As the world begins to normalize after a pandemic year, Airbnb (ABNB) is trying to take the opportunity to convince users to take a spontaneous trip without keeping a specific destination in mind.
“We saw a paradigm shift in how people travel on Airbnb. It used to be that people knew where they were going. That’s why there is a search box [that asks] where are you going “Now, 40% of our guests who come to Airbnb have no location in mind or no date in mind,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told Yahoo Finance a day after Airbnb announced its first financial results as publicly known. company.
On Tuesday, Airbnb launched a ‘flexible search’, an open way to search for homes or apartments to stay in, showing that there is an interest in getting away – without much emphasis on location. Users book in shorter windows than ever before, according to Airbnb, many people say within 30 days of the trip.
“The reality is that they are in a house. They say, ‘I feel stuck. I’ll go anywhere within a radius of a few hundred miles. I want to go the next few months.’ We give more flexibility, ‘said Chesky.
This open search feature is ubiquitous on other travel sites including Booking.com (BKNG), Expedia (EXPE), Momondo and Skyscanner. While not a useful tool for business travelers, for example, it is a great tool for leisure travelers – especially those with flexible schedules who can work remotely, as many do in the pandemic.
“Fewer people travel for business. Fewer people have very fixed destinations and that means they are open-minded. We can show travelers and the question of where we have supply,” Chesky said. “It really helps to balance supply and demand. I also think I’m playing equal. I think it could benefit Airbnb.”
Airbnb as a public company reported better-than-expected revenue in the first quarter, although gross discussion was 31% lower year-on-year. With 4 million hosts on the platform, Chesky said the key growth area is to recruit more people to open their homes.
“A lot of people like to start housing at the beginning of a life change. As we see more flexibility, there are more empty homes that people leave behind. In 2019, 23% of our hosts were first guests. There are great opportunities for guests to to become hosts, ‘he said during the investor call on Thursday afternoon.
At the moment, Airbnb calls its experienced host’s top levels ‘super guests’. Before the pandemic, the company looked at a super-user model similar to a regular flying program. During the interview with Yahoo Finance, Chesky referred to a future product that will encourage users to stay discussed on the platform.
Melody Hahm is Yahoo Finance’s correspondent on the West Coast, which deals with entrepreneurship, technology and culture. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm and on LinkedIn.
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