Jump to content

Airbnb: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Line 176: Line 176:
* [[Hospitality service]]
* [[Hospitality service]]
* [[Pasporta Servo]]
* [[Pasporta Servo]]
* [[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_My_Vacation_Home_USA|Rent My Vacation Home USA]]
* [[Servas Open Doors]]
* [[Servas Open Doors]]
* [[Travelmob]]
* [[Travelmob]]

Revision as of 16:29, 6 October 2013

Airbnb
Company typePrivate
Industrysocial networking service
Founded2008
FounderBrian Chesky
Joe Gebbia
Nathan Blecharczyk Edit this on Wikidata
Headquarters,
USA
Key people
Brian Chesky (CEO, Co-Founder)
Joe Gebbia (Chief Product Officer, Co-Founder)
Nathan Blecharczyk (CTO, Co-founder)
Revenue8,399,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
1,893,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets10,491,499,000 United States dollar (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
5,597 (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.airbnb.com

Airbnb is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco founded in August 2008, operated and privately owned by Airbnb, Inc. The company is an online service that provides a platform for individuals referred to as “hosts”, generally private parties, to rent unoccupied living space and other short-term lodging to guests. As of September 2013, the company had over 500,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries.[1] Listings include private rooms, entire apartments, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis, igloos, private islands and other properties.[2]

Users of the site must register and create a personal online profile before using the site. Every property is associated with a host whose profile includes recommendations by other users, reviews by previous guests, as well as a response rating and private messaging system.[3]

As of July 2011, the company has raised $119.8 million in venture funding from Y Combinator, Greylock Partners, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global Solutions, General Catalyst Partners[4] and an undisclosed amount from A Grade Investments’ partners, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary.

History

Origin

Shortly, after moving to San Francisco in October 2007, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia created the initial concept for AirBed & Breakfast during the Industrial Design Conference held by Industrial Designers Society of America.[5] The original site offered short-term living quarters, breakfast and a unique business networking opportunity for attendees who were unable to book a hotel in the saturated market.[6]

At the time, roommates Chesky and Gebbia could not afford the rent for their loft in San Francisco. They made their living room into a bed and breakfast, accommodating three guests on air mattresses and providing homemade breakfast.[7]

In February 2008, Harvard graduate and technical architect, Nathan Blecharczyk joined as the third co-founder of AirBed & Breakfast.[8] During the company’s initial stages, the founders focused on high-profile events where alternative lodging was scarce.[9] The site, “airbedandbreakfast.com” was officially launched on August 11, 2008.[10]

To help fund the site, the founders created special edition breakfast cereals, with candidates Barack Obama and John McCain as the inspiration for “Obama O’s” and “Cap’n McCains”.[11] In two months, 800 boxes of cereal were sold at 40 dollars each which generated more than 30 thousand dollars for the company’s incubation[12] and attracted Y Combinator’s Paul Graham.[13]

After its inauguration, the site expanded to include properties in the market between hotels and CouchSurfing.[14] In January 2009, Y Combinator invited Chesky, Gebbia and Blecharczyk to join the incubator’s winter session for three months of training.[15] With the website already built, they used the $20,000 Y-Combinator investment to fly to New York to meet users and promote the site.[16] They returned to San Francisco with a profitable business model to present to West Coast investors.

Name change and growth

In March 2009, the name Airbedandbreakfast.com was shortened to Airbnb.com, and the site’s content had expanded from airbeds and shared spaces to variety of properties including entire homes and apartments, private rooms, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis, igloos, private islands and other properties.[17]

One year later, there were 15 people working from Chesky and Gebbia’s loft apartment on Rausch Street in San Francisco. To make room for employees, Brian Chesky gave up his bedroom and lived through the Airbnb service until the company moved into its first office space.[18]

The company continued to experience rapid growth through the year and in November 2010 raised $7.2 million in Series A funding from Greylock Partners and Sequoia Capital, and announced that out of 700,000 nights booked, 80% had occurred in the past six months.[19]

By February 24, 2011, one million listings were booked through Airbnb and revenue from the month earlier had increased by 65%.[20] On May 25, 2011, actor and partner at A-Grade Investments, Ashton Kutcher, announced a significant investment in the company and his role as a strategic brand advisor for the company.[21]

