EDITOR'S COMMENT
• Just a week after reporting its "strongest quarter ever"
and almost quadrupling its profits compared to the same period last year, Airbnb is aware of the need to remain relevant and accountable to its community as it announces 50+ upgrades to its platform, on top of the 103 that were revealed in May.
While May's updates primarily focused on enhancing flexibility, the guest experience and community support, as well as recruiting more hosts, Airbnb's latest feature additions go further with commitments to members of its community who may have been affected by property damage or discriminated against because of a disability, as well as those wanting a seamless booking experience and people considering becoming first-time hosts.
On one hand, CEO Brian Chesky wants to position Airbnb at the heart of a "travel revolution" where it can support guests with verified wifi, flexible booking options and improved translations to enable them to work from any home, and on the other, he wants to appeal to prospective new hosts that will increase Airbnb's supply and fend off competitors such as Vrbo, thus ensuring that profits can be maximised and sustained long into the "new normal".
You'll be able to hear more expert comment on the future of OTAs and where they go next in an upcoming webinar on Tuesday 30 November.
• Speaking of webinars, you can already sign up to our next no-cost RockSTRz webinar next Tuesday 23 November [4pm GMT] on
"Appealing to Gen Z / millennial travellers" - click here to register for this session.
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