As we move into Summer 2022, change is in the air. AirBnb has just updated their platform for what they are calling their “biggest change in a decade”. This overhaul of their system places more flexibility in the hands of their users in the form of new ways to search, “a better way to stay longer”, and heightened levels of protection. Paired with unprecedented demand for short-term rentals and low available volume, there has never been a better time to get into the real estate and short-term rental industry. We will break down each change specifically and then discuss how these changes impact owners of short-term rental properties.
A New Way to Search Short-term Rentals
Part of this massive update includes new functionality and flexibility to search for vacation and short-term rentals. This new design and feature rich search function groups rental properties into categories such as rentals with amazing views, bed & breakfasts, and lakefront properties. While shipping containers are not a current category, this categorization will continue to evolve and it is very likely shipping container homes will end up as their own category as their machine learning algorithm continues to learn about the current and future rental landscape. One major category AirBnb is looking to promote is their design category. Homes that fall into this category will be the homes designed and/or created by iconic architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. Shipping container homes have great potential to be built out in a creative manner. If you are interested in creative options for your build, we can help guide you in the right direction to make sure you are making educated decisions that can increase the value and longevity of your container home.
Update June ’22: Airbnb now features containers as a category to search!!
A New Way to Stay Longer
As more and more folks adjust to the lifestyle of working remotely, some of those same folks are deciding to lean into the nomad lifestyle even more by “taking longer trips than ever before”. To continue the trend of increased flexibility, AirBnb is now offering “Split Stays”. This feature allows those long term travelers to split a trip between two different homes. The hope with this feature is to allow guests to “find an average of 40% more listings” when searching for longer stays to fit their time frame. Currently, guests have the option to search for two homes in one destination, or two homes in one category for “one seamless experience”. The platform will automatically offer the option of splitting their setup between two different homes in the area, for instance. This feature is augmented by matching you intelligently with homes using location, property type, and amenities as well as animated mapping to help you plan your transition between the two locations. A split stay is finalized by going through the same easy checkout process you find on a single AirBnb rental.
Aircover – The Most Comprehensive Protection in Travel
AirBnb has always provided valuable protection for their guests, but they have pushed this protection to a whole new level in 2022 with booking protection, check-in and get-what-you-booked guarantees, and a 24 hour safety line. If you are interested in how this affects owners specifically, you can learn more about AirCover protections here. These protections are designed to “ensure that everyone has the confidence to host and stay on Airbnb.”
Shipping Containers as Short-term Rentals
Demand for short term rentals has reached its highest growth rate since the start of the pandemic according to Jamie Lane, VP of Research, AirDNA. AirDNA is designed to help short term rental owners maximize their returns by analyzing market trends and creating realistic revenue models based on rentals in their area. Shipping container homes are excellent options for short term rentals because they are able to be turned around quickly and can get a customized build onto your property to start making money fast. Ready to ship models can ship in as little as 48 hours and our custom container home models average about 2 months total for lead time and build time. Imagine yourself cash flow positive two months from now. With the increase in demand and deeper flexibility in the AirBnb platform, there is no time like the present to get into the vacation and short-term rental space.
