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Airbnb says it's cracking down on fake listings and has removed 59,000 of them this year

Airbnb says it's cracking down on fake listings and has removed 59,000 of them this year
One cost that hasn't cooled much for travelers this year. Hotel prices. So we're looking at whether *** rental home or apartment just might be more cost effective for your next trip. The days of cheap stays during COVID are long gone. Alison Whittle says rental home prices are getting too high for her. The cleaning fees have gotten so bad that it's honestly, I might as well just go to *** hotel. It's not that *** good deal anymore, but Johanna is still *** rental home to *** hotel. I like the airbnb better. It's more like home cause it's like *** house. Sally French with Nerd wallet says it can be frustrating to pay higher hotel prices but get fewer perks. So you used to get cleaning service every day. Now, hotels often say it's by request or we only offer it every fifth day. As for rates over fourth of July weekend, hotel rates averaged $197 per night in line with last year. So to choose hotel or *** rental on airbnb or verbosity says length of stay and the size of your group tend to matter. Most airbnbs tend to be *** lot more worth it for longer trips as well as trips that involve big groups. According to Nerd wallet, the median price for *** one night stay on airbnb is $314. The median drops to $213 for *** seven night stay. *** 32% drop. And that's big difference from hotels where typically you just pay per night with airbnb, you can rent full homes or apartments or just *** room for prices as low as 30 or $40 *** night with. You get the whole vacation home. Sally says crunch all the numbers before you book, including parking, groceries or dining out and doing laundry, whichever you choose. Allison says plan ahead. I am definitely *** book in advance person and that way you don't waste your money. I'm John Mat.
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Airbnb says it's cracking down on fake listings and has removed 59,000 of them this year
Fake listings have emerged as a major problem for Airbnb, threatening to scare off consumers and prompting the short-term rental service to use AI in an effort to crack down on fraudsters.Airbnb says it has removed 59,000 fake listings and prevented another 157,000 from joining the platform this year.Related video above — Hotel, Airbnb or Vrbo: Which vacation option is best?Fake listings and high cleaning fees are among several issues that Airbnb said Wednesday that its users highlighted in a company survey. Others included high cleaning fees and a desire for lower prices.The San Francisco company said more than 260,000 listings have lowered or removed cleaning fees this year since it gave consumers the means to sort listings in order of all-in pricing.Airbnb says the change in how prices are displayed discourages hosts from touting low prices but piling on extra fees. However, only about one-third of Airbnb renters are using it."We got a lot of feedback that Airbnb is not as affordable as it used to be," CEO Brian Chesky said in an interview. The pricing changes are starting work, he said, and more measures are in the works.One of those is "seasonal dynamic pricing" — technology that would help hosts adjust prices more often as airlines and hotels do. Chesky said that will prod hosts into cutting prices during the off-season, but it could also help them raise peak prices.Airbnb also said that later this year it will begin verifying all listings in its top five markets including the United States and the United Kingdom to combat an outbreak of fakes.Fraudulent listings create refunds and rebooking costs for Airbnb, "but the biggest risk is to our reputation," Chesky said. "If you can't trust when you book an Airbnb that it's real and you're going to like it, then you're going to stay in a hotel."The company plans to use AI to help it verify listings in those top five countries.It will have hosts go inside the property and open the Airbnb app. GPS will verify they are at the correct address, and AI will be used to compare live photos with pictures that the host uses on the listing.Properties in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France and Australia that pass the test will get a "verified" icon on their listings starting in February. The company said it will verify listings in 30 more countries starting late next year.

Fake listings have emerged as a major problem for Airbnb, threatening to scare off consumers and prompting the short-term rental service to use AI in an effort to crack down on fraudsters.

Airbnb says it has removed 59,000 fake listings and prevented another 157,000 from joining the platform this year.

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Related video above — Hotel, Airbnb or Vrbo: Which vacation option is best?

Fake listings and high cleaning fees are among several issues that Airbnb said Wednesday that its users highlighted in a company survey. Others included high cleaning fees and a desire for lower prices.

The San Francisco company said more than 260,000 listings have lowered or removed cleaning fees this year since it gave consumers the means to sort listings in order of all-in pricing.

Airbnb says the change in how prices are displayed discourages hosts from touting low prices but piling on extra fees. However, only about one-third of Airbnb renters are using it.

"We got a lot of feedback that Airbnb is not as affordable as it used to be," CEO Brian Chesky said in an interview. The pricing changes are starting work, he said, and more measures are in the works.

One of those is "seasonal dynamic pricing" — technology that would help hosts adjust prices more often as airlines and hotels do. Chesky said that will prod hosts into cutting prices during the off-season, but it could also help them raise peak prices.

Airbnb also said that later this year it will begin verifying all listings in its top five markets including the United States and the United Kingdom to combat an outbreak of fakes.

Fraudulent listings create refunds and rebooking costs for Airbnb, "but the biggest risk is to our reputation," Chesky said. "If you can't trust when you book an Airbnb that it's real and you're going to like it, then you're going to stay in a hotel."

The company plans to use AI to help it verify listings in those top five countries.

It will have hosts go inside the property and open the Airbnb app. GPS will verify they are at the correct address, and AI will be used to compare live photos with pictures that the host uses on the listing.

Properties in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France and Australia that pass the test will get a "verified" icon on their listings starting in February. The company said it will verify listings in 30 more countries starting late next year.