Grab your crew and your phone, because planning a group getaway on Airbnb just got a whole lot easier.
At this year's OpenAir, Airbnb's annual tech conference, VP of engineering Mike Curtis announced several all-new features. Most notable is an enhancement to the wish list feature that will allow groups of users to collaborate on trip ideas, communicate and share comments about future trips, and even vote on potential destinations.
According to Airbnb, "Collaborative Wish Lists make trip planning easier, more fun, and more personal by bringing more people into the planning process and helping groups to make plans faster." It's a more interactive offering than we've seen, and one that will come in handy just in time for peak summer-travel season.
The company also announced that it will be rolling out new multi-party reviews. As any Airbnb user knows, part of what makes the system work is the host-and-guest review process. In the past, when groups of people stayed together in an Airbnb home, hosts could only review the individual traveler who booked the listing. Now, host reviews will apply to all guests in a group. That helps travelers gain credibility within the Airbnb community, even if they're not the ones who did the booking.
The last major announcement pertains to Airbnb's business-travel booking service, which will soon allow employees to book stays on behalf of other employees. But let's face it: Now that it's summer, business travel is the last thing on our minds. Booking a vacation in one of these places is the first.