We just saw an article on Bloomberg Technology that talks about some up and coming plans of AirBnB.
Basically the company is moving down the road to becoming a full service travel company –
- The existing basic BnB type room rental,
- Regular vacation homes from normal to high-end,
- The already fast growing “Experiences” which let you “visit like a local,”
- The AirBnB branded “AirBnB Plus” hotel/apartment hybrids being built across the country, and soon,
- “Beyond AirBnB” for the “mega-homes, mansions and penthouses.”
At a company event on Thursday, Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive officer, outlined a roadmap designed to make his service more mainstream. The efforts include highlighting hotels on the website, a loyalty program, and the ability to match guests with accommodations that fit their budgets and tastes.
Chesky also showed off a new type of hotel-like accommodations called Airbnb Plus. The higher-end homes will be visited by an inspector, who will determine if the homes meet requirements ranging from fresh, matching towels and working appliances to a commitment to stock the home’s kitchen with a selection of teas and coffee, similar to hotel offerings. Chesky also teased a new luxury brand called Beyond by Airbnb. The tier of mega-homes, mansions and penthouses will be available to users in the spring.
It is pretty common to read posts on discussion boards by hosts who complain the ‘cachet’ of the ‘old AirBnB’ is gone – “guests today treat my house like a hotel”. These moves by the company could make that more common, or it could allow the market to segment itself – AirBnB could offer the “ability to match guests with accommodations that fit their budgets and tastes.”
Currently the site has 204,000 rooms from hotels and bed-and-breakfast places for rent, and hotel listings have increased sixfold over the past year, according to the company.
Here at Air Cape Cod we welcome the change and think it especially beneficial to our existing hosts. When everybody looks to book all their travel through AirBnB it broadens our market. Cape Cod is a world class destination, and offering accommodations in every price range lets us welcome more and more guests every year.
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