Airbnb is helping hosts pivot to longer local stay bookings as the market for shorter stays has dissipated. The company introduced a new alert and onboarding process to help hosts open up their listings to long term guests during the coronavirus crisis. It is also giving more visibility to local listings in search results by putting local stays “front and center” on the company’s landing page.

Airbnb has already seen a trend toward longer-term stays – these are reservations of 28 days or longer. In the last two weeks, the company indicated that the number of guests booking long-term stays within the same cities nearly doubled. 

According to Airbnb, long-term stay bookings increased by 20% compared to last year. About 80% of Airbnb hosts now accept long-term stays and half of its active listings provide discounts for stays of one month or more. 

airbnb offers local stays

Guests are booking local stays for a variety of reasons that range from “seniors needing safe accommodations to shelter in, or families needing the space to support educating kids while working from home, to medical providers needing places to stay near the front lines, or college students needing housing after their schools have closed.” Airbnb noted that guests are booking accommodation in their own communities for all lengths of stay due to the need for extra space for their families or a quiet place to work. 

Airbnb has dismissed published reports that its host supply has declined because short term rentals have started to move to the traditional rental market. The company said that the number of listings on its platform is the same as prior to the pandemic. 

Airbnb hosts are adapting their businesses to current lodging demands to help them weather this crisis since it is still uncertain when travel and life would become normal again.

photo credit: airbnb

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