Airbnb Updates Mobile Apps To Give Hosts Tools For Listing And Managing Spaces From Their Phones

Peer-to-peer marketplace company Airbnb has released new versions of its mobile apps that will give users better tools for managing their listings on the go. The app also has taken a big step forward by enabling users to list their space directly from their smartphones.

The new versions of the Android and iOS apps are in part a response to increasing mobile adoption by Airbnb users, but also an acknowledgement that getting them on mobile apps speeds up the process. Hosts who use the company’s mobile apps tend to be more responsive than those who are only on the website, because DUH, the mobile phone is always with them. That means they are quicker to respond to prospective guests and more likely to confirm a booking.

Airbnb mobile engineering lead Andrew Vilcsak said that hosts using the mobile apps respond three times faster than those who are only on the website. And so, bookings happen potentially eight times faster from the apps. With that in mind, Airbnb wanted to make its apps even more useful and powerful, with more tools for managing their listings on the go.

With the latest update to the Airbnb iOS and Android apps, the company now lets hosts list their spaces directly from within the app. For first-time hosts, it will even provide them with a guide for how to do so.

The app was built to massively simplify the process of listing a space. For instance, it has location verification to ensure that the space you’re listing is where you say it is, as well as instant phone verification. To list a space, users must also upload photos, which is easy because they can upload them directly from their phones.

In addition to making it easier to list a space, hosts now have more tools for managing their listings as well. The app has an updated calendar feature that will allow hosts to show when their spaces are available. They can also fully update and manage their listings, including photos, descriptions, and what not.

Source: TechCrunch http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_Nca425g54o/