https://www.businessinsider.

com/how-airbnb-was-founded-a-visual-history-2016-2Airbnb - poza cu fondatorii

https://getpaidforyourpad.com/blog/the-airbnb-founder-story/

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/112414/how-airbnb-makes-money.asp

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235709

https://onlinebusiness.umd.edu/blog/the-4-reasons-why-airbnb-is-so-successful/

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/

Info: Wiki

1. How it started?
2. What does the logo mean?
3. How it works?
4. Why is it succesful?
5. How does it cope with Covid 19?
6. SWOT
7. Conclusion

Info:

Airbnb, Inc. is an American vacation rental online marketplace company based in San Francisco, California,
United States. Airbnb offers arrangement for lodging, primarily homestays, or tourism experiences. The
company does not own any of the real estate listings, nor does it host events; it acts as a broker, receiving
commissions from each booking.

1. How it started?

It all started in 2007 when two students who couldn’t afford to pay their rent were searching for new ways to
make money.

The two roommates Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky knew a big design conference was going to take place in San
Francisco. As the event was about to happen, they noticed that all hotel rooms in the city were booked.

The saw an opportunity. They bought a few airbeds and quickly put up a site called “Air Bed and Breakfast.”
The idea was to offer visitors a place to sleep and breakfast in the morning. They charged $80 each a night.
Slide 5:The idea succeeded and the first Airbnb guests were a 30-year-old Indian man, a 35-year-old woman
from Boston and a 45-year-old father of four from Utah sleeping on their floor.

Soon after that a Harvard graduate, and technical architect Nathan Blecharczyk joined the team as the third
co-founder. The first decision they made was to change the website of the company as it had too few vistiors
and was not attractive enough.

They relaunched in August 2008, not long before the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Over 20,000
people were going to the convention, and all hotels were booked out. The idea was to cater to the thousands
of people that came to the convention when over 600 people stayed at Airbnbs.
They decided to gain more funds for the company by selling election-themed cereals. The Airbnb founders
managed to make a whopping $30,000 selling the Obama O's and Cap'n McCains.

Airbnb finally took off after a visit in New York done by the funders. The focus was changed from shared
spaces to all types of accommodation.

The most recent statistics show that Airbnb now has over 2 million listings in over 190 countries and 34,000
cities. Airbnb hosts have hosted over 40 million guests.

Slide 6:

2. What does the logo mean?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=73&v=nMITXMrrVQU&feature=emb_title

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235709

The most recent logo that Airbnb launched is called The Bélo. It is intended to be a symbol of “belonging,”
according to co-founder of the San Francisco-based company, Brian Chesky. The symbol itself is a combination
of four simple symbols: a head to represent people, a location icon to represent place, a heart for love and
then an A for Airbnb. A video (embedded below) explains the geometry of Airbnb’s logo.

“You see, a house is just a space, but a home is where you belong. And what makes this global community so
special is that for the very first time, you can belong anywhere,” says Chesky. “The rewards you get from
Airbnb aren’t just financial -- they’re personal --for hosts and guests alike.”

Slide 7:

3. How it works form an economical POV

Airbnb is based on an economic model called sharing economy.

This model allows buyers and sellers to conduct their business more easily by sharing human and physical
resources. This includes the collaborative consumption of goods and services of shared ownership and value.

Companies in the sharing economy don't provide individuals directly with goods and services, but make their
money by connecting buyers and sellers. This model has the potential for continued revenue growth. Ebay
Craiglist, Uber and Lyft are some examples of well-known companies that use this type of business model.

The primary source of Airbnb’s revenue comes from service fees from bookings charged to both guests and
hosts. Depending on the size of the reservation, guests are required to pay a nonrefundable service fee based
on the type of listing—usually under 14.2%. A more expensive reservation results in lower service fees for
guests because families or groups with larger reservations can save money for other travel expenses.10

Hosts are also charged a 3% fee with every completed booking to cover the processing of guest payments. This
fee may be higher for Airbnb Plus listings. When a reservation is booked, guests pay the service fee—unless
the host cancels or retracts the listing. If the reservation is altered, Airbnb adjusts service fees to
accommodate users
 4. Why is it succesful?

 Focus on user experience

When Airbnb’s startup team began focusing on the user experience, the company started to experience
an increase in its revenue. As soon as Airbnb improved its rental listings with professional, attention-
grabbing photographs, business became better. According to Fast Company’s Austin Carr, Airbnb
executives now contract thousands of freelancers to produce the website’s professional photos.

 It is safe

Hosts and guests are checked against regulatory, terrorist and sanction watchlists. For hosts and guests
in the United States, the company also conducts background checks.

Through the company’s platfrom the clients can safely transfer their money directly to the host. In order
to avoid getting scammed, the cleints are always encouraged to use the platform istead of paying
someone else.

Clients should always pay and communicate directly through the Airbnb website or app. As long as they
stay on Airbnb throughout the entire process – from communication through to booking and payment –
they’re protected by the company’s multi-layer defence strategy.

 It is fun

While hotels and licensed bed-and-breakfast establishments represent Airbnb’s primary competitors,
the company manages to differentiate its product with its fun, local appeal. As the Smith Brain Trust of
the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business explains, the Airbnb experience starts
when customers first browse the website and continues through the booking process and the stay.

