travel - the experience
Airbnb recently announced the 2023 Summer Release where they’ve introduced over 50 new features and upgrades and added an entirely new element of experience to the platform. “Airbnb’s original tagline was ‘Travel like a human.’ - the human part was always more important than the travel part.” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky shared in a video introduction of Airbnb Rooms, a new category with exclusive private room listings that feature a tap-to-access Host profile photo bubble, the Host Passport. The latest release comes just six months after the 2022 Winter Release, containing the most extensive set of updates ever and presenting the major feature announcement.
As the third most popular category booked globally last year, private room stays cost guests an average of $67/night, including tax and fees. Looking through the travel app, you’re likely to find a place that includes spectacular views with a Host who speaks multiple different languages. The new category of Airbnb Rooms adds another dimension to the experience with Host Passports, offering guests a view of the Hosts behind the unique and creative spaces available for booking. The selection of private room listings may include an older home remodel with hand-crafted finishing touches and a Host who works as an artist or a flight attendant who makes homemade chilaquiles.
Airbnb began as a way to stay in a room in someone else’s home when founded in 2008. “The most memorable part of traveling are the other people you’re with. Meeting someone new, walking in their shoes, and seeing a city through their eyes.” continues Mr. Chesky in the introduction. The global platform lists over a million private bedrooms with Hosts welcoming guests to connect with their communities in nearly all types of homes around the world. The addition of the category with Host Passports helps travelers experience the culture of the community when staying with a local who lives there.
The company sets the example in user experience with a design-driven approach and the complex understanding that design isn’t simply how something looks, but how it fundamentally works. Included with the release was a resolution to a concern regarding checkout duties with the introduction of transparent checkout instructions along with 50+ other updates and new features. The platform has handled the booking transaction, financial transactions, customer service, insurance, and protections for 1.4 billion guest arrivals worldwide while connecting people and communities with authentic experiences.
