Airbnb upgrades app with automatic translations, verified Wi-Fi and more as international travel picks up
U.S. reopens its borders to foreign travelers.
The short-term rental platform is introducing a translation engine that will automatically translate reviews and listing descriptions in over 60 languages. The feature is set to launch before the end of the year.
“Translation Engine improves the quality of more than 99% of Airbnb listings,” the company said in a Tuesday news release. “Translation Engine uses millions of Airbnb data points to improve translations, so it will get even smarter over time as it learns from new content that’s submitted.”
Airbnb’s announcement comes one day after the U.S. dropped its travel ban, allowing vaccinated travelers from dozens of nations to enter. Data from Airbnb shows this change is already causing interest in U.S. travel to surge. During the week following Oct. 15, when the U.S. first announced that it would drop its travel ban on Monday, the number of nights booked by foreign guests in the U.S. jumped 44%.
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The translation engine is just one of more than 50 upgrades the short-term rental platform introduced on Tuesday, following a May announcement of more than 100 upgrades. Some of the new features aim to make finding the perfect vacation spot easier for travelers with disabilities and remote workers.
Here’s what else Airbnb users can expect to see on the app:
Accessibility Review
Through Airbnb’s Accessibility Review, employees ensure that hosts follow through on the accessible features they promise on their listings.
Hosts submit the photos of their accessibility features, such as step-free access or wide doorways that accommodate people who use wheelchairs, to Airbnb employees, who manually review and confirm their accuracy. Airbnb employees have confirmed 100,000 accessibility features in 25,000 homes to date, according to the company.
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More flexible searches
After introducing flexible searches earlier this year, which let guests search for stays within any six-month time period, Airbnb is expanding the date range to 12 months.
Guest have used the “I’m Flexible” feature more than 500 million times since it was introduced, according to Airbnb.
The app is also expanding to include four new categories of “unique stays” that guests can search for: off the grid, ski-in/ski-out, luxe and offbeat homes.
Verified Wi-Fi
The pandemic has given more workers the ability to do their job from anywhere, which means they rely on Wi-Fi more than ever. In a 7,500-person survey, Airbnb found one-third plan to live somewhere else while working remotely more often than before than pandemic.
Airbnb guests have used the Wi-Fi filter while searching for stays more than 288 million times, according to the company. Now, hosts can have their internet speed verified through the Airbnb app.
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Upgraded trips tab
The “trips tab” on Airbnb will soon include a countdown to arrival, check-in details, current and upcoming reservations and suggestions for personalized experiences. The update is set to launch before the new year.
New features for Airbnb hosts
Airbnb is also rolling out new features for users interested in hosting.
An expansion to its Ask a Superhost feature matches people interested in hosting with a Superhost who can offer advice and insights into the hosting experience. As of Tuesday, the feature has been expanded to over 30 languages in 196 countries.
Additionally, its new host protection feature, AirCover, offers hosts $1 million in damage protection, $1 million in liability coverage, income loss protection, pet damage protection and deep cleaning protection. AirCover is free for all new and existing hosts.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.