Airbnb launches Airbnb Plus and Airbnb Host Academy in China
As the company’s fastest growing domestic market, Airbnb doubles down on delivering magical travel in China
SHANGHAI, China, 2018-Mar-30 — /Travel PR News/ — Today (March 29, 2018), Airbnb is announcing a series of initiatives that are designed to bring transformative benefits of local, personal and authentic travel to every type of traveler in China. Airbnb is launching Airbnb Plus in Shanghai, with more cities to follow this year. Airbnb is also deepening its commitment to the local host community with the launch of the newly established Airbnb Host Academy.
Just one month ago, the company unveiled a Roadmap that puts Airbnb on a path to more than 1 billion annual guests by 2028. The Roadmap introduces new products and services including four new property types, listing tiers, Airbnb Collections and new community recognition programs. These new initiatives will be available in China during the next few months, bringing upgraded travel and accommodation experiences to Chinese travelers.
Airbnb Plus Launches in China
To broaden the appeal of Airbnb to even more guests, and to recognize hosts who go above and beyond to provide outstanding hospitality, Airbnb introduced a new tier of homes, Airbnb Plus, which is intended for guests who are looking for beautiful homes, exceptional hosts and added peace of mind. Every qualified Airbnb Plus home has been inspected and verified in person against a 100+ point checklist covering cleanliness, comfort and design.
Today, Shanghai becomes one of the first 13 cities worldwide to launch Airbnb Plus. There are around 100 Airbnb Plus homes already available for booking in Shanghai for international and domestic travelers, with more Chinese cities to follow later this year. With the growing host community in China, Airbnb Plus recognizes hosts that work hard to surpass guest expectations. These hosts will benefit from top search placement, in-home services such as design consultation and expert photography, and premium support.
Our goal is to welcome more than 1 billion guests by 2028, and we cannot reach this goal without our Airbnb China community. The launch of Airbnb Plus in China recognizes hosts who always go above and beyond to provide exceptional hospitality to their guests.
Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer and China Chairman
Airbnb Host Academy Officially Established
Airbnb has an amazing host community in China, with close to 10,000 Superhosts. We want to grow and strengthen our investment in hosts, so they can deliver the best possible trip to every guest they welcome. Today, Airbnb officially launches the Airbnb Host Academy (AHA), an innovative program leveraging online and offline efforts to provide relevant educational content to hosts. To date, Airbnb has successfully held several offline sessions across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou, interacting face-to-face with hosts from different communities. Airbnb’s data shows that 99 percent of attendees of AHA feel the event helps them to become better hosts, while 95 percent of attendees would recommend AHA to their host friends.
The Airbnb Host Academy offers a number of educational opportunities including offline workshops, live chats through our official Airbnb Host Wechat account, and a series of inspirational and educational videos. Hosts will be able to access the right level of education for the various stages of their host journey. The Airbnb Host Academy’s offline programming also provides access and valuable networking opportunities to other hosts in the community.
Our community is Airbnb’s greatest asset. Many hosts in our community are providing outstanding hospitality and exceptional services every day, and they are inspirations to all of us. We want to give them an opportunity to share their experience and expertise with other hosts. We also want to create a platform where everyone can improve their listings and services so they can welcome more guests and unlock more economic opportunities.
Sean Pan, VP of Operations, Airbnb China
Airbnb Continues Its Fast Growth in China
As the company’s fastest growing domestic market, Airbnb continues to invest in the China travel market. Airbnb’s domestic listings in China have grown nearly 100 percent, and in the last year alone, there have been over 3.3 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings in China by local travelers.
Airbnb Experiences also continue to thrive in China. Since January 2017, there has been a 20x rise in the number of guests taking Experience each week. Now there are more than 300 Experiences across China, whereas there were only 10 Experiences a year ago. Recently, Airbnb launched Experiences in Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing and plans to bring Experiences to Beijing and Chengdu this Spring.
China is a critical part to Airbnb’s mission of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. By 2020, more Airbnb guests will come from China than any other country. We will continue to deepen our commitment with the goal of bringing authentic magical travel experience to Chinese travelers.
Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer and China Chairman
SOURCE: Airbnb, Inc.
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