Airbnb knows how you like to travel — and it’s using that data to help you book the perfect stay

A few times a year, Airbnb releases a series of updates that change how we interact with the home-sharing app.

Sometimes, those changes are huge, such as the introduction of categories that made finding the kind of place you want to book easier than ever (hello, castles!). Other times, the modifications are geared toward Airbnb hosts on the back end and affect travelers indirectly, like by requiring clearer checkout instructions or integrating smart locks into the app.

This year's winter Airbnb release includes a mix of updates for both travelers and hosts, providing 50 new upgrades that'll make the experience more personalized than ever. There are now ways for hosts to get help from experts to both list and manage their properties, and Airbnb will now provide tips on where people should book stays.

"We're really trying to make the app much more personal," Tara Bunch, Airbnb's global head of operations, told TPG ahead of the winter release. She added that the company has a serious amount of data from users' past stays and searches and wants to use that information to make finding the perfect Airbnb easier than ever.

Alongside the updates, Airbnb is also celebrating the platform's 2 billionth stay (yes, billionth ... with a b). And while that's a huge accomplishment for the brand, it's also a reminder of just how big the platform is, how many people use it and just how many listings there are for guests to comb through when planning a trip. For Bunch, this update peels back some of the layers of Airbnb and helps people get to the good part — the stay itself — more efficiently.

"The site has gotten big, you know, we've got an enormous amount of listings now, and it can be overwhelming," she said. "So, we really want to make it less around planning the trip and more about enjoying the trip, and we want to make it easier."

Here's how Airbnb is doing exactly that.

The Airbnb app gets more personal

Airbnb frequently changes the ways people interact with the platform, from making it easier to search its millions of listings to ensuring you only see properties that fit your specific needs. In its most current update, it's zooming in on ways to make the app more personalized to you, your preferences and the places you travel.

"The idea is to get much more personal, sort of create some shortcuts for you because we know a lot about you," Bunch explained. "While you might want to do something you've never done before, most people kind of tend to have some patterns that they tend to repeat."

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Here are the highlights, according to Airbnb:

• Welcome tour: If you're a first-time guest, Airbnb will help you get started with a guided tour of the app.
• Suggested destinations: When you tap the search bar, Airbnb will recommend locations based on your search and booking history. It will also offer shortcuts to your past searches and your recently viewed listings.
• Search tips: Throughout your search, Airbnb will offer relevant tips to help you find last-minute stays, discounts from hosts and more. For example, if you search for a six-day trip, it will suggest extending your trip by one day to take advantage of a weekly discount.
• Recommended filters: Airbnb has redesigned search filters with recommendations based on your past bookings and current searches. It's also made it easier to view, add and remove filters.
• Personalized listing highlights: When you view a listing, Airbnb will highlight details that are relevant to your search — like a property's playroom or backyard if you're traveling with kids.
• All-new checkout: If you're a returning guest, Airbnb has simplified the booking process with a redesigned checkout page that is shorter and includes key details at a glance.
• Local payments: You'll soon have access to more than two dozen ways to pay around the world, including Vipps in Norway, MobilePay in Denmark and MoMo in Vietnam.

The new co-host network

For folks who host on Airbnb or have been looking to, Airbnb is introducing a new network of more than 10,000 vetted co-hosts with expert ratings who can help manage bookings, offer insight into how to make homes and stays better for guests, set up new listings, and everything between.

This might not be the most interesting update for those of us who aren't Airbnb hosts ourselves, but having more people working on a property (at least on the back end) allows for quicker and easier communication, more personalization and convenience, and — just maybe — a person on the ground closer to the home in case they're ever needed.

"Oftentimes, the host doesn't live near the property because it's a vacation home for them, and this is a way for us to really improve that experience in these locations," Bunch, who hosts an Airbnb about three hours away from her primary home, explained. "It's not an easy place for me to just run up there if they, you know, need an extra set of sheets or some towels or something's not working." That's when the co-host steps in.

Other updates and new features for hosts include new price suggestions based on similar listings that can be applied with a simple tap, presaved "quick replies" that can be automatically sent to guests and an improved earnings dashboard with custom reporting features.

Winter travel trends from Airbnb

With over 2 billion guest stays under its belt, Airbnb has its finger on the pulse of where people are traveling this fall and winter.

Here in the U.S., sports and concerts are a major driving force of travel, likely due to the return of Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" to the U.S. and Canada, plus football and basketball season. Americans are also heading abroad for cultural celebrations like Dia de los Muertos in Guatemala City or to Zermatt, Switzerland, for Christmas markets.

Using Airbnb's robust categories systems is a great way to dive deeper into the types of trips people want to take. This winter, the five most popular categories are Golfing, Amazing Pools, National Parks, Beach and Top Cities. Among those top-level searches, people are further narrowing down their searches by looking for listings that also include extra bells and whistles like pools, Wi-Fi, Jacuzzis, free parking and kitchens.

And for families and groups consisting of an average of four guests, Airbnb is sharing some popular destinations across the globe to inspire your next family vacation (preferably one with a Jacuzzi!).

Trending family domestic destinations among US guests

Indianapolis, Indiana

• Sevierville, Tennessee
• Columbus, Ohio
• Broken Bow, Oklahoma
• Aspen, Colorado
• Stowe, Vermont
• Orange Beach, Alabama
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Fredericksburg, Texas
• Louisville, Kentucky

Trending family destinations worldwide among US guests

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Guadalajara, Mexico
• Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
• Rio de Janeiro
• Rome
• Sydney
• Tamarindo, Costa Rica
• Paris

Trending family destinations worldwide among all guests

• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Brasilia, Brazil
• Tokyo, Japan
• Guayabitos, Mexico
• Piçarras, Brazil
• Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
• Noord, Aruba
• Heroica Veracruz, Mexico
• Campitello di Fassa, Italy
• Pocono Township, Pennsylvania, US

Related reading:

• 10 ways to use points to book vacation home rentals
• Quick Points: Earn airline miles on your Airbnb and Vrbo stays
• A guide to the best credit cards for Airbnb stays