Airbnb now offers new safety feature for solo travellers

Airbnb has launched a new in-app safety product that helps to create a safer and more secure experience for solo travellers.

Airbnb ‘Solo Traveler in-app experience’

Vacation rental company, Airbnb recently introduced a new safety feature on their application which caters to the single traveller. Launched in June 2022, the new product offers a specialized in-app experience, by supplying the traveller with expert tips they may want to try to help them stay safe when traveling alone.

According to internal data from Airbnb, 26% of all bookings in 2021 and more than 50% of nights booked for long-term stays during the first quarter of 2022 were made by solo travellers.

How does it work?

The key component of the new feature, says Airbnb, is the ability for the solo traveler to easily share their reservation itinerary with the important and trusted people in their lives for added peace of mind and in the rare event of an emergency during a stay. The itinerary includes the listing address, reservation code, and the traveller’s check in and out dates.

“Once the reservation is confirmed in the message thread with the Host, the traveller will see automated prompts by Airbnb suggesting questions to ask the Host about the listing and surrounding neighborhood. These suggested questions stem from research with experienced solo travelers who provided detail on the types of local insights that helped them stay safe while on the road.” says Airbnb.

As per travel news, the new feature is only currently available in English-speaking countries, and only caters to solo travellers in private rooms or shared spaces. The company does plan to introduce the product to additional countries and in more languages in 2023, as well as expand it to include entire home listings too.

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