The company said nearly half of the nights booked on Airbnb in the last three months were for trips of a week or longer. Chesky suggested the new Split Stays feature, which allows customers to book back-to-back stays at multiple home in the same area, is intended to meet this shift in demand.
With this option, which will automatically appear in search results, Airbnb users will typically see around 40% more listings when hunting for longer stays, the company says. Airbnb's new way to search, dubbed Airbnb Categories, lets users look for places to stay using 56 categories based on a home's style -- including options for tiny homes and yurts -- as well as location and proximity to a travel activity. Chesky said this new way to search comes after people have become"more flexible about where they live and work," a trend that Airbnb has also embraced by allowing its employees to"live and work anywhere.
The company also announced bolstered travel protections for guests, which will be included for free with every booking. Dubbed AirCover, the protections offer users similar accommodations or refunds if their booking was canceled, if they can't check into a home, or if the listing wasn't as advertised. Moreover, the company said customers will get access to a 24-hour safety line if they ever feel unsafe during their stay.
Wednesday's updates come after the company previously announced"strict anti-party measures" ahead of the summer holidays, marking its latest attempt to crack down on people seeking to use its platform to host unauthorized ragers. Chesky first announced the company's ban on"party houses" in 2019, after five people were shot and killed at a Halloween party at an Airbnb rental house in Orinda, California.