EP180: This Week in the World of Airbnb - a podcast by Jasper Ribbers

I agree to treat everyone in the Airbnb community—regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age—with respect, and without judgment or bias.

Creating an account on Airbnb requires agreeing to the platform’s Community Commitment. When Airbnb became aware of users making plans to attend a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the company took action to delete those accounts, and CEO Brian Chesky spoke out against Unite the Right, saying, “The violence, racism and hatred demonstrated by Neo-Nazis, the alt-right, and white supremacists should have no place in this world.”

Jasper is joined by Hostfully marketing guru, Glenn Carter, to discuss Airbnb’s strong stance against the white nationalist philosophy. They also cover the latest in Airbnb’s ongoing conflict with the hotel industry, examining the Hotel Association of New York City’s hiring of a private security firm to hunt down illegal activity on the platform.

But the news isn’t all bad! Glenn and Jasper also mention Airbnb’s latest milestone: The home-sharing site’s unprecedented four million listings – which account for more than the top five hotel chains combined. Other wins for Airbnb this week? They have announced a partnership with Vice Media that will promote their Experiences travel packages, and you can now book an entire island in Belize on Airbnb for a romantic getaway. Listen in to learn about these stories, as well as Google’s entry into the short-term rental space.

Topics Covered

Article #1: Airbnb is Deactivating Accounts of People Trying to Attend a White Supremacist Rally
•Airbnb banned all accounts with suspected affiliation
•Chesky doubled down after rally, citing Airbnb Community Commitment
•Some believe Airbnb should allow accounts, ‘everyone has right to opinion’
•Others support decision, agree that hate speech is criminal in nature
•Airbnb has right to ban users from platform
•Difficult to hide behind veil of free speech when advocate violence

Article #2: Airbnb Now Has More Listings Worldwide Than the Top Five Hotel Brands Combined
•Airbnb has 4M listings in 191 countries (500K in 2012)
•US remains biggest market (660K listings), followed by France, Italy, Spain and UK
•2M listings are instantly bookable
•Popularity stems from desire to earn income from asset already own
•Would be interesting to know number of hosts (average of three listings/host in March 2016)
•Regulations requiring listing to be primary residence may alter data

Article #3: Airbnb Has Shut Down 524 Portland Locations Since January
•Violated policy against multiple listings
•City regulations require operators to live in home they’re renting

Article #4: Vice Partners with Airbnb to Offer Travel Packages
•Youth-focused digital media company, promotes ‘living on the edge’
•Joint venture will give away 100 customized tours
•Moving forward, Airbnb will keep tour profits
•Vice will receive advertising spending from Airbnb to market Experiences

Article #5: You Can Rent an Entire Island for $595 a Night on Airbnb
•Bird Island in Belize
•Perfect setting for romantic getaway
•Accommodates up to six people

Article #6: Hotel Association Hires Ex-Cop to Track Illegal Activity on Airbnb
•Former NYPD officer, Secret Service who founded private security firm
•Undercover looking for criminal activity caused by Airbnb users

Article #7: Meet Airbnb’s Newest Competitor: Google
•Google making listings viewable through hotel search engine
•7,000 listings exclusive to Europe thus far
•Links to Priceline and booking.com

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