Airbnb Winter Release 2024 Revealed: Essential Updates for Hosts

For Airbnb hosts, keeping up with the latest updates and features from Airbnb can simplify your work and enhance your profitability. Take the Guest Favorites Badge from the Airbnb Winter Release 2023, for example. Recognizing the significance of this new badge can help you determine how to attract more guests effectively.

In the Airbnb Winter Release 2024, several revolutionary products have been introduced. These include the new Co-Host Marketplace, intelligent search improvements, and extra benefits. Let’s explore how these additions will influence your hosting journey.

Core Updates of Airbnb Winter Release 2024

1. New Co-Host Market

Whether you’re a seasoned host overseeing numerous listings or a newcomer to Airbnb, having additional support can be invaluable. According to Airbnb, 40% of surveyed hosts express the desire for more assistance to accommodate more guests, enhance guest services, or expand their business.

In Airbnb Winter Release 2024, the platform has simplified the co-hosting process, enabling hosts to discover and manage co-hosts on the platform efficiently. Through the Airbnb app, hosts can now seamlessly search for local co-hosts and choose partners who align with their needs.

How Does Airbnb Ensure the Quality of Co-Hosts?

Airbnb upholds rigorous verification standards for co-hosts, guaranteeing that only individuals with significant successful experiences are listed.

Co-hosts must meet the following criteria:

• Hosted 10 or more stays
• Maintained a response rate of 90% or higher
• Cancellation rate below 3%
• Average rating of 4.86
• Nearly 75% of co-hosts are Superhosts
• Almost 85% of co-hosts assist in managing guest favorites

What can Airbnb cohosts help you with?

Cohosts can help you with various tasks, from setting up listings to handling bookings and interacting with guests. Leveraging their extensive experience, they can accomplish these responsibilities more efficiently and to a higher standard.

This includes:

• Setting up listings
• Maintaining prices and availability
• Managing booking requests
• Guest reviews
• On-site reception support
• Cleaning and maintenance
• Licensing and hosting permits
• Additional services such as landscaping, business analysis, and operational guidance.

How to join the Airbnb cohost Network?

We have previously written an article specifically on “How to become an Airbnb Co-host,” which thoroughly discusses the essential skills and steps required.

If you are interested in pursuing this profession, you can now conveniently showcase yourself on Airbnb. You can join the Co-Host Network by filling out the application form.

To join, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Your Airbnb account identity must be verified.
• You should have an active listing as a host or cohost, with full access permissions or access to calendars and messages.
• In the past 12 months, you need to have hosted 10 or more stays, or hosted at least 3 stays totaling 100 nights.
• Your managed listings should maintain an average rating of 4.8 stars or above in the past 12 months.
• Your cancellation rate must be below 3%.
• You need to be located in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, or Spain. The Airbnb cohost Network is set to expand to more countries by 2025.

2. Messaging Upgrades

As a host, messaging is a crucial component of effective communication. Therefore, the Airbnb Winter Release 2024 has also upgraded its quick reply feature, which will help you save time and respond clearly to guests.

The new quick reply templates include answers to common questions, reply suggestions, details placeholders, reminders, and more.

These new messaging features from Airbnb are expected to roll out gradually in 2025, although Hostex has already supported them for a while now.

As a professional vacation rental management software, Hostex supports various automated messaging features and is effective across platforms such as Airbnb, Booking, Vrbo, Expedia, and other OTAs.

• Automatic replies: Hostex automatically identifies guests’ inquiries and provides predefined responses from hosts.
• Triggered messages: Hostex can automatically send reminder messages to guests at every key interaction point, such as booking and check-in, including check-in guides, check-out reminders, and review invitations.
• Template quick messages: Template messages facilitate quick responses. You can edit and send these templates while chatting with guests or set them for automatic messaging.
• Reply suggestions: Hostex features HostGPT, an AI assistant tailored for the vacation rental industry. HostGPT suggests replies upon receiving guest messages, which are visible only to you. You can review and edit these suggestions before sending them.
• Shortcodes: Hostex supports placeholder shortcodes that can automatically populate guest information, booking details, and property specifics when sending messages.
• Automatic translation: Hostex offers one-click translation. Simply click the button in the top right corner of your inbox to translate guest messages into your preferred language.

