March 2024: Airbnb Removes 100,000 Low-Quality Listings

In a major landmark decision, Airbnb has removed 100,000 listings from its platform sparking significant industry discussion making such decision the largest set of removals for low quality listings. This dramatic action, announced during the company's "Spring Product Update," is part of a broader initiative to enhance the safety, trustworthiness, quality and reliability of its offerings to help top listings stand and for the travelers to put their trust in Airbnb.

With over 1 million guests relying on Airbnb daily, the platform's commitment to aligning guest expectations with actual experiences has become a top priority. The delisting process targets listings that may have failed to meet Airbnb’s hosting quality system standards which evaluate factors like guest satisfaction, listing accuracy, and host responsiveness which all influence the experience for guests reviews and reliability. 

Airbnb has also expanded its listing verification processes to include new tools like photo and video authentication, ensuring transparency and authenticity. As part of its efforts, nearly 1.5 million listings are expected to complete this verification by the end of the month. The company’s updates to its "Guest Favorites" system, which now highlights to help top listings while marking underperforming ones further supports its focus on accountability.

This sweeping change is likely to reshape the short-term rental market pushing hosts to elevate their standards while providing guests with a more reliable booking experience building new tools to prevent these homes from being delisted on the Airbnb platform.

Competitors and property managers are watching closely, as these moves could influence broader industry practices. Airbnb’s decision reflects its commitment to setting a higher bar for quality ensuring the platform remains a trusted choice for travelers worldwide.

Why Has Airbnb Removed 100,000 Listings?

In March 2024, Airbnb made headlines with the decision to remove 100,000 listings from its online platform. This bold move was driven by a desire to elevate guest experiences and address critical issues such as unverified listings, regulatory non-compliance and inconsistent quality standards.

This massive removal marks the largest action of its kind by Airbnb accompanied by the assurance that Airbnb is actively developing new tools to prevent these delisted homes from reappearing on the platform. The move underscores the company's dedication to providing users with a more consistent and trustworthy experience.

The initiative stems from Airbnb's introduction of a hosting quality system last April, a comprehensive evaluation process that analyzes properties based on various factors, including subcategory ratings, host cancellations, listing accuracy, and communication quality and will prevent these homes from being relisted in the Airbnb platform. In the wake of this system's implementation, Airbnb has identified and subsequently removed 100,000 listings that consistently delivered a subpar guest experience.

The company cited customer feedback and the need to rebuild trust in its platform as key motivators saying "this is the largest set of removals we've ever made in terms of low quality properties that failed to deliver what the host promised on our platform prohibiting us to provide the best possible experience for guests during their stay".

Airbnb aims stay to help ensure they provide the best information of every listing meeting its updated standards on their platform for safety, cleanliness and legality by focusing on quality over quantity to ensure every guest has a great stay. Furthermore, this verification initiative, launched in September, focuses on providing badges to listings in the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. The company is set to introduce additional tools, including video and photo verification and will extend the listing security authentication  process to 30 additional countries in the fall.

How Does Airbnb Decide Which Listings To Remove?

As more than a million guests put their trust on the Airbnb platform, the company's removal process involves a thorough review of listings flagged for non-compliance or poor performance. Key factors include:

• Regulatory Compliance: Listings must adhere to local housing and short-term rental laws.

• Guest Reviews and Ratings: Properties with consistently poor reviews or unresolved complaints are closely scrutinized to provide high quality and reliability of listings.

• Verification Standards: Unverified hosts or properties with incomplete profiles are often targeted for removal to optimize the need to evaluate every listing.

The platform uses advanced algorithms and manual reviews to identify problematic listings, ensuring fair and accurate enforcement of its updated policies.

What New Tools Will Airbnb Introduce As Part of Its Verification Process Expansion?

To further enhance its platform, Airbnb launched an updated hosting quality system is rolling out new tools to strengthen its verification process. These include:

• Video and Photo Verification for Hosts and Guests: A mandatory step to ensure all users on the platform are genuine.

• Enhanced Property Inspections: Hosts may need to provide detailed photos and undergo virtual inspections to verify property quality to prove accuracy on their listings.

• AI-Driven Fraud Detection: Advanced technology will identify fraudulent listings and suspicious activities more effectively.

These tools aim to create a safer environment for users while boosting confidence in Airbnb’s offerings.

How Is Airbnb Updating Its "Guest Favorites" Identification System?

Airbnb is also revamping its “Guest Favorites” feature, which highlights top-rated listings based on guest feedback. This will introduce a new highlight to help top 25 percent of the listings based on ratings, reviews and reliability will soon have a unique highlight added to their page. Listings in the top 1 percent will receive a distinguished "trophy icon," while those in the bottom 10 percent of ranked listings will be clearly identified. Updates to the system include:

• Enhanced Metrics: Incorporating factors like cleanliness, host responsiveness, and location accuracy.

• Real-Time Updates: The rankings will now be updated more frequently to reflect recent guest experiences.

• Local Standouts: Highlighting listings that perform exceptionally well in specific cities or regions.

These improvements will help guests quickly find trusted, high-quality properties, aligning with Airbnb’s focus on delivering superior travel experiences to improve the user experience and sustain quality and reliability across the company's platform.

In A Nutshell 

When Airbnb launched the decision to remove 100,000 listings, it was quite a transformative step toward improving trust and quality on its online platform. By refining its processes, introducing robust tools, and enhancing guest-centric features, Airbnb is setting a new standard in the short-term rental market. This bold strategy not only strengthens its position but also serves as a model for sustainable growth in the industry.

About Us: KeyNest

In lieu of this bold news of Airbnb's maintaining only quality listings, it is vital for any hosts to sustain an efficient key management access to ensure your listing gets maintained in the Airbnb platform. That is why KeyNest, a leading smart key exchange service, is designed to simplify and secure the management of property access for hosts, property managers, and guests. With a network of thousands of partner locations worldwide, KeyNest ensures that keys are safely stored and easily accessible 24/7, providing a seamless solution for short-term rental hosts, including those on platforms like Airbnb.

Since its inception, KeyNest has revolutionized how property access is handled, eliminating the need for in-person handovers and providing an efficient alternative to traditional lockboxes or smart locks. Trusted by property managers across the globe, KeyNest's robust system ensures keys are always secure while maintaining accessibility.

KeyNest integrates seamlessly with popular booking platforms, enabling automated key handovers and instant notifications when keys are collected or returned. Whether managing one property or a portfolio of rentals, KeyNest is a reliable partner for managing access, saving time, and improving guest experiences.

By leveraging technology and a global network of locations, KeyNest continues to redefine property management, offering solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of the rental market.

Want to know more about KeyNest?

KeyNest offers you a convenient service for storing and exchanging your property keys. You can drop off a key at any of the 7,000+ locations in our network, so there’s one such Point located next to your property

Guests, cleaners or contractors can then collect the key securely from a KeyNest Point or KeyNest Locker  which is usually open 24/7. You'll be notified each time the key is picked up or returned, and you can even customize check-in and check-out times.

KeyNest has an ever-expanding global network of locations located just minutes from your property. To find out more you can contact us. 

Neil Beltran 2 December 2024