OREANDA-NEWS. April 20, 2016. The San Francisco-based startup launched an updated version of its app on Tuesday designed to better match customers with accommodation that meets their travel needs and preferences.

As well as bespoke accommodation matching, the service will also help customers identify neighborhoods in cities that will best suit them It will also give them access to digital guidebooks packed with recommendations crowdsourced from hosts.

Airbnb lists accommodation options in 34,000 cities in 191 countries and has become a catchword for an alternative to hotel stay. Its major selling point is that it provides a different travel experience to mass tourism by allowing people to stay in the homes of local hosts. This latest update reflects what it sees as its customer's desires to break free of cookie-cutter travel.

"The number one reason people chose to travel on Airbnb is they want to live like a local," said Airbnb Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky in a statement. "Our hosts offer more than just generic hospitality - they welcome travellers from around the world into their communities."