This was not just a traditional product update, but a way for Airbnb to improve our community's ability to communicate. We wanted to bring our hosts and guests closer together and break down communication barriers. As always, we also wanted our brand to be at the cutting edge of innovative technology with the release of the Apple Watch in 2015. Airbnb's new Apple Watch app integration made it simple for our hosts and guests to manage a new or upcoming trip and communicate with each other instantaneously. As hosts and guests have grown to rely on messaging within Airbnb to feel confident in their booking decision, the new app provided a reliable, efficient, convenient way to ensure a smooth trip.
Airbnb aims to not only be a frontrunner in the latest technology, but also thoughtful in the ways our guests and hosts communicate as a community. We used this new innovation in technology to break down barriers and make connection between host and guest easier and more intuitive. We used still images and motion assets to illustrate how hosts and guests can quickly and easily respond to and communicate with each other via Airbnb on Apple Watch. Hosts are able respond to Booking Requests, Instant Books and New Inquiries. Guests can be notified on whether or not their booking requests have been accepted or declined. And of course, everyone on Airbnb can send and receive messages from Apple Watch, no matter where they are during their day, no matter where they are in the world.
On Facebook, we reached 188,439 members of our community. On Twitter the total engagement with the post was 3,677. In addition, The Verge, Tech Crunch, and the app store covered the news.
