Airbrb helps you monetize your empty work desk when you're away

Breaking news in the sharing economy!!!

Despite record revenue growth in their core business of short term property rentals, Airbnb is adding a new service that lets office workers rent out their office desks, amenities included.

If you're planning to take a vacation from work, hang out in the pantry, or do some extended reading on the can, Airbnb will help you rent out your office desk for a handsome sum until you get back.  It's magnificently called AirBRB.

 
Airbnb Presents: Airbrb from Airbnb on Vimeo.

UberX makes a sneak preview in Singapore, with prices slashed in half

UberX was pretty much the only way I got around during my recent visit home to San Francisco.  And starting yesterday, it just might be the only way I get around Singapore from now on.

Uber has kicked off a beta of its lower cost UberX service in Singapore, where it previously offered only UberBlack cars.  If I'm not mistaken, this marks Asia's first taste of the lower cost service from Uber.

I'm not exactly sure how I got selected, but yours truly was among the fortunate ones with an opportunity to test drive the new UberX service.  I rejoiced after seeing the base fare slashed in half compared to UberBlack, and the per kilometer fare was more than half off.  At those prices, I'd be more than satisfied with a Camry or Corolla, which are the UberX cars currently being used, instead of the Mercedes or BMW sedans of UberBlack service.

But my smile was short lived.  The three times I fired up my Uber app, my estimated wait for an UberX to arrive at my pickup location was about 15 minutes on each attempt.   I'm hoping this will be improvd and maybe in a few weeks if/when more UberX drivers hit the road, this will become a non issue.

Uber has been a disruptor of local taxi companies since they first appeared on the streets with UberBlack.  They basically got licensed black car drivers with idle time to start picking up riders who might have otherwise booked or flagged down a normal cab.  Uber also changed the ball game with the most simple and easy to use mobile app for ride booking services.  Seriously, you just can't even compare the user experience on Uber's app with the clunky and ugly Comfort DelGro app.

Now UberX takes that disruption several degrees further by letting any Tom, Dick, or Harry become a driver without a special license.  Not only does this increase supply for consumers and increases competition with local cabs, but it also encourages drivers to drive for Uber instead of the local taxi companies (which could mean less revenue for those companies and also the government).  

I'm not sure if Singapore's UberX drivers are average people like you and me, or if they still hold valid operating licenses like their UberBlack limo driver counterparts.  Not that I really care though, as long as the fares continue to be half that of UberBlack here in Singapore.

Airbnb's redesigned app empowers micro-hoteliers to deliver personality driven hospitality

"We are a hospitality company." - Brian Chesky, CEO Airbnb

On November 12, Airbnb hosted their first ever Airbnb Open event and made some exciting new announcements targeted primarily at their host community.  Although birthday wishes for yours truly weren't among them, the big news was the launch of a revamped mobile app.  Also making headlines was a suite of new programs aimed at improving the host experience and consequently the hospitality that Airbnb relies on its 350,000 hosts to deliver.

In the atrium of Airbnb's beautifully designed new headquarters, Brian Chesky illustrated his company's roots and then introduced the revamped mobile app with an electrifying passion and contagious enthusiasm that I have now come to expect during his talks.  While the improved app now seduces accommodation seekers ever more with inviting imagery and a cleaned up user interface, the real magic is in the mobile app's new host-facing user experience called Host Home.  For once, it's the suppliers who get the cool tools!

The company blog says it best . . .

"Hosting should be easy and enjoyable. That’s the premise behind our new Host Home. Think of Host Home as your hosting mentor—always there when you need it. Host Home provides you the right information at the right moment, from coaching you through listing a space to allowing you to effortlessly manage multiple bookings. Hosting on Airbnb has never been such a snap."

This is a unique approach compared to other travel and hospitality companies whose mobile apps focus almost exclusively on the consumer. But unlike companies such as Marriott, who have standard operating policies for their hotel staff, Airbnb is at the mercy of its hosts to deliver hospitality.  Many are first time hosts and could possibly look to Host Home as a "hosting for dummies" of sorts. 

If you think about the Airbnb customer experience from search to post-stay, the company's biggest challenge is the guest's arrival and the hospitality they experience during their stay.  These are the ultimate moments of truth, and unfortunately these critical moments that can make or break a customer experience are out of the direct control of Airbnb.  So to the extent that the company can creatively educate and empower hosts on hospitality standards, the better the chances for improved guest experiences.

