BANGKOK, 27 October 2025: Airbnb is introducing new social features to help travellers connect with other guests before, during and after their experience.
With searches for winter season travel on the rise, Airbnb is releasing improved features, including smarter search, enhanced maps, and a new way to pay with ‘Reserve Now, Pay Later’. Changes also include expanded AI-powered customer support across more countries and languages, as well as more tools to help hosts manage their calendars and pricing.
In a recent survey, more than seven in 10 respondents said they would like to know more about other guests before booking an experience, including where they’re from.
Direct messaging: Now, in the connections section of your Airbnb Profile tab, you can see the people you’ve met, making it easy to reconnect with them.
Flexible carousels: When searching for a stay, the Airbnb app shows more home options beyond the immediate search criteria. It will show homes with similar prices, different amenities or stays in nearby cities.
Improved maps: Maps filter to show nearby landmarks, attractions, and restaurants. By just tapping on any point of interest, it shows a summary and how far it is from the home searched or booked.
Reserve Now, Pay Later: With this option, guests can reserve an eligible stay and pay zero dollars upfront. Launched in the US earlier this year, it will be available worldwide starting next year for both domestic and international trips.
AI support assistant
More languages, more countries: The AI assistant will be available in English, Spanish and French, for users in the US, Mexico and Canada and worldwide in 2026.
Smarter answers: The assistant can recognise your reservation or your listing and provide quicker, more tailored responses.
Built-in actions: The assistant will offer to take actions right in the chat, with interactive responses for everyday tasks like cancelling a reservation or changing dates.
Upgrades for hosts
Airbnb is rolling out highly-requested features to give hosts more flexibility and insight.
Dynamic cancellation policies: It sets different cancellation policies for specific dates — like holidays or off-peak seasons.
Improved price tips: It shows price tips for dates up to a year in advance and applies all tips with a single tap.
Updated earnings dashboard: Starting next year, hosts can view earnings trends year-over-year and compare seasonal performance in a new tab.
(Source: Airbnb)
