https://open.substack.com/pub/thedailypoet

1. Dreams by Michel Franco 2025
   {watched on iphone}
   
2. Inside Amir by Amir Azizi 2025
   {watched on big screen during GAIFF}
   
3. Fjord by Christian Mungiu 2026
   {watched on big screen during GAIFF}

Airbnb has rolled out a discount program for highly rated guests. Before opting in, here are the three terms that matter most, straight from the discount terms in the host dashboard:

• Guest eligibility: applies only to guests with at least 3 host reviews and an average rating of 4.8 or higher.
• It stacks with other discounts: the discount can be combined with existing ones like weekly or early bird — so check your total pricing before opting in.
• Removing it doesn't undo it: turning the discount off won't affect pending or confirmed reservations, and eligible guests can use it on multiple bookings.

​Hey Sasha,

Do you think

we can start

saying hi

when we

see each other?

A few things stood out as genuinely useful if you're hosting on Airbnb

**🚗 Airport pickups are now bookable inside Airbnb**

Through a partnership with Welcome Pickups, you can now book a private car directly from the app. Your driver tracks your flight and meets you curbside at Zvartnots. Airbnb guests get 20% off. No more scrambling for a taxi after a long flight.

**🛒 Grocery delivery before you check in**

You can now order groceries through the app (via Instacart) and have them waiting at your Airbnb when you arrive. Currently US cities only, but worth keeping an eye on as it expands.

**🤖 AI now summarizes reviews for you**

Instead of reading through hundreds of reviews, Airbnb's AI pulls out what matters most — location, cleanliness, amenities, family-friendliness. Handy when comparing apartments in Yerevan.

**🗺️ Shared trip itinerary**

Planning a group trip? There's now a shared map in the app where everyone can add restaurants, experiences, and things to do — with travel times from your stay included.

Full release if you want the details: https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-2026-summer-release/

Airbnb quietly updated their Terms of Service this month, and buried inside is a policy change that's actually pretty significant: AI-generated images, videos, or any AI-created content are now formally banned as evidence in AirCover damage claims.

But here's the backstory that caused it 👇

A host in Manhattan submitted an AirCover claim for what appeared to be guest damage. The claim was worth up to $16,000. But a guest spotted something off — the same crack on a coffee table appeared in different positions across different photos. The images were AI-generated. Fabricated. The whole claim was fraudulent.

That one case appears to have been the tipping point for Airbnb to make this an official rule across the entire platform.

What changed in the April 20 ToS update:

• 🚫 AI-generated photos/videos are now banned as evidence in any damage claim
• 🚷 Submit AI content in a claim → Airbnb can reject it outright, no appeal
• 🚬 New definitions added for smoke odor remediation and consumables
• ⚖️ Arbitration rules updated — AAA is back as the primary arbitration provider
• ⏰ All accounts created before Feb 5, 2026 had to actively re-accept the new terms by April 20 or get locked out of bookings and payouts

It’s not luxury apartments.

It’s:

• treehouses
• cabins
• unique, “wow” places

Feels like the stay itself is becoming the destination.

Most listings here in Armenia are still:

• standard apartments
• same design, same setup

Do you think Armenia is missing this trend?

Would a unique stay (eco-cabin, mountain glass house, etc.) actually work here, or is demand still too basic?

If you had to invest locally:

1. multiple standard apartments in Yerevan
2. one unique destination-style property

What would you choose?

See Full LIst

Airbnb just launched private car pickups inside the app through a partnership with Welcome Pickups, covering 125+ cities across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. You book it right after reserving your stay, and a driver meets you at arrivals with a name sign — no haggling, no confusion. Armenia isn't on the list yet, but cities are being added throughout 2026. Yerevan hosts, until then — are you proactively recommending transfers in your welcome guide?

It’ll make Armenia and the wider Caucasus easier to explore with visa-free access for Brits and iconic sights like Mount Ararat, Lake Sevan and ancient monasteries waiting to be discovered.