International expansion

In May 2011, Airbnb acquired a German competitor, Accoleo. This acquisition launched the first international Airbnb office in Hamburg.[22] Then, in October 2011, Airbnb established its second international office in London.[23]

Given the growth of international users, Airbnb opened 6 additional international offices in early 2012. These cities include Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Moscow, and São Paulo.[24] These are in addition to existing offices in San Francisco, London, Hamburg, and Berlin where Airbnb maintains its international presence for the EMEA markets within a German incubator space.[25] Airbnb announced in September 2013 that its European headquarters would be located in Dublin |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/technology/airbnb-to-open-european-hq-in-dublin-1.1526454%7Cpublisher=The Irish Times|accessdate=13 September 2013|date=13 Sep 2013}</ref>|

At the beginning of November 2012, Chesky announced his focus on Australia, the second largest Airbnb market behind the United States, as well as Thailand and Indonesia. To support this effort, Airbnb opened its 11th office in Sydney.[26] The Australian consumer accounts for one-tenth of the Airbnb user base.[27]

Weeks after announcing the focus on Australia, Airbnb announced its strategy to move more aggressively into the Asian market with the launch of their newest headquarters in Singapore. The company's goal is to acquire an additional 2 million properties within the continent.[28]

Company

Location and revenue

The Airbnb founding team acts as the key managerial staff for Airbnb: Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer; Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer; and Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer.[29]

Airbnb has its twelve offices in Barcelona (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Hamburg (Germany), London (UK), Milan, (Italy), Moscow (Russia), Paris (France), San Francisco (US), São Paulo (Brazil), Singapore, and Sydney (Australia).[30]

Airbnb’s primary revenue comes from service fees from bookings.[31] Fees range between 6% and 12% depending on the price of the booking. Airbnb also charges the host 3% from each guest booking for credit card processing.[32]

Growth

In February 2011, Airbnb announced its 1 millionth booking since its inception in August 2008.[33] Then, in January 2012, Airbnb announced its 5 millionth night booked internationally through the service.[34] Of these bookings, 75% of the business came from markets outside of the continental United States. In June 2012, the company announced 10 million nights booked, doubling business in 5 months.[35]

Mergers & acquisitions

Since mid-2011, Airbnb has acquired several of its competitors. The first of which was Accoleo based out of Hamburg. This became the company's first international office.[36]

Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, Airbnb acquired London-based rival CrashPadder, subsequently adding six thousand international listings to its existing inventory.[37] This acquisition made Airbnb the largest peer-to-peer accommodations website in the United Kingdom.[38]

Airbnb acquired NabeWise, a city guide that aggregates curated information for specified locations, in November 2012.[39] This acquisition shifted the company focus toward offering hyperlocal recommendations to travelers.[40]

In December 2012, Airbnb announced the acquisition of Localmind.[41] Localmind is a location-based question and answer platform that allows users to post questions about specific locations online. These questions are then answered in real-time by experts on the specified territories.[42]

Operation

Airbnb is an online marketplace for vacation rentals that connects users with property to rent with users looking to rent the space. Users are categorized as “Hosts” and “Guests;” both of which must register with Airbnb using a valid email address to build a unique user profile on the website. Profiles include details such as user reviews and shared social connections to build a reputation and trust among users of the marketplace.[43] Other elements of the Airbnb profile include user recommendations and a private messaging system.[44]

In addition to providing personal information, hosts display listing details including price per night, amenities, house rules, imagery, and detailed information about their neighborhood.[45]

Since 2008, the website has developed to include social connections pulling data from social networking services such as Facebook. As of May 2011, the site uncovered over 300 million connections between Airbnb and the Facebook user groups.[46]

Signup and reservations

It is free to create a listing using Airbnb. Users fill out form with initial details. Changes can be made at a later date. The listing will not go live until the user is ready to publish. Pricing can be determined by the user. User can charge different prices for nightly, weekly, and monthly stays as well as seasonal pricing. Users can use the Titles and Descriptions section to advertise their space. They can outline house rules or other descriptions regarding the residence. Airbnb allows users to publish up to 24 photographs of the place. Airbnb, on a limited basis, is offering free professional photography in most of the listed areas. Profile is a place where the guests can research more about the users. This section is often used for users to display who they are as well as their philosophies on hosting.[47]

