Airbnb launches ‘Neighborhoods’ and ‘Local Lounge’

Airbnb introduced ‘Neighborhoods‘ today that allows users to find the experiences they want based on their interests and the particular parts of a city that they want to stay in. Launching with more than 300 neighborhoods in seven cities, it aims to make selection of things to do and places to stay easier because the location is the most important criteria for travelers when booking.

After hand-mapping more than 2,000 neighborhoods, Airbnb users will be able to search for the perfect place they’d like to stay based on their interests. Each neighborhood is tagged with interests that will show you which part of the town is best for you to stay in.

With a whole lot of pictures and descriptions for each neighborhood, Airbnb plans to expand this program to national and international cities and towns.

In addition to its new Neighborhoods product, Airbnb also launched Local Lounges, a pilot program launching in about 10 cafes in San Francisco for now and will affiliate select cafes and local shops to the Airbnb experience and welcome visitors to the neighborhood.

This is how it works:
You walk in to a cafe with a blue Airbnb “Local Lounge” sticker in the window and mention it to someone working there. You will get a friendly greeting that goes something like this: “Welcome to San Francisco, let me know if I can answer any questions for you about the neighborhood.” Additionally, you get a free neighborhood travel guide filled with recommendations from Airbnb contributors.