In May 2022, Airbnb introduced a new feature called Airbnb Categories. It allows guests to explore unique places to stay worldwide that they wouldn’t know exactly how to search for. The company called this new way to search for listings the biggest change to the Airbnb platform in a decade.
But what does this change in search algorithm mean for Airbnb hosts? Can you do anything to ensure your listing is included in the proper Airbnb category? In this article, we’ll talk about these categories and how you can make the most of them.
What Are Airbnb Categories?
Airbnb Categories group unique vacation rentals in over 100,000 towns across 220 countries into curated collections. Currently, there are over 60 categories of homes based on their style, location, nearby travel activities, or other factors. They help hosts better present their rental spaces, including everything from budget-friendly rooms, campers, and tiny homes to luxury mansions and castles.
Searching by categories, travelers can browse millions of homes they never knew existed to find a stay that is right for them. Guests can discover unique stays in places they wouldn’t have otherwise searched, which benefits hosts with listings outside top tourist destinations.
Besides, your listing can appear in multiple categories and attract the attention of different types of travelers, increasing your chances of getting more bookings and turning your side hustle into a successful business. And using tools like Hospitable to automate your routine tasks can make your business more efficient and save a lot of time.
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Airbnb categorizes listings into clusters based on a specific theme, including the following:
A notable location or a point of interest (POI)—National Parks, Islands, Desert, Tropical, Countryside, Lake, Arctic, Coastal, Beach, Top of the World, Iconic Cities
Specific activity—Camping, Golfing, Skiing, Surfing, Play
Home-related categories—Barns, Trulli, Towers, Hanoks, Shepherd’s Huts, Earth Homes, Windmills, Yurts, A-frames, Historical Homes, Caves, Treehouses, Cabins, Mansions, Castles, etc.
Particular home amenities—Creative Spaces, Grand Pianos, Chef’s Kitchen, Amazing Pools, Bed & Breakfasts
If guests want to stay in an Instagram-worthy property, they can browse the Design category, which includes 20,000 homes chosen for their iconic architecture and interiors. The Adapted category shows vacation rental homes with verified accessibility features, including step-free paths into the home, bathroom, and bedroom.
The OMG! category includes the most creative and unique vacation rentals on the site. These are the weirdest and most beautiful holiday rentals for adventurous travelers, such as a gothic-style hobbit hole, a UFO house, or a mushroom-shaped home.
The Airbnb Luxe includes handpicked high-end homes worldwide that passed strict evaluation across 300+ criteria to meet standards in both design and function. Each Luxe booking also provides 24/7 access to a dedicated trip designer.
The New category makes it easier for travelers to find recently added homes, and the Trending category shows highly rated listings. In May 2023, Airbnb launched a new category for room rentals with a curated selection of more than one million private rooms. Listings in the Airbnb Rooms category have a Host Passport to help users learn more about who they will be staying with.
A Hosts Passport gives you more ways to introduce yourself to guests and pulls details from your profile. It includes your profile photo and the info you’ve shared about yourself, such as your work, hobbies, languages, location, pet’s name, fun facts, and what makes staying at your place unique.
How Are Airbnb Listings Categorized?
Airbnb says that properties in each of Airbnb categories go through a curation process. Millions of active listings are evaluated using machine learning to analyze titles, property descriptions, photo captions, guest reviews, and other data. We can assume that Airbnb has created models to determine what words, photos, amenities, and other items are needed to be combined to qualify for each category.
Airbnb also says that platform curation team members review listings and select featured photos. Then each category goes through a final review to ensure consistency and photo quality.
How to Get Your Property Listed into Airbnb Categories
According to Airbnb, listings continue to be ranked based on different factors, such as quality of service, popularity, price, photo quality, and proximity in the case of location searches. That’s why it’s essential to make sure that the information in your listing is up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive.
Although you may not be able to choose your categories, you should try to influence in which categories your property will be shown. Think about the categories you want your rental to be listed and use the right words associated with that category in your Airbnb name and property description.
For example, if you want to qualify for the Tiny Homes category, using the phrase “tiny home” in the title and description is better.
Airbnb also recommends that you should add great photos that represent the category and have the potential to inspire travelers. Then your listing is more likely to appear higher in search results. It’s also important to highlight features that make your rental space unique, for example, its interior design, amenities, or historical significance.
Focus on providing your guests with a great experience during their stay. Create a welcoming atmosphere at your home and ensure that your communication with guests is professional and timely. Then you’re more likely to get excellent reviews.
Being available to your guests 24/7 can be challenging, but you can automate your conversations with guests using vacation rental software like Hospitable. Our tool has ChatGPT integration that can help you reply to your guests’ messages quickly and effectively.
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How to Find Out In Which Airbnb Category Your Listing Shows Up
Although Airbnb uses innovative technology that can quickly process vast amounts of data to categorize listings efficiently and uses humans to check that everything is correct, occasionally, mistakes can occur. Some listings may be incorrectly categorized or omitted from relevant categories. That’s why hosts need to check their listing categories and contact Airbnb if they believe their listings are assigned the wrong categories.
You can check the category your listing is in from your hosting account. Select the listing you want to check and scroll to the Categories section. If one or more applies, the category’s name is noted there. You can also tap or click View to see that category’s description.
Final Thought
Airbnb categories help travelers find unique accommodations and inspire them to frequently explore and dream about new destinations. This way, Airbnb encourages users to travel to new locations beyond the same popular tourist destinations.
You, as a host, should take advantage of this exciting feature. Check your listing categories and make any necessary changes to showcase your rental in the best light and ensure it is correctly categorized.