Users can communicate easily with potential guests. Guests are required to message the user directly through Airbnb to ask questions regarding the property. Users have 100% control over who books their place. When a potential guest puts in a reservation request, the host has at least 24 hours to accept or decline the request.[47]

After user accepts a reservation, they can coordinate meeting times and contact information with guests. Reviews are the backbone of Airbnb. After the reservation is complete, users are encouraged to leave a review. Reviews help build validity and references both for the guests and the users.[47]

Mobile

In addition to the Airbnb website, the company offers mobile applications for iOS and Android customers. As of September 2012, users had downloaded the mobile application over 1 million times which accounts for over 26% of the company’s overall traffic.[48]

Through the mobile channel users have all functionality of the website which includes private messaging making communication three times faster between users.[49] The application also allows users to find listings based on what is available using geolocation.

In December 2012, Apple honored Airbnb with the Editor's Choice award for the Best Mobile Application of 2012 in the UK market.[50] Airbnb was also awarded Most Disruptive Service of 2012.[51]

Security

Airbnb user profiles contain recommendations, reviews, and ratings to build credible online reputations within the platform. Additionally, the site provides a private messaging system as a channel for users to message one another privately before booking and accepting reservations.[52] Hosts are never required to accept a reservation.[53] After the guest has checked out, the parties review one another to build website credibility similar to online marketplaces like eBay.

Airbnb facilitates online payments from guest to host through its Security Payments feature which processes payment transactions 24 hours after check in.[54] This protocol offers a guarantee for guests and helps to uphold host cancellations policies before processing payments. Additionally, the Airbnb website facilitates security deposits and cleaning fees, the former of which is held until the property is vacated.The company’s revenue comes from a 6% to 12% commission of the guest payment and 3% of what the host receives.[55]

Wish Lists

In June 2012, Airbnb launched a wish list feature offering users the ability to create curated catalog of desired listing they would like to visit.[56] Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Joe Gebbia and his team conceived the idea of changing the website from an online marketplace to a source for aspiration. Users can curate their favorite destinations into organized lists and share these with other users.[57] Since the launch of the Wish List functionality in June 2012, engagement with the Airbnb website increased by 30%. 45% of users engage with Wish Lists and had added over 1 million accommodations to personalized lists.[58]

In creating Wish Lists, the product team designed a proprietary scrolling system which allows users to engage with these lists without the website slowing down the user experience. Additionally, Airbnb open sourced the code, Infinity.js to the software developer community.[59]

Neighborhoods

In November 2012, Airbnb launched the Neighborhoods product.[60] This travel guide helps travelers choose to the ideal neighborhood match based on a series of collaborative filters and attributes such as Great Transit, Dining, Peace & Quiet, Nightlife, Touristy, and Shopping.[61] Currently, the Neighborhoods product is enabled for San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Washington, D.C., and Rio de Janeiro giving in-depth information for selected neighborhoods in these cities through photos, essays, maps, tags from locals, and assessments of public transportation.[62]

The Airbnb product team hand-mapped 300 neighborhoods within these seven cities and had local editors curate content for each neighborhood. Airbnb also added 70 street photographers who generated 40,000 photographs for the project.[63]

Impact

Critical reception

The founders of Airbnb have been praised for tenacity and creativity by Paul Graham (co-founder of Y-Combinator, Airbnb's incubator).[64] The Wall Street Journal,[65]

Airbnb has been compared to Craigslist, HomeAway, Flip Key, WorldEscape, Uproost, and Groupon, other sites that offer spur-of-the-moment rentals.[66] Airbnb won the "breakout app" award at the 2011 South by Southwest conference.[67] Along with Quora and Dropbox, The New York Times listed Airbnb among the next generation of multibillion dollar start-ups.[68] Following Airbnb, other services such as Getaround, Vayable, Guidehop, myTaskAngel and Task Rabbit launched with a similar model.[69]

New York's state legislature passed a law in July 2010 making it illegal to rent out Class A residential space for less than 30 days. However, the bill's sponsor, State Senator Liz Krueger said Airbnb and its competitors are not the law's target.[70]

