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

Airbnb today announced new features that will help users connect with fellow travelers while participating in the same activity. The company is also improving search by suggesting features you might miss because of your filters, and redesigned the map view to let you search for nearby points of interest like landmarks, attractions, and restaurants.

Earlier this year, Launched Airbnb ExperienceActivities 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 focus on increasing connections with fellow travelers. The company is now releasing a few features in that direction.

First, when you book an experience, you can see the names of other people on the same experience, where they’re from. Once the event is over, you can plan further through the app’s chat feature to exchange photos with those you met during the experience or send them a message request. Users will see the people they’ve met in a new Connections tab on their profile

Airbnb says it has thought carefully about privacy and the app gives you complete control over sharing information with others. When you book an experience, you’ll get a pop-up asking if you’d like to share your profile picture, name and where you’re from. If you dismiss it, the app defaults to “Don’t share” and others will only see the photos and initials you want to share.

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

During the company’s summer release in May, it teased these features with Target Increase interaction between users Which in turn leads to more bookings for both the property and the experience. However, it has to deal with the moderation issues faced by any chat-based social platform.

Search improvements and AI assistant expansion

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

The company said it has observed that people often change search parameters to view different properties and even book beyond their initial restrictions. With this new search experience, it’s actively showcasing some of those features

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 see how far they are from your rental property or a location you’re considering. This is probably another step 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 a AI-powered assistants for customer service in the US With this release, the bot is expanding to Mexico and Canada with support for English, Spanish and French.

The company says the assistant will now give more detailed answers based on your profile, history and saves. In addition, the app will now provide quick action cards to users within chats for tasks such as canceling or changing dates.