SOME Spanish Wells commoners oppose the impending demolition of illegal shanty town structures either entirely or in part, arguing that the needs of people who were allegedly given permission to build on commonage land should be respected even if their structures are not legally built.

ALTHOUGH for years government has threatened to destroy Abaco's shanty towns, a father of two facing eviction from The Farm fears his family will have nowhere to go before the deadline is up to leave the unregulated community, his home for 20 years.

Airbnb has more than 7 million homes all over the world. Each home is one-of-a-kind, and this uniqueness is what sets Airbnb apart. But guests have told us that with so much variety, it can be hard to know what they’re going to get. This is why many people prefer hotels, and it’s the #1 obstacle preventing them from booking on Airbnb.

Today, we’re introducing three major upgrades to help guests understand exactly what to expect before they book:

● Guest Favorites – A collection of the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

● Revamped ratings & reviews – A redesigned ratings page, with new features to help guests understand the quality of every home.

● Listings tab – A set of new tools for Hosts to manage their listing and showcase the details guests care about most, including an AI-powered photo tour.

“People often describe checking into an Airbnb as a ‘moment of truth’— when you find out if the home you booked meets your expectations,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO. “Too often, it doesn’t. We’re changing that today. With Guest Favorites, revamped reviews, and the new Listings tab, you’ll now know exactly what to expect every time you book.”

Introducing Guest Favorites

The best way to find a great place to stay is by knowing which homes guests love the most. That’s why we created Guest Favorites—a collection of the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb based on ratings, reviews, and reliability data from over half a billion trips.

● Great ratings and reviews — Guest Favorites have excellent reviews and are rated above 4.9 stars on average. These homes also receive high marks for ease of check-in, cleanliness, listing accuracy, Host communication, location, and value.

● Outstanding reliability – Guest Favorites have a superb record of reliability, with Host cancellations and quality-related customer service issues of 1% on average.

● Easy to discover on Airbnb – Guest Favorites are available around the world, and they’re simple to find on Airbnb. Just look for the new badge in search results and on the listing page, or filter for Guest Favorites.

Nearly two-thirds of Guest Favorites come from Superhosts, who’ve been recognized for their track record of outstanding hospitality.

Revamped ratings and reviews

Guests have left over 371 million reviews about their stays on Airbnb. These ratings and reviews are the best way to understand the quality of a home. But today, there is limited information on the ratings page, and it’s hard for guests to find reviews that are relevant to them. The redesigned ratings page includes three new features that make reviews easier to read and much more helpful.

● Review sorting – Guests can now sort reviews by recency or rating, making it easy to find the reviews they care about the most.

● Ratings distribution – A new chart shows the distribution of reviews from 1 to 5 stars, so guests can easily view the number of positive and negative reviews.

● More review details – Reviews include more information about the reviewer and their trip — including where they’re from, their length of their stay, and whether they traveled with family, pets, or in a group.

Introducing the Listings tab

Managing a listing is one of the most essential parts of hosting because it's how guests learn about a home. In fact, we've seen that listings with more details can get up to 20% more bookings. But many listings are missing the details guests care about because adding them has been too difficult. That’s why we’re introducing the Listings tab—a set of new tools for Hosts to easily manage their listing and showcase the details of their home.

● Listing editor – A redesigned interface makes it easy for Hosts to add details about their listing—including amenities, sleeping arrangements, and more. It’s also simple for Hosts to edit their arrival guide with the information guests need before check-in.

● AI-powered photo tour – Hosts can instantly create a photo tour, which organizes photos by rooms to help guests understand the layout of their home. The photo tour is powered by a custom-built Airbnb AI engine trained on over 100 million images that recognizes photos and assigns them to 19 rooms in seconds. Hosts can edit their photo tour at any time and add amenities to each room.

● Smart lock integration – Hosts can connect compatible smart locks to their Airbnb account and automatically generate a unique code for every reservation. Guests can view their entry codes right in the Airbnb app before they arrive. Smart lock integration will begin rolling out in the US and Canada later this year with support for certain locks from Schlage, August, and Yale.

Even more upgrades for Hosts

In addition to the new Listings tab, the 2023 Winter Release includes even more upgrades for Hosts.

● Pricing visibility – The prices Hosts set will include service fees, helping them better understand what guests pay.

● Compare prices – Hosts will have the ability to compare their prices to those of similar listings right in the calendar, making it easy to track local pricing trends.

● New earnings dashboard – A completely redesigned dashboard gives Hosts a clear view of their earnings, including a detailed breakdown of past and future payments, customizable reports, filters, and search.

