Airbnb is becoming more social by allowing users to connect with fellow travelers

Airbnb announced new features today that will help users connect with fellow travelers while participating in the same activity. The company is also improving search by suggesting properties that you might have missed due to your filters, and has redesigned the Maps view to let you search for points of interest such as nearby landmarks, attractions, and restaurants.

Earlier this year, Airbnb launched Experiences, activities like cooking classes and guided tours that travelers can book and enjoy with other travelers. At the time, the company hinted that the Airbnb app would lean toward fostering connections with fellow travelers. The company is now releasing a few features in that direction.

First, when you book an experience, you will be able to see the names of other people who are in the same experience, along with where they are from. Once the event is over, you can connect with others you met during the experience to exchange photos or make further plans through the app’s chat feature after sending them a message request. Users will also see people they met in a new Connections tab on their profile.

Airbnb said it has thought carefully about privacy, and the app gives you full control over sharing information with others. When you book an experience, you will get a pop-up asking if you want to share your profile picture, name, and where you are from. If you dismiss that, the app defaults to “don’t share,” and others will only see the picture and initials you choose to share.

The company added that you can always block and report other users if you feel uncomfortable, and the community team will review your report. Plus, you can always remove the connection even after accepting a request.

During the company’s summer release in May, it teased these features with the goal of increasing interaction between users that could result in more bookings for both properties and experiences. However, it will have to deal with the moderation issues that any chat-based social platform faces.

Improvements to search and AI assistant expansion

As part of its winter release, the company is introducing a new search experience to show properties just outside users’ search criteria. To do this, the company will show three kinds of new scrollable lists (called carousels) in the search results. The first one will show properties that might be just outside your chosen price range; the second will show properties that might not have some of the amenities, such as a pool, that you selected; and the third one will show properties in nearby locations that would fit your criteria.

The company said it observed that people often change search parameters to look at different properties and even book ones that are outside their initial constraints. With this new search experience, it is proactively showing some of those properties.

Airbnb is also improving its maps view, which will now show points of interest around you, including landmarks, attractions, and restaurants. You can tap on these places to see a description and how far they are from your rental property or the location you’re considering. This is possibly another move to encourage people to use Airbnb more, even when they are traveling.

The travel tech company said earlier this year that it was rolling out an AI-powered assistant for customer service in the U.S. With this release, the bot is expanding to Mexico and Canada with support for English, Spanish, and French.

The company said that the assistant will now provide more detailed answers based on your profile, history, and reservation. Plus, the app will now provide users with quick action cards within the chat for tasks like cancellations or date changes.