Airbnb is rolling out a new app redesign this summer that its CEO Brian Chesky calls
“the biggest change in a decade.” The exciting updates rolled out in the US on May 11th and will let users search for stays based on categories and plan trips that include more than one home.
The presentation feels like similarly to Apple’s product launches over the last 20 years, which you’d expect from a company collaborating with famed former Apple designer Jony Ive and his firm LoveFrom. “Overall, being able to tap into the expertise of one of the world’s most celebrated designers, Jony Ive, is an incredible opportunity for Airbnb,” said Airbnb spokesperson Liz DeBold Fusco. “We can’t share more on our work with him, but stay tuned.”
The Categories feature essentially serves as filters for stays that encompass certain elements, including camping, surfing, amazing views, bed and breakfasts, and countryside.
Airbnb Categories. Designed to help guests discover one-of-a-kind homes.
AirBnb Hosts offer millions of unique homes around the world. Airbnb Categories organize them into curated collections, with over 50 categories of homes chosen for their style, location, or nearby activities. Guests can now easily discover over 20,000 homes chosen for their iconic architecture and interiors, including masterpieces by architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
In addition to categories, Airbnb is also rolling out Split Stays. This option will let users split their time between multiple stays in the same area in case one stay isn’t available for the entire time of their trip. Airbnb says it will help you search for Split Stays by “intelligently pairing” two homes that come with a similar location, property, and amenities.
Split Stays. More people are taking longer trips than ever before. To give them even more options when planning AirBnb created Split Stays, an innovative new feature that splits a trip between two different homes—now guests can find an average of 40% more listings when searching for those longer stays.
When guests search for a longer stay in a single destination, AirBnb will offer the option of splitting their trip between two different homes in the area. Split Stays are also offered in 14 different categories, including Camping, National Parks, Surfing, and more, so guests can enjoy similar homes or activities in two places. For example, a guest browsing the National Parks Category might find a Split Stay suggesting a home near Zion and another by the Grand Canyon.
The company is also launching something called AirCover, a free protection plan that gives users access to a safety line, and also comes with some safeguards against scams. This includes a booking protection guarantee, check-in guarantee, and get-what-you-booked guarantee. If the stay you booked wasn’t what you expected, or if you’re unable to check into the stay, Airbnb says it will refund you or find you a “similar or better home.” This also applies to booking cancellations made by the host within 30 days of your planned check-in.
AirCover. Provides four protections for every guest on every stay:
Booking Protection Guarantee - In the unlikely event a Host needs to cancel a booking within 30 days of check-in, we’ll find guests a similar or better home, or we’ll refund them.
Check-In Guarantee - If a guest can’t check into their home and the Host cannot resolve the issue, we’ll find them a similar or better home for the length of their original stay, or we’ll refund them.
Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee - If at any time during a guest’s stay they find their listing isn't as advertised—for example, the refrigerator stops working and the Host can’t easily fix it, or it has fewer bedrooms than listed—guests will have three days to report it and we’ll find them a similar or better home, or we’ll refund them.
24-hour Safety Line - If a guest ever feels unsafe, they’ll get priority access to specially-trained safety agents, day or night.
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