Airbnb Responds To Suggestions To Lower Prices, Cleaning Fees & More
A survey by the platform gathered feedback from over 3,000 users on improvements they want to see.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky asked the community what improvements they want to see on the app on 3 May
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, asked the community for feedback on improvements to the platform.
Image via Airbnb (Provided to SAYS)
Based on almost 3,300 responses, these were the top suggestions from users:
- Lower cleaning fees
- Better search and filters
- Verified listings
- Better customer service
- Guest loyalty programmes
- Total price with taxes
- Better review system
- Lower prices overall
Now, the San Francisco-based company is addressing five of the top suggestions:
1. Lower prices and lower cleaning fees
Over the past year, Airbnb has introduced new pricing tools for Hosts and made pricing more transparent for guests. The tech company claims almost 680,000 Hosts have used their new tool, which compares their prices with similar listings nearby. Meanwhile, almost two thirds of Hosts offer weekly or monthly discounts.
Image via Airbnb (Provided to SAYS)
Airbnb adds that the average nightly price of a one-bedroom listing on their platform is 1% lower than it was in July 2022, while hotel prices have increased by 10%.
They also state that over 260,000 listings have either lowered or removed their cleaning fees, while 3 million listings do not charge for cleaning.
2. Improvements to search and filters
Image via Airbnb (Provided to SAYS)
Addressing feedback about their search capabilities, Airbnb has announced that if search results are limited, the app will automatically display a carousel at the bottom. This will allow guests to see more homes over similar dates.
Additionally, the platform has added two new search filters: pet-friendly homes and king-size beds.
Image via Airbnb (Provided to SAYS)
3. Verified listings
There have been many issues of users booking fake listings through the app. To counter this, Airbnb has announced that it will begin verifying every listing in the US, Canada, Australia, UK, and France, starting later this year.
They hope to then begin verifying listings in 30 more countries by the end of 2024.
This year, the platform has blocked 157,000 fake listings and removed 59,000.
4. Customer service improvements
In response to suggestions of improving customer service, Airbnb states they answered 94% of calls in English within two minutes during the summer months, and are extending their two-minute response time to nine more languages.
Starting in November, Airbnb will be adding more improvements that better match agents to guests in order to resolve specific issues faster.
As for the other suggestions from users, Airbnb states they are working towards solutions, which will be shared in due time
Check out more tech news here:
Got cool news to share?
Image via SAYS
Read the latest brand buzz here:
Leave a comment