AirBnb changes search service to include host preferences
AirBnb host preferences will now be considered during the search process.
The site will take into account whether hosts prefer guests on weekends or weekdays, how much advance notice they want, how many guests they’d rather have and their preferred length of stay.
This ultimately changes search results, giving users results that are most convenient to both the guest and the host.
This significant change, which puts more value on hosts than ever before, was a necessary one in order to accelerate the availability of people willing to rent out their properties, which drives AirBnb’s business model.
“Conceptually, it took us awhile to convince ourselves this was the right idea,” Airbnb data scientist Bar Ifrach told Re/code.
Since changing the matching algorithm, the service has seen a 3.75 per cent improvement in booking conversion.
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