San Francisco-based startup Airbnb launched, Tuesday, overhauled versions of mobile apps and tools that are focused on making life easier for its rental hosts. Hundreds of hosts flocked to the company's office lobby to to witness the rollout of the Android and iOS apps that practically makes hosting a click and book process even for people with very busy lifestyles.
"Host Home" is a redesigned app that will serve as dashboard where Airbnb's over 350,000 rental hosts can see incoming messages, manage bookings, schedule guests, update their calendar, and ask for photography. This tool will help make the process more efficient unlike before when listings should be completed over the Internet. According to the company, over a thousand new hosts sign up with them on a daily basis.
For those not familiar with the service, Airbnb allows enterprising homeowners (the company calls them "micro-entrepreneurs") to let travelers into their home and convert it into a fully-furnished rental. The service can be tapped in over 34,000 cities across the globe.
"Hosts define the Airbnb experience, but they are busy people who are always on the go. Our goal is to make hosting as easy as possible through incredible mobile experiences, world-class hospitality initiatives, and new ways for hosts to connect directly with each other," said Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky in a press statement.
At the event, Chesky informed the rental hosts that the company is doing everything so they can avoid problems with local authorities.
"There are laws for people and there are laws for business, but you are a new category, a third category -- people as business. As hosts, you are micro-entrepreneurs and there are no laws written for micro-entrepreneurs," explained Chesky.
Airbnb is also aiming to rolling out Hospitality Standards to make the experience for hosts and renters even better. This updates will be incorporated into the mobile tools to guide hosts for upcoming bookings.
The company also rolled out Host Groups, a product that helps connect hosts located within the same neighborhood or city. The community can also connect with other hosts from other corners of the globe to exchange ideas and share the best practices in hosting travelers. A beta version of this online community was launched in June and now has around 10,000 host-participants.