● New options for Co–Host payouts – Hosts have two new options for sharing payouts with Co-Hosts: share the cleaning fee or share the cleaning fee plus a percentage of the booking amount.

● New Co-Host messaging – Hosts and their Co-Hosts can now communicate in the app with new Inbox features to help them discuss and coordinate upcoming reservations.

Worldwide rollout starting today

Guest Favorites, revamped ratings and reviews, the new Listings tab, and additional upgrades for Hosts will begin rolling out this week. Hosts can try new features today by enrolling in Airbnb Early Access. Smart lock integration will be coming to Early Access for listings in the US and Canada later this year. Pricing visibility and compare prices will be available next year.

Airbnb has more than 7 million homes all over the world. Each home is one-of-a-kind, and this uniqueness is what sets Airbnb apart. But guests have told us that with so much variety, it can be hard to know what they’re going to get. This is why many people prefer hotels, and it’s the #1 obstacle preventing them from booking on Airbnb. Today, we’re introducing three major upgrades to help guests understand exactly what to expect before they book: ● Guest Favorites – A collection of the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb based on ratings, reviews, and reliability. ● Revamped ratings & reviews – A redesigned ratings page, with new features to help guests understand the quality of every home. ● Listings tab – A set of new tools for Hosts to manage their listing and showcase the details guests care about most, including an AI-powered photo tour. “People often describe checking into an Airbnb as a ‘moment of truth’— when you find out if the home you booked meets your expectations,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO. “Too often, it doesn’t. We’re changing that today. With Guest Favorites, revamped reviews, and the new Listings tab, you’ll now know exactly what to expect every time you book.” Introducing Guest Favorites The best way to find a great place to stay is by knowing which homes guests love the most. That’s why we created Guest Favorites—a collection of the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb based on ratings, reviews, and reliability data from over half a billion trips. ● Great ratings and reviews — Guest Favorites have excellent reviews and are rated above 4.9 stars on average. These homes also receive high marks for ease of check-in, cleanliness, listing accuracy, Host communication, location, and value. ● Outstanding reliability – Guest Favorites have a superb record of reliability, with Host cancellations and quality-related customer service issues of 1% on average. ● Easy to discover on Airbnb – Guest Favorites are available around the world, and they’re simple to find on Airbnb. Just look for the new badge in search results and on the listing page, or filter for Guest Favorites. Nearly two-thirds of Guest Favorites come from Superhosts, who’ve been recognized for their track record of outstanding hospitality. Revamped ratings and reviews Guests have left over 371 million reviews about their stays on Airbnb. These ratings and reviews are the best way to understand the quality of a home. But today, there is limited information on the ratings page, and it’s hard for guests to find reviews that are relevant to them. The redesigned ratings page includes three new features that make reviews easier to read and much more helpful. ● Review sorting – Guests can now sort reviews by recency or rating, making it easy to find the reviews they care about the most. ● Ratings distribution – A new chart shows the distribution of reviews from 1 to 5 stars, so guests can easily view the number of positive and negative reviews. ● More review details – Reviews include more information about the reviewer and their trip — including where they’re from, their length of their stay, and whether they traveled with family, pets, or in a group. Introducing the Listings tab Managing a listing is one of the most essential parts of hosting because it's how guests learn about a home. In fact, we've seen that listings with more details can get up to 20% more bookings. But many listings are missing the details guests care about because adding them has been too difficult. That’s why we’re introducing the Listings tab—a set of new tools for Hosts to easily manage their listing and showcase the details of their home. ● Listing editor – A redesigned interface makes it easy for Hosts to add details about their listing—including amenities, sleeping arrangements, and more. It’s also simple for Hosts to edit their arrival guide with the information guests need before check-in. ● AI-powered photo tour – Hosts can instantly create a photo tour, which organizes photos by rooms to help guests understand the layout of their home. The photo tour is powered by a custom-built Airbnb AI engine trained on over 100 million images that recognizes photos and assigns them to 19 rooms in seconds. Hosts can edit their photo tour at any time and add amenities to each room. ● Smart lock integration – Hosts can connect compatible smart locks to their Airbnb account and automatically generate a unique code for every reservation. Guests can view their entry codes right in the Airbnb app before they arrive. Smart lock integration will begin rolling out in the US and Canada later this year with support for certain locks from Schlage, August, and Yale. Even more upgrades for Hosts In addition to the new Listings tab, the 2023 Winter Release includes even more upgrades for Hosts. ● Pricing visibility – The prices Hosts set will include service fees, helping them better understand what guests pay. ● Compare prices – Hosts will have the ability to compare their prices to those of similar listings right in the calendar, making it easy to track local pricing trends. ● New earnings dashboard – A completely redesigned dashboard gives Hosts a clear view of their earnings, including a detailed breakdown of past and future payments, customizable reports, filters, and search. ● New options for Co–Host payouts – Hosts have two new options for sharing payouts with Co-Hosts: share the cleaning fee or share the cleaning fee plus a percentage of the booking amount. ● New Co-Host messaging – Hosts and their Co-Hosts can now communicate in the app with new Inbox features to help them discuss and coordinate upcoming reservations. Worldwide rollout starting today Guest Favorites, revamped ratings and reviews, the new Listings tab, and additional upgrades for Hosts will begin rolling out this week. Hosts can try new features today by enrolling in Airbnb Early Access. Smart lock integration will be coming to Early Access for listings in the US and Canada later this year. Pricing visibility and compare prices will be available next year.

