Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky took to Twitter last night to announce the arrival of more than 50 upgrades and features to the popular accommodation platform.
These upgrades were prompted by a consumer survey conducted by the company across South Africa. The survey data revealed that 90% of users expressed the importance of flexible travel during and after the pandemic. The data also revealed that flexibility in working conditions has enabled the general populace to travel for longer periods of time, essentially living on Airbnb for months at a time.
In response to the findings of the survey data, Airbnb introduced AirCover with the aim of providing hosts more protection. This top-to-bottom home coverage is free to all hosts on the platform, and includes income loss protection and deep cleaning. Travellers with pets are often not keen customers for Airbnb hosts, as pets can cause damage to the property. To navigate this issue, AirCover also includes pet damage protection.
Aside from AirCover, the platform is also introducing Translation Engine; a feature with over 60 languages that will automatically detect the language inserted. Accessibility Review and Verified Wifi features act as a standardization process. Many listings often say that they meet accessibility requirements but tend to fall short. With these two new functions, hosts are required to submit proof of their accessibility features, which will be in turn verified by a team. Only with the team’s confirmation will the listing then reflect as having met these requirements.
For more on Airbnb’s upcoming features, check out their Winter Release.
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