In July 2010, the company received more than 300 emails from users whose livelihood had threatened their ability to keep their homes due to financial hardship from the economic recession.[71] This phenomenon has caused much discourse for the American Hotel & Lodging Association as short-term private rentals continue to disrupt the hospitality industry.[72]

In November 2012, Airbnb commissioned HR&A Advisors to conduct a study which measured the market impact of collaborative consumption by users within urban populations. Specifically, the study measured the impact these companies had on the economy of San Francisco.[73] The study found that from April 2011 to May 2012, guests and hosts utilizing the service contributed $56 million in spending within the San Francisco economy, $43.1 million of which supported local businesses.[74] Over 90% of hosts surveyed rented their primary residences to visitors on an occasional basis, and spent nearly half the income they make on living expenses. The study also found the average guest stay was 5.5 days, compared to 3.5 days for hotel guests, and the average guest spent $1,045 during their stay, compared to the $840 spent by hotel guests.[75]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Airbnb partnered with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to offer free housing for persons displaced by the storm.[76] Airbnb built a microsite for this effort alone where victims register for housing and meet property owners with free housing.[77] Additionally, Airbnb waived all service fees associated with these listings while maintaining the Host Guarantee for all properties listed.[78]

Criticism and controversies

Use of spam

In June 2011, blogger and competitor Dave Gooden claimed that questionable sales practices including sending mass, automated emails sent to property owners on Craigslist led to Airbnb’s success as an Internet startup company.[79] This user acquisition tactic was used along with several others when building the company business in 2009. However, the company found the practice largely ineffective.[80]

Renters security

In July 2011, there was first reports from a guest, "EJ", who had her apartment burglarized and vandalized by an Airbnb guest.[81][82] After 14 hours of no response, Airbnb initially indicated that they would not compensate the host for damages.[81][83][84][85] They later reversed this decision amidst public backlash.[81] After three days of helping the victim, she claims Airbnb encouraged her to remove her complaint noting the "potentially negative impact" it could have on the company, and stopped contacting her completely.[81][84][85] Following the incident, more hosts came forward expressing similar experiences, including a man whose home had been rented through Airbnb to a meth addict who later stole the host's birth certificate, went through "everything he owned," and caused thousands of dollars in damage.[85][86] He expressed similar dissatisfaction with Airbnb's response to the situation.[86][87]

Additionally, in 2012, two prostitutes rented a Scandinavian apartment which the police raided.[88]

In response to the property damages claims, Airbnb launched its “The Airbnb Host Guarantee” property protection program in August 2011 which covered property loss or damage due to vandalism and theft for up to $50,000.[89] Additionally, the company initiated a 24 hour customer service hotline, established a taskforce to review suspicious activity, and implemented a suite of security features.[90]

In May 2012, Airbnb took insurance underwritten by Lloyd's of London to extend this guarantee for up to $1 million in property damage at no cost to the listing host.[91]

Financial and tax liabilities

In January 2013, Airbnb user Nigel Warren faced the prospect of paying fines to New York City for renting his room on Airbnb. The case was made that certain language in New York's administrative code allowed temporary renters to lawfully stay for periods under 30 days. On 20 May 2013 a New York City administrative law judge, Clive Morrick, disagreed with this interpretation citing Mr. Warren a $2,400 fine.[92] This new ruling does not make using the service "illegal." However, in some cases, users do stand the chance of facing fines per New York City.[93]

On May 26, 2013, Globe and Mail newspaper published an article titled "Quebec cracks down on Airbnb" regarding Quebec's Tourism board objection to Airbnb type rentals.

'A spokeswoman for Tourisme Quebec says the province is investigating 2,000 people for renting out their homes for short-term stays without a permit. Government agents are even making fake reservation requests to bust repeat offenders, Suzanne Asselin told the Montreal radio station 98.5 FM in an interview. Residents aren’t allowed to advertise online or rent out their apartment on a regular basis, for fewer than 31 days, without registering and paying a $250 fee. “The law and regulations on tourist establishments is clear on the subject,” Asselin told the radio station. The goal, she said, is to ensure the safety of visitors to the province.'[94]

Lack of respect of privacy

The new identity verification system "Verified ID" is perceived by customers as excessively intrusive and "creepy."[95][96][97][98][99] It requires 4 layers of customer identification: telephone, credit card data, photo of ID + verification of Facebook, Linkedin or Google+ account. It is impossible to use the system if one of these data is not provided.

