Airbnb Experiences Launches New Social Features

Airbnb has recently announced new social features for Airbnb Experiences to help guests connect with others before, during, and after their experience. As winter travel searches rise, the company also unveils updates for guests and hosts ahead of the festive season, including:

• Smarter search and improved maps to help discover hidden gems
• A new way to pay with Reserve Now, Pay Later
• Expanded AI-powered customer support in more countries and languages
• More tools to help hosts manage their calendar and pricing

New social features for Airbnb Experiences

Airbnb Experiences are intended to be as much about the people as the activity. The firm is introducing new social features so guests can connect with others throughout their trip and beyond.

• Who’s going – A recent survey found that over 90 per cent of Indian respondents would like to know more about other guests before booking an experience. Now, before booking, guests will be shown who is already attending that experience and where they’re from.
• Direct messaging – Users can request to message guests they first met during an experience to stay in touch or plan future experiences, all within the app.
• Connections in profile – In the Connections section of the Airbnb Profile tab, users can see the people they’ve met on experiences, making it easy to reconnect.

Users can enjoy these features while controlling what is shared. For each experience, users can choose to share their profile, giving clear and simple control over who can message them and how they appear in other guests’ Connections.

Smarter search and more ways to pay

The updates aim to make it easier to discover great places to stay and pay in a way that suits users.

• Flexible carousels – When searching for a stay, more options outside the initial criteria are shown, including homes with similar prices, different amenities, or stays in nearby cities.
• Improved maps – Maps now allow filtering for nearby landmarks, attractions, restaurants, and more. Tapping a point of interest shows a summary and distance from the home or the booked location. Later this year, map views will include satellite, street, and transit, based on user preference.
• Reserve Now, Pay Later – With Reserve Now, Pay Later, guests can reserve an eligible stay and pay £0 upfront. The feature was launched in the US earlier this year and will be rolled out worldwide for domestic and international trips from next year.

Expanded AI-powered customer support

The AI assistant is being enhanced with smarter responses and broader coverage for guests and hosts.

• More languages, more countries – The assistant will be available in English, Spanish, and French for users in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
• Smarter answers – The assistant can recognise users, reservations, or listings to provide quicker, more tailored responses.
• Built-in actions – The assistant will enable actions within the chat, with interactive cards for common tasks such as cancelling a reservation or changing dates.

Upgrades for hosts

A suite of highly requested features will give hosts greater flexibility and insight.

• Dynamic cancellation policies – Hosts can set different cancellation policies for specific dates, such as holidays or off-peak seasons.
• Improved price tips – Price tips are available for dates up to a year in advance, with one-tap adoption.
• Updated earnings dashboard – From next year, hosts can view earnings trends year over year and compare seasonal performance in a new tab.