Airbnb has recently become extremely popular over the last year or so. Airbnb is an online website in which individuals can list their personal homes up for rent for a short amount of time. This allows interested individuals to search for the perfect property in which they can rent for a short period of time from the homeowner. Airbnb is ideal for individuals who do not want to stay in a hotel and would prefer a personal property for their enjoyment. It also allows home owners to make money by renting out their personal spaces.

History of Airbnb & The Founders

Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky founded Airbnb back in 2008. The two founders started working on the project back in late 2007 after they moved to San Francisco, California. They started the business because they could not afford the rent in their apartment. Since they were not able to afford the rent, they decided to turn their living room into a bed and breakfast to be able to afford their rent. Nathan Blecharczyk joined the company in February of 2008 to serve as the co-founder. The founders launched the site back in late 2008.

To fund the website, the founders decided to create cereals featuring presidential candidates to grab the attention of people all over the nation. The founders sold 800 boxes of cereal in just a couple of months with each box costing $40. This generated a substantial amount of income in, which helped them fund the website that they launched which would be better known today as Airbnb. After the website launched, they continued to expand the website.

Creating A New Name

The original name of their website was called airbedandbreakfast.com in which they changed it to Airbnb.com in 2009. After changing the name of the website, the company started to gain exposure from people all across the United States. The founders flew to various places in the United States to promote the website which also helped them gain exposure.

When Airbnb continued to grow in numbers that the founders could not keep up with, they decided to hire employees to help with their business. In 2010, the founders had 15 people working for them in Brian Chesky’s apartment in which he gave up his apartment and temporarily lived through the Airbnb service to have a place to stay until he could find an office space to purchase for his employees.

Airbnb has been widely successful since they launched in late 2008 and they continue to rapidly grow. In early 2011, the company had their one millionth booking on their website. In early 2012, they had its five millionth booking by using their service. In June 2012, the company had already doubled the amount of people who have booked using their service.

Worldwide Expansion of Airbnb

In early 2011, Airbnb expanded their services internationally. Individuals all over the world are now using Airbnb to find people who are renting out their personal properties. Even up until now, Airbnb continues to open more headquarters all over the world in various countries. Airbnb currently has a total of nineteen offices in the world in which they continue to seek to open more.

Airbnb Operations for Members

Members who use Airbnb can search for bed and breakfasts’ reviews before making their decision to stay in one. The home owners who rent out their space set up a profile on the website which allows users to read their reviews and background. Airbnb also includes an instant messaging system in which users can communicate with each other.

When users want to find a place to stay, the homeowner has an option of showing the users prices, amenities, and images of their property. The website also allows home owners to set rules on the website that the tenant must follow. The website gives guests details about the homeowner’s neighborhood to ensure a good placement. Airbnb allows hosts and users to post reviews on their experience. Hosts who sign up for Airbnb must provide Airbnb with a government issued identification before they can list properties for rent.

Mobile Access for Apple & Co

Airbnb offers users and hosts mobile apps on both Android and Apple devices so that they can use their services on the go. The app offers just about everything that the website offers such as instant messaging and browsing deals. Airbnb has been one of the most downloaded apps in history and they have received awards due to their mobile success.

Airbnb Security for Guests and Hosts

Airbnb provides their users with excellent security measures that are in place to protect everyone that is using the service. The website allows users to post reviews about their hosts which may or may not build a reputable reputation. Hosts are now allowed to see a guest’s verified identification prior to booking and a host does not have to accept a reservation if they do not want to do so. Airbnb has a flawless payment system in which protects hosts and guests that use Airbnb. Payments are processed through their payment system 24 hours after check-in.

Airbnb also has a feature that has a guaranteed cancellation policy for their hosts and users. Airbnb manages security deposits and other types of fees. Airbnb also protects their hosts by managing a host guarantee program if the damage of their property occurs during a booking. The host guarantee program offers up to $50,000 for any property damage. Airbnb has recently set up a 24-hour customer service phone number if a guest or host has any issues with security while using their services. Certain countries are eligible for the host guarantee program and if property damage occurs, the homeowner may be eligible up to one million dollars in insurance funds.