Airbnb to launch new initiatives for future growth

Online accommodation platform major Airbnb has said it is adding four new property types to its existing ones and launching new tiers of homes that have been personally verified for quality and comfort.

The new offerings come at a time when the company has completed 10 years since its inception in 2008.

Airbnb is also launching a new guest membership programme offering benefits across the entire trip. 'Superguest' will launch initially to 10,000 guests as a trial this summer before being rolled out to wider guest community before the end of the year, the company said in a statement.

"10 years ago we never dreamed of what Airbnb could become," said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder, CEO and Head of Community.

In fact, people thought the idea that strangers would stay in each other's homes was crazy. Today, millions of people every night do just that, he added.

"But we want to go further by supporting and expanding our community so that in 10 years time, more than 1 billion people per year will experience the benefits of magical travel on Airbnb."

Over the years, the types of properties on the platform have become increasingly diverse from treehouses to boutique hotels but it's still only possible to navigate by three property types - Shared Space, Private Room and Entire Home, Airbnb said.

To address this, the company will add four new property types to its platform - Vacation Home, Unique Space, B&B and Boutique, giving greater choice of accommodation, it added.

The company is also launching a new tier of homes called 'Airbnb Plus' that have been personally verified for quality and comfort, the company said.

Another tier of homes that the company will be launching this spring, named 'Beyond by Airbnb', will offer custom designed trips, including the world's finest homes, custom experiences and world-class hospitality, it added.

The company is also launching 'Airbnb Collections', the statement said.