My wife booked a caravan for a holiday on AirBnB and added me to a group conversation with a host. Group conversations is a new feature that came out in AirBnB summer release, and it’s pretty handy. But something else caught my attention.
When I went to my AirBnB profile I saw travel stamps – pictures of cities where I stayed. Wow, I’ve been around the world – so many cities I’ve visited. It reminded me of my student years and how we liked to check each other’s passports to kill time while waiting at the border control. Those who had exotic stamps in their passport got extra respect. And those few who traveled a lot had to renew their passport before the due date as there was no space left to put stamps in it.
And now AirBnB has brought this to your account. Who can really see these stamps? Your future host and your co-guests. But main person intended to see it is you.
But you might say: Booking is giving you real discounts as a reward for your trips depending on your Genius level. And AirBnB is giving that instead? Every growth expert will tell you “to give user badges that don’t provide any real reward is bad gamification”. But I think these travel stamps are not a gimmick. As in fact it’s the only place you can see such stamps these days. When people post on Instagram or Facebook pictures from their trips they soon become lost in the feed. So where can I collect such memorabilia about my trips?
This is the place – your AirBnB profile. I’m not saying this is a killer feature. But it can help to convert more customers when they are choosing an app to book their next stay. Especially those of us who love collectibles. Agree?
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