Our vision

Brian Chesky
5 min readJan 1, 2014

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Imagine if you could see the world like Van Gogh

Find a tiny home to write that great masterpiece

Hemingway stayed in boardinghouses, as did many writers.

Or go on tour, staying in homes along the way

Louis Armstrong stayed in homes when he traveled.

Imagine for a day you could live like a king

1 of 665 castles.

or be an explorer

1 of 1000+ boats.

or even a kid

1 of 309 treehouses.

Imagine when you arrived, you were made to feel special

Being welcomed in Barcelona.

In a home that is smart

Many Airbnb listings are quite advanced with Nest thermostats, iPads for guests, etc.

and designed to be shared

Dinner party at the Airbnb of one of our top hosts in Brooklyn, Shell.

Where home isn’t just a house

You see, home is anywhere you belong

Salzburg host, Gertraud, and her family share their home and provide an extensive list of local things to do for all their guests. Photography by Ailine Liefeld.

You now have the keys to this new open world

House of Nalin, top host in India.

A world of wonder

Mushroom Dome Cabin.

filled with unexpected surprises

and delicious delights

Eating at Jiro’s sons restaurant in Tokyo while staying on Airbnb.

A world you never even knew existed

Vayable street art tour in San Francisco.

A world with communities of people just like you

Where behind every door is a host

Kimberly, a host in the East Village in NY.

who treats you like family

This is Caitlin, the first host I ever stayed with in Denver for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

We are a new kind of economy not powered by machines

Not mass-produced dystopias

Not an artificial home

We are powered by people, a world of entrepreneurs

Host Jonathan can now pursue his dream of ceramics.

Who are building a new economy around sharing

Shell serving her guests.

Where cities become villages

One of oldest homes in country I stayed in Philadelphia.

With a friend in every city

Penpals with host Nalin in India.

But as wild as this seems, it’s not a new idea

Nearly half of Americans in the 19th century stayed in boardinghouses.

The romance of travel is back

and it’s here to stay

Wedding at the Mushroom Dome Cabin.

What started with 3 airbeds

Original apartment where Joe and I still live to this day.

is now in 190 countries

and one day in the remaining 4

We are currently not in Cuba, Syria, North Korea, or Iran.

We celebrate the different

Ovni House in Puerto Rico.

and see potential in everything

Gas Station House in New Orleans.

We think a moonshot is actually booking the moon

We believe in supporting local economies

and being a model to cities

Joe Gebbia with the Mayor of Seoul.

We believe in diplomacy at the street level

Jorge was a border guard in West Germany whose host, Kay, was a border guard in East Germany — same location, same shift.

and honoring those who challenge the status quo

Host Mishelle in Brooklyn, who started a petition to change the NY law.

We are dedicated to sharing with those in need

Hosts who opened their homes during Hurricane Sandy.

We believe the measure of life will be in its meaningful moments

Mom enjoying our Airbnb in Bali with our host, Jeff.

Tonight 252,472 people will have these moments

Us enjoying a New Year’s Eve Bali restaurant.

Happy New Year!

Found this photo on Instagram, from Jared Barnard’s wife.

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