Airbnb enactment tin induce different guests to subordinate nan travel and summation entree to each of nan preservation details, including nan reside of nan enactment erstwhile booked. This way, nan big will beryllium capable to spot each of nan guests that are coming, too.

"I'm a host, and I for illustration knowing who's coming," Bunch said. "That's a immense thief to nan big to cognize really galore group are coming and to beryllium capable to benignant of spot who these folks are and what they're willing successful aliases what questions they person up of time."

Guests tin besides only judge a travel invitation if they person an Airbnb account, which will promote travelers not yet registered connected nan level to create an relationship and thief boost personification maturation for Airbnb.

"I deliberation it's conscionable a win-win crossed nan committee for guests, for hosts, for us," Bunch said.

Shared wishlists

As a portion of creating a shared group for a trip, guests will beryllium capable to create a shared wishlist for imaginable Airbnb spots.

Before nan caller update, guests would person to nonstop astir links to Airbnb listings and create their wishlists of imaginable properties to book.

via Airbnb

Now, nan wishlist characteristic will beryllium interactive, pinch anyone invited connected nan travel having nan expertise to adhd a spot that they want to propose to a shared database for each different attendees to see.

Guests will beryllium capable to upvote aliases downvote their favourite aliases slightest favourite properties and adhd comments underneath imaginable properties, sparking conversations and adding to making nan readying a collaborative effort.

"It opens up nan expertise for group to person a overmuch much interactive travel that's much fun," Bunch said. "The thought of voting up a spot is fun, it's gamified a small spot and it gets group engaged."

Group messaging

One of nan biggest game-changers for hosts is nan caller group messaging feature.

Historically, only nan personification who made nan Airbnb preservation has had entree to nan big and has usually been nan personification who has had to section each of nan guests' questions successful a one-on-one interaction business pinch nan host.

via Airbnb

Now, each users added to nan travel will beryllium capable to pass pinch nan big successful a group chat setting, down to nan expertise to respond to different messages arsenic 1 does connected iMessage.

"Now that we person group messaging, nan big will beryllium capable to spot who all's coming and it gives nan big a small spot much accusation astir nan group," Bunch said. "If they person possibly circumstantial questions aliases needs, you're gonna get much of that benignant of relationship earlier they get there."

Members will besides person nan expertise to shut up nan chat if they do not want to beryllium disturbed, but Bunch says nan features will actively springiness travelers "the advantage of expanding nan connection pinch nan host" and vice versa.

Another characteristic of nan group connection will see respective automated AI responses from nan big to travelers for often asked questions, specified arsenic instructions astir nan Wi-Fi aliases nan doorway code.

via Airbnb

Instead of having to respond to each individual inquisition aliases request, elemental questions will beryllium answered connected nan messaging level without hosts having to type a response.

"It's going to thief you respond quickly and beryllium much productive, it's going to beryllium a large triumph for hosts," Bunch said.

What's Next for Airbnb?

Though this week's rollouts should thief hosts erstwhile it comes to group travel, Bunch says that nan level still has strides to make erstwhile it comes to making it a genuinely host-friendly spot to be.

"There's a batch of attraction astir perfecting nan halfway work — nan product, nan app, messaging," Bunch explains. "We want to make hosting mainstream and springiness hosts devices truthful that they consciousness much assured and are much consenting to host."

Related: Airbnb Launches Series of Money-Saving, Privacy Upgrades

Bunch besides says that world description is simply a semipermanent extremity for Airbnb, pinch hopes of tapping into markets wherever hosting whitethorn beryllium much of a overseas concept.

"Building marque consciousness successful immoderate markets that possibly didn't person arsenic overmuch consciousness is simply a large attraction we person connected increasing internationally," Bunch says. "Markets wherever possibly group haven't thought astir hosting, but erstwhile they benignant of spot that it's easy, helping them find a co-host and giving them tools, giving them nan financial dashboards, each nan worldly we're moving connected successful nan inheritance to conscionable make hosting easier and little scary. That's a large attraction area."