Dive Brief:
- Airbnb completely overhauled its app to support a new browsing experience and the ability to book services, the company announced Tuesday.
- Airbnb Services lets customers reserve services from 10 categories, such as chefs, photographers and personal trainers. Airbnb Experiences lets travelers book local activities such as horseback rides, gallery tours or shopping excursions.
- The entire Airbnb app was redesigned from the ground up to support the new options, according to the company. The homepage tab is now dedicated to exploring popular destinations and experiences, while a revamped messaging platform includes integrated payments options for services.
Dive Insight:
Airbnb’s update is aimed at creating greater parity with the hotel experience.
“People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,” Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, said in a prepared statement. “Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds — amazing homes with services that make them even more special.”
Customers start by booking a place to stay, at which point the app suggests services and experiences that compliment the trip, according to Airbnb.
Upon customers’ arrival, the app produces an itinerary with check-in details and a list of every experience and service booked. Airbnb will then continue adding recommendations for nearby experiences throughout the trip.
Airbnb Services launched in 260 cities around the world, while Airbnb Experiences is available in 650 cities. Airbnb vets vendors for both options, and listings include their qualifications and price.
“Today’s travel activities offer no real connection to the city you’re visiting,” Chesky said. “The most authentic way to explore a city is with the locals who know it best.”
Airbnb is also testing updates to the host experience, which are currently in early access. Changes include a simplified listing tool called Airbnb Setup, a new reservation management tab, and a redesigned calendar that includes real-time integration with Google Calendar.
Both traveler and host changes are built on a new tech stack that Airbnb expects to help enable further changes in the coming years.
The app isn’t the only place where Airbnb is updating customer experience through technology.
The company began rolling out an AI customer service agent in April to handle more customer queries. The technology led to a 15% reduction in the number of customer service queries that require human intervention by early May, Chesky said on an earnings call earlier this month. The AI agent will be available to all U.S. customers by the end of the month.
Airbnb’s overarching goal is to let travellers book their entire trip through Airbnb while easily solving any customer service issues using AI, according to Chesky.
“We’re really focused on customer service and solving the most difficult problems for customers and working backwards towards travel inspiration,” Chesky said during the earnings call.