Unlike traditional accommodations, Airbnb lodging options infuse their spaces with personality, since
the offerings belong to individuals, not hotel corporations. When customers first consider using Airbnb,
they become involved in a storyline that they can choose to take part in by booking a stay. Once they
arrive for the stay, they can see the story through to completion as they live like locals.

Slide 9:

5. How was Airbnb affected by Covid19?

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/06/can-airbnb-survive-the-coronavirus-pandemic.html

The global pandemic is proving to be Airbnb’s biggest challenge yet. The company is struggling with
cancelations and reimbursements after Airbnb announced it would be refunding customers whose
reservations fell within a certain timeframe. This angered many hosts, who were stuck having to pay back
most, if not all, of the cost of the rental. And while social distancing measures were in place, some local
governments deemed short-term rentals as non-essential businesses, adding more stress to hosts who rely on
Airbnb for income.

At the beginning of May, the company was forced to lay off 25% of its staff, nearly 1,900 individuals. CEO
Brian Chesky told employees that its 2020 revenue will be less than half of what the company earned in
2019.

Many guests were also frustrated by the way Airbnb handled refund requests. On March 14th, Airbnb
announced an extenuating circumstances policy that superseded the cancelation policy set by Airbnb hosts. If
a guest booked a trip on or before March 14th, with check-in dates between March 14, 2020 and April 14,
2020, that guest was allowed to cancel eligible trips without penalty. The policy was extended to allow guests
with reservations up until May 31st, and then again to June 15th, to be eligible for either an Airbnb credit or –
the more selective option – a full cash refund. But it was more difficult for many guests, and some will never
get their refunds.

Slide 8:

6. SWOT

Strenghts: Airbnb is recognized as the cheaper alternative to hotels. Prices are competitive and based on
location. You can shop around and choose the perfect place on your budget. Before committing to your
decision, you can check out the ratings provided by previous guests

Airbnb is different. The rooms and houses are unique :poze

Anyone can find a beautiful room, considering Airbnb is operational in over 190 countries. That’s more than
30,000 cities. If you’ve got time to spare, browse through over 1 million listings. That’s how many are available,
right now.

Social Media Presence – Airbnb has its presence on many social media platforms to gain maximum visibility
among the customers.

Good Customer Service – Airbnb provides goods customer service 24/7 that is one of the main strengths of the
company. When they make the customers happy, there are a lot of users for them.

Weaknesses:

Poor hosts can be damaging to the company’s reputation. If a host doesn’t follow Airbnb’s guidelines, there’s
consequences. Poor ratings and backlash on social can drastically reduce a company’s profits these days.
Considering their business models relies heavily on hosts from around the world, Airbnb is quite vulnerable to
the strangers they work with.

The business model is easy to replicate.

Laws and Regulations Violations – Airbnb faces problems from violating various housing laws and regulations.
Being Poor Hosts – Being a poor host can damage the company’s reputation. If in any case, the host does not
follow the Airbnb guidelines, they can face the consequences. When there are poor ratings and backlash on
social media, it hits the company’s profit in the current business world.

Easy to Copy its Business Model – Airbnb business model is easy to copy, and it is a huge weakness for its
success.

The Objectivity of Guest Review System – Airbnb has structured a review system, wherein the guests and hosts
can rate each other after they are done with their stay. Hosts and guests are not able to see reviews when
both have given a review.

Opportunities:

Expand into Emerging Markets – Airbnb can expand into emerging markets having less competition. This
provides a huge business opportunity.

Expand its product – Airbnb can expand its product mix and offerings. This will help them to serve the
customers better. For example, it can expand its product by providing travel guides, car rentals, etc.

MobileApp Usage – As the usage of mobile app increases, Airbnb has initiated a mobile app that will facilitate
the hosts and guests to get connected easily.

Low Price and Personal Touch – Airbnb’s low price and personal touch-enabled them to get their visibility
across and gain more revenue.

Threats:

Laws and Regulations in every Country – Airbnb services are available across in about 192 countries. Each state
and country have got its laws and regulations to obey. The company should carefully rely on guests and hosts
so that they could meet the local laws.

Lawsuits – The company is already facing some lawsuits and fines across the world in places like New York,
Florida, etc. The Barcelona Authorities has fined the Airbnb company with about 30,000 Euros for violating the
tourism laws. Even the New York Authorities has fined Airbnb for running illegal hotels.

Competitors – There sees a lot of competitor for Airbnb like VRBO, tripping, tripping.com, and many more. This
can give a tough time for the Airbnb company.

Slide 10: video

Slide 11: Conclusion

7. Conclusion

Airbnb has developed and grown as an online marketplace due to the success in the development of the
network and sharing economies. Since its establishment in 2008, the online business has grown to have over
160,000,000 guests in 191 countries. This success is due to a combination of the network and sharing
economy. The company has the ability to increase profits over time as its network continues to increase and
people have more need to rent out personal spaces for income. Airbnb has been able to break down walls that
once existed by being a platform where people can come together for mutual benefit by sharing their spare
rooms, houses and apartments. Airbnb will always rely on the network increasing over time and the need for
users to create income through sharing. Airbnb is a perfect example of an online business that has thrived
through the revolutionary changes that have occurred with online businesses.