Airbnb finally announced something good for digital nomads
'More people are booking longer stays. And longer stays can be expensive', said CEO Brian Chesky
I have been living in Airbnbs for almost six months in 12 different apartments. All the money I would have spent on rent now goes to Airbnb hosts and the platform itself.
Despite this, I don't get any benefits. When choosing a new apartment, I am just a regular customer. However, many nomads like me are more than just regular customers. We spend much more per month than someone who is renting for a short trip. We do this every month, and while there are discounts for more extended stays like a week or a month, they are often not very significant.
This week, Airbnb made a series of announcements based on user feedback. Some of these announcements are useful for people like me, such as the new search filter for up to 12 months.
The most important announcement, however, is the fee reduction for those who rent for more than three months.
"More people are booking longer stays. And longer stays can be expensive," said Brian Chesky when announcing the news.
This indicates that digital nomadism and remote work may not be the movement that was imagined after the pandemic, but it is still something that is on the rise.
Brian also announced other positive measures for digital nomads:
US guests can pay by bank account to save on credit card fees.
Hosts can easily set monthly discounts and offer more flexible cancellation policies.
The possibility of paying in four interest-free installments (US and Canada) or monthly for stays above $500 (US only).
Unfortunately, some of these changes are only available in the US and Canada, but I hope they will eventually be available in other destinations. The announcements make me optimistic about this demand, of which I am a part.
In a future edition, No Direction Home will propose other measures that Airbnb can take to satisfy nomads and remote workers. But I'll stop here and open Airbnb to plan my next long-stay trips.
Do you also live on Airbnbs? Write in the comments.
If you want to know more about living in Airbnbs, write to me (you can reply directly to this email).
Have a great weekend.