Villa Marina Del Mar is the newest real estate project by Kinetic Capital Ltd. executives Steve Milligan and Anne Meunier, who have spent $4 million to renovate a gated six-unit rental property on Midshipman Road near West Beach Road in Lucaya.

"We came upon this property, which was owned by Dr. George, who was retiring. As soon as we saw it, we saw the potential and made an offer," Milligan said.

"What we decided to do was make a change in Freeport's short-term rental market. With the projects and developments coming on stream in the future, we saw that this product was not available and we said let's do it."

The remodeled luxury short-term rental villas, named for popular Family Islands of The Bahamas - Andros, Abaco, Bimini, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Exuma -- feature island-themed décor and overlook the Bell Channel Canal.

The original town house-style complex was thoroughly redesigned and construction began in July 2022.

"We gutted the property ... took out the electrical, plumbing, drywall, windows and doors," Milligan said. "It was a shell when we were finished; however, it had good bone, good structure.

"We put in new windows, and we wanted to make it environmentally safe. So, we put in impact windows and doors all through the place; changed all the flooring, lighting, electrical, everything.

"Basically, we started fresh and this is the end result."

The villas are now two five-bedroom units with five and a half baths and three three-bedroom units with three and a half baths.

Milligan said work continues on the final unit which is a specialized design.

"We do have one unit to complete, which is handicap-friendly," he said. "That unit will have all of its fixtures and furniture accessible for a disabled guest. There is also a suite for a caretaker in that unit as well."

In addition to enhanced villas, Milligan said the marina was expanded and now has 10 slips.

"The dock is fully serviced with electricity and water, so a center console vessel with five or more people can have a comfortable place to stay," he said.

He said Villa Marina Del Mar is ideal for summer vacationers, and investors who want to travel and bring their families along.

Milligan believes there is more room to expand the island's rental inventory.

"I think there is unrealized potential here. We need to get out there, and we need more product ... We need more rooms. We need more flights. Obviously, the airport is a bit of an issue right now, so we need the government to work rather quickly and efficiently to get this going," he said.

"There are people here, they need jobs and they need money."

He commended the contractors and laborers — headed by Clarence Carter — who worked on the project.

"One thing I'd like to mention is the quality of the people, local Bahamians, [who] have worked on this project," he said.

"People said, you'll never get anything done in The Bahamas. Well, we got something done. Clarence Carter, the lead on our project, very hands-on, and this is the finished work."

Milligan said they are working on two other projects at Discovery Bay and Watergate that will be coming soon.

Villa Marina Del Mar was introduced to the Grand Bahama market last week with two open-house events — one catering to the business sector and the other to real estate agents.

Carmel Churchill, of DonCar Hospitality Management Services, said this type of rental property has not been seen on Grand Bahama for a while.

"It is at the luxury end of the market and the accommodations cater to small groups and families and the space gives each occupant their own suite," Churchill said.

She said with the expanded marina slips, which guests with vessels up to 100 feet can utilize, the villa definitely enters the luxury boating marina market for Grand Bahama.

"This inventory primarily caters to short-term rentals, but there were questions about long-term stays. So, while we realize there is a lapse, there is also an opportunity for growth in that area," Churchill said.

"Overall for Grand Bahama as a destination, it is quite positive. If there is anyone considering investing in the island at this time, this is the time for it."

Realtor James Sarles of James Sarles Realty said he was impressed with the island's newest development.

"This is great news for the island as it was very needed and we look forward to all of the projects coming within the next few years," Sarles said.