Competition

References

  1. ^ Yeung, Ken (17 Sep 2013). "With 8.5m guests, Airbnb seeks to build a more uniform customer experience via its Hospitality Lab". The Next Web. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ^ Brennan, Morgan (16 Sept 2011). "The Most Amazing And Absurd Places For Rent". Forbes. Retrieved 13 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Yu, Roger (6 July 2011). "America's new business model: Sharing". USA Today. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  4. ^ Malik, Om (24 July 2011). "AirBnB gets $112M in new investment". GigaOm. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. ^ Choe, Jeannie (10 Oct 2007). "AirBed & Breakfast for Connecting '07". Core77. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  6. ^ (Botsman, Rachel, and Roo Rogers. What's Mine Is Yours: the Rise of Collaborative Consumption. New York: Harper Business, 2010. Print.)
  7. ^ Lagorio, Christine (19 July 2010). "Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, Founders of AirBnB". Inc.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs 2009". Bloomberg Businessweek. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  9. ^ Geron, Tomio (10 June 2009). "From Crash Pad To Pizza Profitable, Start-Up Eyes Budget Travel Market". WSJ Blogs. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  10. ^ Schonfeld, Erik (11 August 2008). "AirBed And Breakfast Takes Pad Crashing To A Whole New Level". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  11. ^ Spors, Kelly (11 August 2008). "The Business of Politics". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  12. ^ Peng, Tina (24 March 2010). "Where to get startup cash now". CNN Money. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  13. ^ Malik, Om (22 Feb 2011). "What Every Startup Can Learn From AirBnB". GigaOm. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  14. ^ Lagorio, Christine (19 July 2010). "Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, Founders of AirBnB". Inc. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  15. ^ Rao, Leena (4 March 2009). "Y Combinator's Airbed And Breakfast Casts A Wider Net For Housing Rentals As AirBnB". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  16. ^ Graham, Paul (21 Feb 2009). "AirBnB". PaulGraham.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  17. ^ "The 26 Most Luxurious—and Unique—Vacation Spots on Airbnb Right Now". Details. 1 Sept 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Wauters, Robin (21 June 2010). "Airbnb Founder Eats His Own Dogfood, Goes 'Homeless' For Months". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  19. ^ Wortham, Jenna (10 Nov 2010). "Airbnb Raises Cash to Expand Budget-Travel Service". NY Times Bit Blogs. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  20. ^ Wauters, Robin (24 Feb 2010). "Airbnb Hits 1 Million Nights Booked As European Clone Emerges". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  21. ^ Wortham, Jenna (25 May 2011). "An Actor Who Knows Start-Ups". New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Tim (31 May 2011). "Airbnb moves 'aggressively' into Europe". Financial Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  23. ^ Quinn, James (2 Oct 2011). "Airbnb set to expand with London office". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  24. ^ Wauters, Robin (26 Jan 2012). "Airbnb: 5 Million Nights Booked, Opening 6 New International Offices In Q1 2012". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  25. ^ Wauters, Robin (17 Oct 2011). "Airbnb Checks In With Springstar For International Expansion". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  26. ^ Ong, Josh (2 Nov 2012). "Airbnb launches in Australia with new office in Sydney, coming soon to Thailand and Indonesia". The Next Web. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  27. ^ Karnikowski, Nina (2 Nov 2012). "Spare space can be profitable". The Age. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  28. ^ Russell, Jon (12 Nov 2012). "Airbnb targets 2 million properties in Asia as it begins introducing local customer support". The Next Web. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  29. ^ Myers, Courtney Boyd (25 May 2011). "Airbnb is growing fast, adding 1,000 listings every day". The Next Web. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  30. ^ "About Airbnb". Retrieved 21 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Bly, Laura (6 July 2012). "Airbnb: No place like someone else's home". USA Today Travel. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  32. ^ Couts, Andrew (4 November 2012). "Terms & Conditions: Airbnb makes everything your problem". Digital Trends. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  33. ^ Lee, Ellen (1 March 2011). "Airbnb passes bookings milestone: 1 million nights". SF Gate. