Question :

1. What is the potential for Airbnb to aid in humanitarian crisis and mass

migration? Is this a responsibility or an opportunity? Airbnb has already taken

some steps to do this by providing free accommodation to aid workers, why

not to refugees? What kind of risks do they anticipate with offering housing to

refugees and/or immigrants?

CASE 1: HOW DO YOU ASSESS AIRBNB? We imagine a world where you can belong anywhere. Airbnb is an online platform that allows people to rent short term accommodation. This ranges from regulor people with a spare bedroom, to property management firms who lease multiple rentals. However, the platform has expanded by partnering with cor rental services, restaurants, entertainment and tour sites, among others to become an al-in-one travel site. They brand themselves as an online travel community'. clowing guests to have a local experience in exotic locations The original idea for the company began in 2007 with roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. They had recently moved to San Francisco and were looking for interesting opportunities. Chesky, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), noticed that all of the hotel rooms in San Francisco were booked due to a local design conference. The two friends saw this as an opportunity and decided to host guests in their apartment for the weekend. They bought three ar mattresses and Airbnb was bom. Though this is a nice founding anecdote, the two friends had been looking for a good startup idea for a while. 50 when the moment presented itself, they were conditioned to view it from potential business perspective. The idea did not really take off for another two or three years. The friends went through many different models before the company became successful. In fact, their first round of funding was a creative plea of sight desperation A fellow RISD Clum printed 1,000 exclusively designed cereal boxes that they sent to potential hosts homeowners) so that they could fulfil the bnb port of the brand. This was in 2008, and two options were Obama O's and Cap'n McCains. This made them their first $30.000 upon which they have successfully built a company worth $31b in 2019. Shortly after the cereal box adventure, they were noticed by VC Paul Graham, and invited to join Y Combinator, a prestigious start-up accelerator. They were famously rejected many times even after joining y Combinator, but by 2009 they had a seed investment of $600.000 from Sequoia Capital. By 2011 they had reached 89 countries. and 1 million nights booked. Obama O's CAP'N CH MCCAIN'S Original cereal boxes printed for Airbnb in 2008 Brian Chesky has done a volont job at marketing Airbnb as a community of people interested in creating a home away from home, where travelers feel that they really belong'. He talks about trust, sharing and creating a more open world space. In the era of hotels most people would rarely see the normal aspects of life in a foreign location. They would have a highly catered and curated experience. Airbnb offers a middle ground in which mony can experience a more residential lifestyle. at a cost much lower than hotels However. Chesky's very "green" image of Airbnb does warrant some prodding. He claims that this world community can be created simply by renting rooms and homes. Hosts are not even required to meet their guests. There is a decisive difference between the image that Airbnb presents, and the reality that users experience. Most of the time, when you rent on Airbnb, it is not much more than what you would experience at a hotel. The personal touch that the company promises is not enforced. and I think we would find it strange if it was. This is not to say that Airbnb fails in all of its promises, but it's not apparently clear whether a company like Airbnb, whose very business model is a commercialization of shared space can ever succeed in creating a more empathetic open-world-space'. Throughout its success story are thousands of stories of struggle and frustration. Just refer to the neighbourhoods, communities, and cities that Airbnb has influenced. While Airbnb has made travel more accessible, it has also contributed to rising rent and evictions. Communities must contend with the "hotelization and gentrification of their neighbourhoods as Airbnbers move in and leave ittle space for anyone else. This affects some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods which struggle for representation and resources. The company often pretends that everybody benefits from their platform. However, people who can't find housing, live in cramped conditions, don't own their flats, or can't rent them are not simply excluded from the benefits of Airbnb, but are often hammed. HOMES NOT SOTELS A Protestos modis groot voor a hearing on the subject of Arbis New York January 2015 Another unexpected outcome of Arbnb's massive gowns sense of Unaccountability when it comes to user experience. And holds the right to make hard and cold decisions about who uses the platform and who doesn't and con enforce these decisions at any time. There is no croped procent and you are blocked from communicating with the company, so even if there was a mistake you're out of luck. This power can be used well. For example to hos denies accommodation de to roce. orta guest ruins an apartment. However, in the core of one customer who was barred because of a disagreement with the host during his stay that escalated into on otsite complaint the customer complained in Google Boors were much more obscure and would have possibly resulted amicably had the company fokon bol sides of the story before making the final decision. When on instance is occurs. forces us to wonder how large corporations can be held accountable for their decisions especially when they dominate on industry Looking forward, we might ask how it is responding on How much do they core about their endemainfuence on communibes, cities or even individuais How much do they feel the need to explain their actions to the outside world Arbnb has implemented policies to address or concom such as comprehensive insurance policies to cover hosts in case of damage and practices which attempt to reduce tacial bias. In some cities they have begun to pay hotel tacond have also shared portions of the data with local governments. This date solicito understand and react appropriately to Arbnb's influence in the community. However, the now massive tech company could be doing a lot more, for example they have been rather Vogue about how their policies will actually succeed at reducing racial bios, and though they claim to be working in concord with local government. They continue to enable gentrification Arbnb has decentralized the hotel industry and put much of the profit of accommodation into the hands of regular people. According to Business Insider, the home-sharing platform which has offerings in 191 countries outstrips Mamont International Hilton Worldwide Intercontinental Hotel Group Wyndham Worldwide and Accor Hotel Group, which have 39 msings between them. This vont decentration has played a major role in the development of the song economy along with companies like Uber and Lyft. This kind of songs not necessarily new Previously services like Couchsurfing, oplatom that started amocy in 2004 and offers Similar accommodation options but free of charge. could enchasima need, but the defining difference is the exchange of money. This move from a sociolto market exchange might suggest that real song's not happening because not freely Whatever way you look at the sharing economy has accomplished a much larger user base thon platforme Couchsurfing ever hos Price exchange of money guarantees better quality or increases our ability to trust a stronger Ether way, people ore much more willing to trust a stronger with Arbnb Thon with Couchsurfing-and the only real difference is money The loss Global Awareness and Openness. As individual homes on all over the world to travelers a les curated ond potentially more authentic experience of place becomes possible. Connections are made between hot and guest which feel tess professional Openness and accessibility food not only to a greater amount of options, but o different mindset in the traveler Theres afing of trust established through the rating and review system, which enables people to take risk which they most likely would not do without such a platform. This digital to creates a space in which alobal movement and participation feels like a very record present possibility