So it comes with little surprise that the new Airbnb app seeks to influence host behavior and ultimately create a more consistent hospitality experience -- from basic comfort needs all the way to anticipatory service that creates a truly memorable trip.  Host Home provides hosts with best practices on delivering hospitality at the critical moments of a guest's travel experience.  The mentorship comes straight from the legendary Chip Conley, the company's new Head of Hospitality, and is aligned with improving the guest experience at each of the nine moments of truth he and his hospitality team have identified.  

But don't be fooled into thinking that the nine hospitality standards will make for cookie cutter experiences.  There is probably no better guru than Chip Conley to coach Airbnb hosts (or anyone for that matter) on providing authentic hospitality by embracing their unique personalities.  

In addition to announcing the revamped mobile app, Airbnb also announced the follow new features and releases:

Airbnb Stories: A new content marketing platform, Airbnb Stories is a collection of just that . . . inspiring stories that have emerged as a result of hosts opening up their homes to guests and letting their paths cross. 

SuperHost Alliance: Airbnb said it will relaunch its SuperHost program in 2014. The company describes the SuperHost Alliance as "a league of extraordinary Airbnb hosts" whose listings reflect their special status with a badge.

Host Rewards: Also beginning in 2014, Airbnb will run a rewards program for hosts, giving them travel credits, perks, and other privileges.

Host Groups: Debuting in beta in June and formally launching Tuesday, Host Groups now have more than 10,000 participants in more than 300 groups.  Groups allow hosts to leverage their collective knowledge to help each other improve their hosting capabilities.

Hospitality Lab: Chip Conley gave a peek at the inner workings of Airbnb's Hospitality Lab in Dublin, outlining standards hosts should follow in booking (to build trust), preparation (to make a good first impression), and arrival (interactions with guests).

While Airbnb inks petition signatures, HomeAway inks landmark business deals

I find it interesting that the two biggest names in online vacation rentals, Airbnb and HomeAway, exhibit such stark contrast when it comes to their respective press headlines.  Although Airbnb focuses more on peer to peer shared accommodations, both companies are in no short supply of whole unit rentals which people like you and I can book on their sites.  Yet Airbnb seems to be under intense legal scrutiny while HomeAway flies more or less under the radar.

Airbnb has taken big hits in New York recently, having been subpoenaed by New York's Attorney General to provide personal data for up to 225,000 of its New York hosts.  Airbnb has publicly expressed that the request is unreasonably broad and that the company will fight it with everything they've got.

And so the fight continues in New York, and Airbnb has armed itself with artillery.  On the lighter side, a Save Airbnb in New York petition has drummed up over 70,000 signatures and far exceeded the original goal of 20,000 signatures.  Did you know this petition was started by one of the company's users?  It's impressive to see such die hard fanatics the Airbnb brand/experience has cultivated.  In full disclosure I'm also one of them!

For the heavier artillery, Airbnb has released an economic study that shows it generated $632 million in economic activity in New York City in just one year, and that 82% of all listings were in neighborhoods outside the traditional tourist zones in Midtown.  Surprisingly 87% of Airbnb hosts rent out the home they live in and earn on average $7,530 per year.  Critics argue that Airbnb's contributions are just a drop in the ocean when put into the context of overall New York City tourism receipts, but for such a young travel company to impact outlier neighborhoods the way it has in New York and other major international cities is down right unprecedented.

So while Airbnb was caught up in a defensive web of legal issues, petitions, and lobbying, what was HomeAway up to in the last week?  There was no sign of HomeAway draining valuable resources on legal battles.  Instead they were gettin down to business with launching a new commission-based business model and inking a landmark distribution deal with Expedia which should significantly boost the demand profile for their vacation rental product starting in 2014.

But interestingly this vacation rental product isn't so different from the type of product that Airbnb is coming under fire for in New York.  The legislation that should apply equally to both companies is the ban on short term stays of less than 30 days when the owner or leaseholder is not present.   But a quick search on HomeAway properties in Manhattan shows over 1,000 whole unit listings available.  Many of these only require a three night minimum stay if any.

