Airbnb Taps Into AI

Airbnb’s summer release is usually a grand affair with tons of updates for guests and a few for hosts. This time, however, the company is introducing just a few updates for group booking along with a new category called “Icons,” which are experiences hosted by celebrated names in music, film, TV and sports. Group booking features, which are probably the only update that will reach all users, allow people to create shared wishlists, and there are trip invitations for the group with details of the property. Users can now invite friends or family to a wishlist through contacts on their phone or a link. Group members can add properties to a list, leave notes about a property, or vote on them to decide on the booking. After the primary member books the property, they have to invite people to travel with them again on the trip with a postcard. The invitation card also has details like address, check-in instructions, and Wi-Fi passwords. Airbnb is also introducing a new message tab where all travelers can chat with the host and react to messages. Hosts can use AI-powered suggestions to reply to questions, such as sending the guests the property’s checkout guide.