Airbnb just booked its own stay on the Apple Watch with an app release to run exclusively on the smartwatch. In what's supposed to work a la Facebook Messenger, the app allows hosts to accept bookings, message guests and have pre-recorded answers to FAQs. "Your travel experience is a lot about the communication between the guest and host," says Airbnb app team lead Keenan Cummings, who wants the beginning of the booking to be part of the overall experience. With an Apple software overhaul, a number of new functions were made available, but Airbnb wanted to keep app functions clean, focusing on optimizing the booking and user experience without overwhelming users. "I liked having the constraints," Keenan says. The Airbnb app will roll out when the new watchOS 2 software launches this fall. [Verge]
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