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  34. ^ Carr, Austin (1 Sept 2012). "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies". Fast Company. Retrieved 13 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Chang, Emily (19 June 2012). "Airbnb Celebrates Over 10 Million Nights Booked". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  36. ^ Taylor, Dan (6 July 2011). "Airbnb takes on Europe. Will it revolutionize the industry, again?". The Next Web. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  37. ^ MacMillan, Douglas (25 July 2012). "Airbnb Scores Off London Olympics With Jump in Bookings". Bloomberg Tech Blog. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  38. ^ Kerr, Dana (20 March 2012). "Airbnb buys Crashpadder, its largest U.K. competitor". CNET. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  39. ^ Hempel, Jessi (13 November 2012). "With Neighborhoods, Airbnb expands its horizons". CNN Money. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  40. ^ Geron, Tomio (14 November 2012). "Airbnb Launches Neighborhoods For Hyper-Local Travel Guides". Forbes. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  41. ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (13 December 2012). "Why did Airbnb just buy Localmind? Local expertise". VentureBeat. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  42. ^ Ha, Anthony (13 December 2012). "Airbnb Aims To Get More Social With Acquisition Of Q&A Startup Localmind". TechCrunch. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  43. ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (10 May 2011). "Airbnb Taps Facebook, Lets You Crash With Friends Of Friends". Mashable. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  44. ^ Lanyado, Benji (15 July 2011). "Europe Without Hotels". NY Times Travel. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  45. ^ Porges, Seth (14 June 2012). "Read These Tips, or Nobody Will Ever Let You Be an Airbnb Guest Again". Gizmodo. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  46. ^ Siegler, MG (9 May 2011). "Airbnb Cozies Up To Facebook To Help You Feel More At Home When Away From Home". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  47. ^ a b c "Becoming an Airbnb host". Retrieved 21 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ Gannes, Liz (27 Sept 2012). "Airbnb Now Gets 26 Percent of Traffic From Mobile, More Than Double a Year Ago". All Things D. Retrieved 13 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Lawler, Ryan (27 Sept 2012). "Airbnb Mobile Usage Soars As Its iOS App Passes 1 Million Downloads, Accounts For 26% Of All Traffic". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ Westaway, Luke (14 December 2012). "WhatsApp tops Apple 2012 list, Airbnb and iPlayer honoured". CNET. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  51. ^ McDaniel, Amora (14 December 2012). "Apple lays out the App Store's best of 2012". Upstart Business Journal. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  52. ^ Porges, Seth (29 April 2011). "How to Use Airbnb Like a Pro". Gizmodo. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  53. ^ "Booking a Bed Through Airbnb". The Washington Post. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  54. ^ Tyman, Dan (16 August 2011). "The 'new' Airbnb: Too little, too late?". IT World. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  55. ^ Hempel, Jessi (3 May 2012). "Airbnb: More than a place to crash". Fortune. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  56. ^ Bilton, Nick (27 June 2012). "Airbnb 'Wish Lists' Are a Highlight of New Site Design". NY Times, Bits Blog. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  57. ^ Lawler, Ryan (27 June 2012). "Airbnb Redesigns And Introduces Wish Lists To Make Curating And Discovering New Destinations A Breeze". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  58. ^ Olanoff, Drew (23 August 2012). "Airbnb users are enjoying Wish Lists, one million listings have been added to them". The Next Web. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  59. ^ Kuang, Cliff (5 Oct 2012). "How Airbnb Evolved To Focus On Social Rather Than Searches". Fast Co.Design. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  60. ^ Roy, Jessica (13 Nov 2012). "Introducing Airbnb Neighborhoods, a Local Guide for Travelers Deciding Where to Stay". BetaBeat. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  61. ^ Baldwin, Roberto (13 Nov 2012). "Airbnb Introduces Neighborhood-Centric Travel Guides". Wired. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  62. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (13 Nov 2012). "Why Airbnb Neighborhoods could make traveling easier for all". CNET. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  63. ^ Lawler, Ryan (13 Nov 2012). "Airbnb Launches Neighborhoods, Providing The Definitive Travel Guide For Local Neighborhoods". