EDITOR'S COMMENT
• This week's Winter Release by Airbnb is a clear attempt to appease hosts left frustrated by policies during the pandemic and address common pain points that they face, although it was met by a mixed response from some industry professionals.
Among the headlines was the introduction of Airbnb Setup [helping new hosts during the onboarding process and enabling them to have more say over the type of guest they host first] and the launch of guest identity verification and reservation screening technology, which is an extension of the AirCover protection package that Airbnb unveiled last year to stop unauthorised parties and disruption to neighbourhoods. The platform is also bringing in six new home categories to improve lodging search options for both guests and hosts.
Airbnb is making a concerted effort to be seen to alleviate collective host concerns, partly so that it can keep up with the shift in flexible living and working trends, but also because it believes it can tout more hosts onto its platform as more people seek out fresh revenue streams amid the cost of living crisis. It could be argued, however, that the Airbnb provisions do not go far enough when it comes to guiding new hosts on how to navigate local and ever-changing regulations as more locations around the world are restricting rental operations.
• Meanwhile, one of Airbnb's co-founders is making waves with a new venture of his own, which adds small homes to people's backyards. Joe Gebbia, who stepped back from his full-time role at the firm in July, has unveiled the inaugural product from his new project Samara - Backyard - which encourages homeowners to "think critically about the future of living".
Launching initially in California, Backyard is described as a "transformational, flexible dwelling, offering clean and timeless design and customisable floor plans and colours that complements one’s main home". Through its multi-use flexible layouts, it can change in purpose and evolve with consumers’ lives, helping those who are seeking to expand their family or those creating a new income stream through a rental space.
It is certainly an interesting concept that reflects a growing trend, whereby the traditional definition of a short-term rental is being expanded. Not only are lengths of stay becoming more flexible but so are our lodging choices and what hosts can rent out to earn revenue.
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