Airbnb tests pay-to-play visibility for “best guests” (LOYALTY PROGRAM TEST?)
Summary
Airbnb is testing a pay-to-play visibility model, offering higher search rankings to hosts who offer a 20% discount to guests rated 4.8 or higher. This initiative resembles Booking.com's Genius program, linking discounts with guest segmentation and ranking boosts. If successful, this could reshape how hosts compete for visibility on the platform.
Key Insights
- •The program is compared to Booking.com's Genius program, which uses discounts to increase visibility and conversion rates, and has proven successful.
- •Airbnb is testing a program where hosts offer a 20% discount to 4.8+ rated guests in exchange for higher search ranking.
Action Items
- ✓Monitor whether this test expands beyond the initial markets and whether enrollment becomes formalized.Effort: lowImpact: medium
- ✓Consider the potential impact on your pricing strategy if discounting becomes a structural part of Airbnb's ranking algorithm.Effort: mediumImpact: high
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