Exclusive Interview with Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder
Significant Growth in the Korean Market, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Levels
Three Key Updates Completed This Winter
‘Guest Preference’ Feature Attracting Attention
Over the past year, Airbnb has maintained its title as a ‘reasonable accommodation platform’, recording only a slight average increase of less than 1% in prices, despite inflation and soaring hotel accommodation costs. In Korea, the company showed higher performance than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 23% increase in results compared to the same period in 2019 for the third quarter of this year. It seems that their continuous efforts to identify and update any issues from both the host and guest perspectives have been helpful.
– Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer. / Airbnb
Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer expressed great interest in the Korean market during a video interview with Travel Plus, where he announced Airbnb’s upgrade news. Airbnb improves its services twice a year based on user feedback. This winter, they have also conducted three major upgrades. Along with co-founder Blecharczyk, we explored new features that Korean travelers can use effectively.
Q. As a co-founder of Airbnb, what is your assessment of the Korean market?
Korea is one of the fastest-growing markets. We want to actively cooperate with the Korean government’s goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists by 2027. Recently, I visited Seoul to attend an event where the K-pop group ENHYPEN served as a host, offering the DDP as an Airbnb accommodation. Moreover, the usage rate of Airbnb accommodations in suburban areas, not major cities known as major tourist attractions, has increased by about twice as much compared to 2019. In this way, Airbnb is making a lot of efforts to introduce the charm of every corner of Korea to many travelers worldwide and enable them to visit Korea.
Guest Preferred Accommodation Service. / Airbnb
Q. What is the most useful new feature in this winter’s update?
I would like to emphasize the newly established Guest Preference feature. Currently, you can find over 7 million accommodations worldwide on Airbnb. While having a variety of accommodation choices is attractive, there was a lot of feedback that it’s not easy to choose one. This service is newly introduced, so new users who use Airbnb for the first time can easily select accommodations.
Q. Can you explain the ‘Guest Preference’ feature?
The ‘Guest Preference’ feature is a tab that brings together 2 million accommodations that have received rave reviews based on over 5 billion Airbnb guest ratings, reviews, and reliability. The overall rating and places that score an average of 4.9 out of 5 in subcategories such as cleanliness, location, and reliability have been collected. In particular, regarding reliability, we have selected only accommodations with a problem occurrence rate of less than 1% due to unilateral cancellations by the host so that users can choose with confidence. About two-thirds of the ‘Guest Preferred Accommodations’ are ‘Superhost’ accommodations, recognized for outstanding hosting performance. The ‘Guest Preferred Accommodations’ list is updated in real-time based on reviews and ratings.
Q. Reviews and ratings are very important considerations when choosing an accommodation. It seems like there is feedback that it’s hard to find useful reviews.
There are over 371 million reviews left by Airbnb users so far. Reviews are the best way to gauge the quality of an accommodation, but the information displayed on the existing rating page was limited. We have added three new features so users can easily and effectively use the numerous reviews. First, you can now sort reviews by the latest or by rating. For ratings, a chart that displays the distribution of reviews from 1 to 5 points has been created so that users can easily grasp both positive and negative reviews. We also included more detailed information about the review writer, such as their place of residence or whether they travel with pets, in the review.
A page of an accommodation where a photo tour is possible. / Airbnb
Q. Are there any updates useful for hosts who operate Airbnb, not just for guests?
Among the features many hosts are unaware of is the ‘Photo Tour.’ It’s a feature that allows hosts to introduce photos by space, allowing guests to understand the structure of the accommodation. We’ve revamped it to make it easy for hosts to use. When a host uploads a photo, the Airbnb AI engine, which has completed learning for over 100 million images, recognizes it and automatically places it in up to 19 spaces in a few seconds. Hosts can modify the photo tour anytime and add amenities to each space. This helps guests understand the look of each area, such as the kitchen and living room and reduces the hassle for hosts who have to sort and upload many photos by space.
Also, the service fee is included in the accommodation fee, so hosts can more accurately understand the amount guests pay. You can also directly compare other accommodations and prices on the calendar, making it easier to understand local fee trends.
Q. Are there any services that are being prepared for introduction in the future?
We plan to introduce ‘Smart Door Lock Integration.’ Hosts can link their smart door lock to their Airbnb account to automatically generate a unique entrance door password for all bookings. Guests can check the password in the app before arriving at the accommodation. This service will be released through a preview program at accommodations in the U.S. and Canada in the second half of this year.
Q. There are many new accommodation platforms being created. Despite this, what do you think is the irreplaceable strength of Airbnb?
I am confident in three things. First, Airbnb is the only accommodation platform with over 7 million choices. And because the types of houses are diverse, it is ideal for group travelers, such as families who need a lot of space. Lastly is the local experience. The scenery that unfolds when you open your eyes in the morning differs between a tourist spot where hotels are gathered and a neighborhood where local people live. Korea, attracting many tourists with Hanok accommodations, is a representative example. The preference for traveling where you can experience the culture of the local people and live together is increasing, and I think Airbnb is the most suitable platform to realize this.
Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb. / Airbnb
Q. If you have any final words for Korean users.
Airbnb was selected as the No.1 in the ‘2023 Brand of the Year’ accommodation reservation platform sector, hosted by the Korea Consumer Forum. We will continue to hold various events in Korea to contribute to the convenience of Korean users and the achievement of the Korean government’s goal of attracting foreign tourists. Please pay a lot of attention to the upgrades every six months.
By. Kang Ye Shin
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