This is certainly just speculation, but it's possible that HomeAway and other vacation rental sites may be cooperating with government requests for submitting user data.  If that's the case, and again this is just speculation, then I believe all the more reason to admire Airbnb for putting up a public fight in New York to protect user privacy and not taking the easy way out like some of these other tech companies.

Airbnb versus New York City. The saga continues over a subpoena for data on NYC hosts.

NYC still has 1000+ listings for entire apartments

There's been no shortage of drama between Airbnb and New York City regarding the legality of short term rentals.

It all started with a man named Nigel Warren, a New York resident who was fined $2,400 for renting out a room in his apartment on Airbnb.  Late last month, a New York judge reversed the fines in a victory for Nigel and Airbnb who had appealed the earlier decision.  It turns out that it's actually not illegal to rent out a room as long as someone is physically present in the apartment at the same time the guest is staying over.  Airbnb dodged a bullet on a technicality, although many more are likely to be shot over the plethora of vacant apartments that are rented out by landlords or property managers.

And then there's the hotel industry blowing the whistle on Airbnb hosts because they don't pay the city occupancy taxes that hotels are required to pay.  Airbnb's CEO, Brian Chesky, has for the first time acknowledged that most hosts should have to pay some sort of occupancy tax.  Could this be a peace offering move to prevent any possibility of widespread removal of all host listings?  It's important to note that what happens in New York City will likely create a new paradigm for other cities, with reports that San Francisco has also reached an agreement with Airbnb that would require hosts to pay occupancy taxes.

And with that, it didn't take long for New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, to demand user data for 225,000 New Yorkers who have previously listed a room on Airbnb.  The data is being subpoenaed as part of an investigation into people who had possibly violated the law by renting out their room without being physically present.  If Airbnb does provide New York's AG with this info, we can reasonably assume that hundreds of Airbnb hosts would be served up fines or have to pay taxes retroactively.  A quick search on Airbnb's listings in New York City show that there are more than 1,000 listings even after filtering for "entire place" units only.  In theory, the vast majority of these "entire place" units are rented out illegally.

It should almost go without saying that Airbnb will not comply in an effort to protect the privacy of its community and user data.  As written on the company blog, "this demand is unreasonably broad and we will fight it with everything we've got."

The blog goes on to say, "As these conversations continue, we will always be committed to protecting our hosts' privacy and we will always stand by the hosts who are the heart and soul of this community."

Now that is an awesome company sticking up for the privacy rights of its users!  I just hope that Airbnb holds true to their battle cry, even if legal pressures begin to mount against the company to hand over its user data.

Turning homes into hotels . . . Innovation you just can't learn from the corporate workplace or school!

My first Airbnb experience!

I've worked in branded hotels, the world's largest online travel agency, and studied hospitality and online distribution at Cornell's hotel school.  Despite the experiences I've gained over the last decade, none prepared me for one of the biggest movements currently going on in the business world -- the sharing economy.

The travel industry has been tremendously impacted by the rise of the peer to peer sharing economy.  The poster child of this new movement is Airbnb, the online marketplace for people to rent their own home out to travelers who seek a unique, localized, and often times cheaper alternative to conventional hotels.  Although the company is relatively young, it won't be long before its marketplace of lodging substitutes starts taking an enormous bite into hotel market share.  We're seeing it in Spain already.

Already in less than five years, Airbnb grew from 3 air mattresses in the co-founders' apartment all the way to over 300,000 listings in over 34,000 cities worldwide.  To put it into perspective, these supply figures and likely booking values already rival that of some major international hotel chains.  While there are competitor sites such as Roomorama, Wimdu, and Housetrip, the supply footprint of Airbnb dwarfs the pack at the highest aggregate level.

But the massive supply stats aren't the only cool numbers . . . did you know there are 123 people staying in castles on any given night that were made possible by Airbnb?  Yes, that's right . . . frikkin castles.  But there are some bad numbers as well, including the hefty fines imposed on some hosts for illegally renting out their homes.

The disruption that the sharing economy and specifically Airbnb has created in the online travel world has inspired me to start this blog.  It's really for me to organize my own thoughts and research, but I'll share news and provide some points of view on the sharing economy and the key players aiming to revolutionize the online travel space further.

Check out this video below for a good intro to Airbnb given by none other than co-founder Brian Chesky himself.

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