Airbnb Unveils New Tools to Help Travelers Find the Best Listings Around the World

08.11.2023 - 15:08 / travelandleisure.com / Brian Chesky

Airbnb is looking to reengage its guests with all-new ratings and review systems, along with a brand-new collection of “most-loved” homes around the world. 

After a difficult year, including a dip in share prices due to fewer bookings in the second quarter of 2023, according to Reuters, and a near-total ban on short-term rentals in New York City, one of Airbnb’s largest domestic markets, the company is hoping to entice travelers with some revamped tools to help them find the best of the best listings, which includes the Guests Favorites collection. 

“We’re launching with 2 million guest favorites all around the world,” Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, shared about the Guest Favorites listings at an event in New York City, attended by Travel + Leisure. “Now, to put this in perspective, Hilton Hotels, one of the largest chains in the world, has about 1.1 million rooms worldwide.” 

Courtesy of Airbnb

These listings, Chesky explained, made the cut thanks to their high ratings and reviews, along with their host reliability. Each of the homes in the collection has an average rating of 4.9 stars or above, has reviews noting their ease of check-in, their cleanliness, the listing's accuracy, a superb location, high marks on host communication, and, importantly, good value. Guest Favorites, Airbnb explained in a statement, are simple to find as they now come with a special badge in the search results. 

«There's some incredible Airbnbs,» Chesky said. «We just needed to bring them to the surface.»

Beyond this collection, Airbnb is also revamping how its reviews are displayed in an effort to give potential guests even more detailed information. 

«The problem is this, [on] our current reviews page, there's too little information on the ratings page, and it's hard for guests to find reviews that are relevant for them,» Chesky said. «So, what we're going do is we're going make readings way more helpful and easier to read.» 

The redesigned ratings page will now include three new features: review sorting, which allows guests to sort reviews by recency or rating; ratings distribution, which showcases the distribution of 1 to 5-star ratings on an easy-to-read chart; and additional reviewer details, including where the previous guests are from, length of stay, and if they traveled with family, pets, or in a group.

Airbnb isn't leaving out hosts in its updates, either. With the rollout, Airbnb is adding the Listings tab, which is a set of new tools so hosts can more easily manage their listings and what details they share. Hosts can now add more details about amenities and sleeping arrangements, upload an AI-powered photo tour of their home, and can now connect their home's smart lock (if they have one) to their account to