3. Pricing Tool for Hosts

Pricing poses a significant challenge for vacation rental hosts, the Airbnb Winter Release 2024 introduces a new pricing tool. It is aimed at helping hosts optimize prices based on current market trends and guest demand.

• Similar Listings Tool: By comparing a host’s property with others sharing similar features and locations, this tool provides pricing insights to hosts.
• Nightly Price Recommendations: Analyzing real-time data, this tool proposes optimal pricing suggestions for each night of the property, ensuring rates align with guest needs and local trends.

While Airbnb’s feature utilizes platform data to provide short-term adjustment suggestions, this may not always reflect broader market trends.

There are more mature solutions in the market to meet this demand, such as professional dynamic pricing software like Pricelabs. These tools assist hosts in making daily dynamic adjustments to prices for the next two years based on industry-wide data, maximizing hosts’ profits.

By integrating dynamic pricing software with property management systems like Hostex, hosts can apply these dynamic pricing strategies across all OTA platforms, not just limited to Airbnb.

4. Improvements in Listing Visibility

In Airbnb Winter Release 2024, personalized search has been enhanced to simplify the process for guests in locating their ideal accommodations.

This update also provides properties with Superhost and Guest Favorites badges greater visibility and opportunities to shine.

• Welcome Tour:
  • A step-by-step tour is available for first-time Airbnb users to assist in completing initial bookings.
  • Recommendations prioritize properties offering the best stay experience.

• Suggested Destinations:
  • Airbnb recommends destinations based on search and booking history.
  • Shortcuts are provided to access past searches and recently viewed listings.

• Search Tips:
  • Intelligent prompts help guests find last-minute deals, host discounts, and more during the search process.
  • For instance, Airbnb may suggest extending a 6-day trip by a day to access weekly discounts on premium listings.

• Recommended Filters:
  • Airbnb’s filters provide recommendations tailored to guests’ past bookings and current searches.

• Personalized Listing Highlights:
  • When guests view listings, Airbnb highlights details relevant to their search criteria.
  • For example, properties with features like a game room, pool, or backyard are emphasized for guests searching with children included in their criteria.

5. Airbnb Earnings Dashboard New Features

Understanding your income can help you run your rental business more successfully. In response to host feedback, Airbnb has added some practical new features to the earnings dashboard in Airbnb Winter Release 2024.

• Custom Reports:
  • Users can create custom reports for any property and date range.
  • Reports provide detailed information on total income, deductions, and net payments.
  • They can include payment methods, and performance statistics, and be downloaded or emailed in PDF format.

• Income Type Filters:
  • Users can filter income by type (stays, experiences, points, solutions) when viewing transactions.
  • Additional filters by date, property, and payment method are available.

• Income Cards:
  • Income cards are shown on the dashboard for pending payments.
  • They display payment methods, transaction amounts, and expected processing times, and offer an option to view more details.

• Interactive Income Charts:
  • Charts depict income for the past six months, the current month, and projected income for the next five months based on upcoming bookings.
  • They present performance statistics on total booked nights, average length of stay, and a summary of total income, deductions, and net payments since January 1 of the current year.

• Settings and Documentation:
  • Users can easily access payment methods, taxpayer information, tax documents, and earnings reports for any property and date range.
  • They can also make regular donations through Airbnb.org to aid individuals in crisis.

The updates introduced in Airbnb Winter Release 2024 bring innovations to the platform. They empower hosts with new tools and features.

These enhancements offer valuable guidance to hosts across different aspects of their work. They facilitate increased efficiency and lead to better business outcomes.