New luxe options, benefits for users
Airbnb’s chief executive unveils new perks for “Super Hosts”
SAN FRANCISCO » Airbnb got an upgrade Thursday, rolling out new luxury options and added user benefits in an attempt to attract a wider customer base as the company gears up for an IPO expected as soon as 2019.
To appeal to travelers who seek out the nicer things in life — which previously may havemeant hotels, not Airbnb rentals — CEO Brian Chesky unveiled “Airbnb Plus.” Starting Thursday, the new feature offers 2,000 “insanely nice” homes in 13 cities, he said, including San Francisco.
Chesky also teased the upcoming “Beyond by Airbnb,” a product of the company’s acquisition of Luxury Retreats, which provides high- end stays at extravagant homes and villas in places such as Aspen and Tuscany.
And he revealed improved search tools, which let users find homes with specific characteristics — such as a musician’s rustic home with a balcony — as well as new perks for Airbnb’s top-rated landlords and renters.
“We think we finally do have a home for everyone,” Chesky told a crowd of journalists and cheering Airbnb users Thursday from the stage of theMasonic theater in San Francisco. “I want you to imagine arriving to a city and someone says, ‘welcome to my home.’ Where home isn’t just a house, but anywhere you belong.”
The news is the latest attempt by Airbnb to diversify its product offerings and transform what was once a scrappy startup into a mature company with staying power and the ability to eventually go public. It’s also a move to lure more users into the Airbnb community, as the company continues to strugglewith regulatory setbacks. In San Francisco, for example, after initially fighting city officials, Airbnb in May agreed to kick hosts off the platform if they didn’t register with the city — a practice the company put into place at the beginning of this year.
It was just over a year ago that Airbnb first branched beyond its trademark homesharing platform with the launch of Experiences, which lets travelers book activities led by local residents. Earlier this month, Airbnb tapped Belinda Johnson as its first chief operating officer, elevating her from her former role as chief business affairs and legal officer. Lastmonth Airbnb appointed its first independent board member— former American Express CEO Ken Chenault. Airbnb, which, like most startups, has been tight-lipped about its financials in the past, has promised to provide greater transparency by releasing its first annual stakeholder report in March.
With Thursday’s announcement, Airbnb appears to be turning a new focus to luxury. The homes on the new Airbnb Plus section are verified via a 100-point inspection, which checks everything from the home’s WiFi quality to its aesthetic design. Addingmore luxury options, Beyond by Airbnb will launch its high-end offerings this spring.
To help travelers choose between Airbnb’s 4.5million listings, the company also is dividing its homes into new categories with advanced search options. Guests can look specifically for vacation homes, bed and breakfast options, or “unique” residences — such as tree houses and boats. Then they can further narrow their search by requesting a home with a crib or a large kitchen, or they can choose a home tailored to their reason for travel — picking a kid-friendly house for a family trip, ora home with an office for a business trip.
“The aspiration is tomake sure that people see themselves and their dreams for travel in one of those,” Margaret Richardson, Airbnb’s head of global policy development, said in an interview after the announcement.
Chesky also announced new perks for the homesharing company’s highestrated hosts, dubbed “Superhosts,” whowill get access to new perks over the course of the year including personalized URLs for their listings and discounts on smart home products from vendors like Nest. This summer, Airbnb also will launch a trial “Super guest” program, offering 10,000 guests access to special benefits such as airport pickup and exclusive activities.
All the changes have spurred buzz about a potential upcoming Airbnb initial public offering. But Chesky quelled those rumors earlier this month, saying therewill be no IPO in 2018.
“We’re working on getting ready to go public,” he wrote in a company blog post, “and we will make decisions about going public on our own timetable.”