May 12, 2021
Although Airbnb suffered an 80% drop-off in bookings when the pandemic was declared last year, it eventually found a new class of customers in, among other groups, formerly deskbound workers—some with children studying online—all developing cabin fever as they toiled from home. Data soon showed people were booking longer stays.
Partially as a nod to remote workers, the company recently launched a flexible search feature that allows users to browse for accommodations without entering fixed dates, an acknowledgment of how much more fluid travel plans can be for many. Some are seeking to temporarily stay and work closer to extended family, or to escape the city for a spell, and the exact timing is almost irrelevant.