When you think about what type of company Airbnb is, it is hard to qualify. They have aspects of a social networking company, a real estate business, a payments company. Realistically they are an internet technology company, but what does that mean? So is Google, Dropbox, Slack, Medium and hundreds more. What is different is that Airbnb doesn’t sell ads or premium software or e-commerce goods or internet services.
Airbnb sells space.
And it is from this idea that the question posed in the title — what is missing from Airbnb’s technology — is answered.
Because space is the asset for Airbnb hosts. Beneath everything a guest is looking for — an adventure, a weekend away, a chance to meet new people — what they actually need is a space to stay. So this begs the question: why hasn’t Airbnb developed or invested in technology that enhances the space itself?
They have developed incredible internet solutions, from their Neighborhoods project to their in-house search and payments systems, but they have neglected all things physical — everything that can affect the frames ¹ in between “booking confirmed” and “safe and at home.”
I began to understand the subtleties of this need when I first asked my roommates if I could host my room on Airnb(after I explained what Airbnb was). They responded,
“Absolutely not. I won’t feel safe if I am not home.”
It was in this moment I realized hosts’ safety and comfort must come first. How was I supposed to make my guests feel like they belong if we as hosts don’t even feel comfortable in our own home? Without hosts, guests don’t even have a choice, so hosts must be treated as value-ambassadors for Airbnb: ensure their safety and comfort and they will carry the sense of belonging ² down to their guests.
An obvious answer would be to partner with technologies like Nest Cam, so that people like my roommates can feel safe even when they aren’t home. Even allowing hosts to purchase devices like this at a discount or giving them away to Super Hosts would be a step in the right direction.
After hosts’ sense of comfort is ensured, we can then pivot our attention to guests’ sense of belonging. There is a disconnect during the time between confirming a booking and when the guests arrive where they sit in limbo — technically welcome according to the app, but the notion is not carried through in real life. Keys must be exchanged, check-ins must occur, blah blah.
Integrating the Airbnb platform with smart-lock technologies such as Sesame or August would rid of this disconnect. Hosts will remain secure as they can program the lock to only open for the duration of each stay, and guests can feel at home even before they ever set foot inside (they have the keys, after all).
Space is the asset. It is time Airbnb truly started to notice.
¹ See Airbnb core value: Every Frame Matters
² Current Airbnb tagline: “Belong Anywhere”
Thank you so much for reading! I want this to be an open discussion, so please comment or send a message directly to me, Mike Fix. Stay tuned for more whims and also checkout Part 1 of this series.