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  64. ^ Graham, Paul. "Subject: Airbnb". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  65. ^ Geron, Tomio (14 February 2011). "Airbnb Goes Through "Pivots" Aplenty Before Finding Its Space". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  66. ^ McHugh, Molly (6 June 2011). "How AirBnB stole the startup spotlight". Digital Trends. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  67. ^ "Airbnb was the breakout app at SxSW 2011". Archived from the original on 20 June 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  68. ^ Rusli, Evelyn (7 July 2011). "The New Start-Ups at Sun Valley". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  69. ^ Tsotsis, Alexa (5 June 2011). "Will Airbnb Ever Be "The Airbnb For X"?". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  70. ^ "Airbnb: The Ebay for the Entire House". Forbes. 6 Dec 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  71. ^ Levy, Ari (18 July 2011). "Homeowners Use Airbnb Room-Renting Site to Pay Mortgage, Dodge Foreclosure". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  72. ^ Baker, Vicky (23 July 2010). "New York to crack down on 'no-tels'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  73. ^ Hoge, Patrick (9 Nov 2012). "Airbnb guests spent $56 million in San Francisco". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  74. ^ Geron, Tomio (9 Nov 2012). "Airbnb Had $56 Million Impact On San Francisco: Study". Forbes. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  75. ^ Lawler, Ryan (9 Nov 2012). "Airbnb: Our Guests Stay Longer And Spend More Than Hotel Guests, Contributing $56M To The San Francisco Economy". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  76. ^ Smith, Gerry (7 Nov 2012). "Airbnb Partners With New York To Provide Free Housing For Sandy Victims". Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  77. ^ Pepitone, Julianne (7 Nov 2012). "Airbnb launches free housing program for Sandy victims". CNN Money. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  78. ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (7 Nov 2012). "Airbnb helps Sandy victims find free housing". Venture Beat. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  79. ^ Rosoff, Matt (31 May 2011). "Airbnb Farmed Craigslist To Grow Its Listings, Says Competitor". Business Insider. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  80. ^ Matlin, Chadwick (7 June 2011). "$1 billion / 1 br — Amazing Startup, Slight History of Spam Problem". CNN Money. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  81. ^ a b c d Arrington, Michael (29 July 2011). "Airbnb Victim Speaks Again: Homeless, Scared And Angry". TechCrunch. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  82. ^ Tate, Ryan. "Woman Utterly Pillaged via Airbnb". Gawker.
  83. ^ Romero, Frances. "Airbnb Renter Wrecks Woman's San Francisco Home". Time.
  84. ^ a b Parr, ben. "Startup Crisis Control: 6 Painful Lessons from Airbnb". Mashable.
  85. ^ a b c Bly, Laura. "Plot thickens in Airbnb vacation rental horror story". USA Today.
  86. ^ a b Arrington, Michael. "Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: "There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere"". TechCrunch.
  87. ^ Worthham, Jenna. "After Horror Stories, Airbnb Unveils New Policies". New York Times.
  88. ^ Ramachandran, Vignesh. "Airbnb rental in Sweden allegedly used as 'temporary brothel'". NBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  89. ^ Olivarez-Giles, Nathan (1 August 2011). "Airbnb offers $50,000 insurance policy after user's 'nightmare'". LA Times. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  90. ^ Parr, Ben (1 August 2011). "Airbnb: "We Screwed Up And We're Sorry"". Mashable. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  91. ^ Ngak, Chenda (22 May 2011). "Airbnb will insure up to $1 million in property damage". CBS News. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  92. ^ Lieber, Ron (21 May 2013). "A $2,400 Fine for an Airbnb Host". New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  93. ^ Masnick, Mike (21 May 2013). "NYC Says Renting Out Your Place Via Airbnb Is Running An Illegal Hotel". CNN Money. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  94. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/quebec-cracks-down-on-airbnb/article12162984/
  95. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/betsy-isaacson/airbnb-identification-process_b_3194216.html
  96. ^ "http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2013/05/28/lets-help-airbnb-rebuild-the-bridge-it-just-burned/"
  97. ^ http://www.trustpilot.fr/review/www.airbnb.com
  98. ^ http://techpresident.com/news/23949/airbnb-causes-user-uproar-new-id-policy
  99. ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/01/airbnb_id_verification_offline/