As someone who travels quite regularly, I’ve stayed in my fair share of Airbnbs. And I have to say, I’m yet to have a negative experience using the accommodation booking service. Well, apart from that time my friend and I were sharing with a family and I accidentally tried to open a door with furniture piled against it because I thought it was our room, leading the matriarch of the family to believe I was some kind of burglar thug (please note: I’m a small female who looks about 12). But that’s a story for another time! That said, I’ve heard a few horror stories — including the couple who returned home from a night out in Melbourne to find a junkie asleep in their bed (but at least he was polite enough to take his shoes off).
The point is, while the service is great 90% of the time, there’s always that lingering fear that you’re going to be that person who ends up staying in a dud. That’s just the nature of a website where anyone can put their property up. That’s why it was music to my ears to hear that Airbnb has introduced personally vetted homes to their catalogue, as well as a bunch of other luxe new features. Read on to learn about the new offerings that are about to make your vacay experience even more personalised.
Airbnb Plus
Airbnb now has a selection of more than 2000 high-quality homes all over the world that have been personally inspected by their team. Not only have these been vetted to ensure there will be no hobo break-ins, Afar reports they have been awarded ‘plus’ status based on their superior bedding, interior style, fully equipped kitchens and bathrooms and other special perks. So, if you want to guarantee that your Airbnb looks just as lush IRL as in photos, just keep an eye out for the ‘plus’ label.
Perks for superguests
Afar reports that later this year, Airbnb will release a ‘Superguests’ feature. This will be a loyalty program where regular guests will be rewarded with perks like a fully stocked fridge, airport pickup and concierge service. While there are minimal details about this feature at present, it goes without saying that your guest rating (which only hosts can see) will play a role in determining your eligibility. Luckily for me, the ‘door barging incident’ Airbnb was booked on my friend’s account — so I’m still in with a good chance!
Search by collection
If Airbnb’s most liked homes of 2017 had you clamouring to stay in a cosy, A-frame cabin or treehouse, you’re in luck. They recently introduced a feature where you can search homes by categories and collections. In terms of categories, you can search by four different property types: vacation home, unique space, B&B and boutique. You can also now search with thousands of filters: Think ‘chef’s kitchen’ or ‘quiet neighbourhood.’ The ‘collections’ feature groups homes by the type of trip — say, family vacay a work trip (ie. fast wi-fi, plenty of coffee). According to Afar, nine different trip types will be introduced by the end of 2018.
Personalised AirBnb itineraries
If you just want to go on a trip without all the stress of organising everything, Airbnb can now take care of that, too! If you book one of their luxury homes, you can have a local expert curate a personal itinerary of experiences and excursions, free of charge.
Or, you could just hire the world’s first travel assistant to organise your trip and come on holidays with you!
