5 ms·

Airbnb (YC W09): The Rise of the One-Room Hotel

32 points by robg 16y ago

SriniK 16y ago
Really like Airbnb hack for hotel system. I haven't used the service but following comment from the article makes sense. Does Airbnb have any process or protection to avoid this? There's always the danger that something bad will happen to someone who rents a room, touching off a Craiglist-killer-like panic.
- dave1619 16y ago
  I'm also curious what protection or approach is taken to avoid bad things happening to single females renting a room through Airbnb.
makmanalp 16y ago
The hotels lobbying against airbnb and its likes in NYC comes off as cowardly to me. Yes, there are health and security concerns and yes, they can be addressed by some common sense procedures such as checking ratings before you go and sending a friend the address of where you're staying, and maybe let them check in on you by phone if you're that paranoid. Furthermore, the "craigslist killer" was also suspected to have been involved in three cases of assault and murder in actual, major hotels: Westin, Mariott and Holiday Inn based on similar criminal characteristics. Prosecution was stopped when he committed suicide. Crime can happen anywhere. Also, have you never heard of bedbug cases in hotels? Viva creative destruction.
- wait 16y ago
  If you're talking about the bill that makes something like Airbnb illegal, their founder commented on it during StartUp School. If I remember correctly, he said that the bill was in response to people who would buy apartment buildings and use all the rooms to make them into an unlicensed hotel. They talked with the sponsor of the bill and he said that they wanted to work with each other, or something to that effect. I haven't looked into it any more than watching his talk, so I could be wrong. That's not to disagree with you, though. I find it a cowardly move, as well.
racecar789 16y ago
Airbnb does run a risk of pushback by state/local governments. Cities create residential/business zoning for valid reasons. Airbnb disregards this zoning and turns every house into a potential hotel. Nobody likes living next to a rental property. That said, still a very ingenious idea and I wish them the best.
- spaghetti 16y ago
  Hopefully state/local governments will realize the potential increase in tourist spending that Airbnb makes possible. I paid $X for a week of lodging via Airbnb. The equivalent hotel would have cost easily 3X. So now I've saved 2X... and since I'm on vacation I have no problem just spending 1.5X on purely fun stuff (restaurants etc). Also note that having to pay 3X for a traditional hotel would strongly discourage me from going on vacation all together.
robg 16y ago
Dear esteemed HN Editor, Why add the YC branding to the title? If anything, the branding adds a weird reason to read the article. Without, it's simply an interesting idea in which a YC company is winning. I like the latter much better.
- pg 16y ago
  It's the default, which means the question is not when to add it, but when not to, and it's too much work to decide not to in a few cases where it might seem wrong for some subtle reason.
  - robg 16y ago
    Seems like that default oversteps the need for editors. It's not adding clarity. It's pimping information for promotion, not genuine interest.
    - pg 16y ago
      The default derives from the site's origins as a place for YC alumni to exchange links. HN is in effect like an alumni magazine that has gotten a broader readership.
      - robg 16y ago
        I've never seen it referenced as such. Is that what you'd prefer it to be? Rather than a default editorial action, why not simply ask the community to put the YC info in the title? Like I said, it changes the interest for me. I'm less likely to read marketing. I could be in the minority even in this case as a happy Airbnb user.
        pg 16y ago
        Often the people who submit links do put the YC info in titles. But it wouldn't work to make it a rule that one had to, because a lot of submitters wouldn't know what batch a given startup was in.
spaghetti 16y ago
I'm standing in a beautiful cottage I reserved via Airbnb right now. Using Airbnb has been a great experience and I've recommended it to about a dozen people so far. Keep up the good work!!

32 points by robg 16y ago

Really like Airbnb hack for hotel system. I haven't used the service but following comment from the article makes sense. Does Airbnb have any process or protection to avoid this? There's always the danger that something bad will happen to someone who rents a room, touching off a Craiglist-killer-like panic.

dave1619 16y ago
I'm also curious what protection or approach is taken to avoid bad things happening to single females renting a room through Airbnb.

makmanalp 16y ago

The hotels lobbying against airbnb and its likes in NYC comes off as cowardly to me. Yes, there are health and security concerns and yes, they can be addressed by some common sense procedures such as checking ratings before you go and sending a friend the address of where you're staying, and maybe let them check in on you by phone if you're that paranoid. Furthermore, the "craigslist killer" was also suspected to have been involved in three cases of assault and murder in actual, major hotels: Westin, Mariott and Holiday Inn based on similar criminal characteristics. Prosecution was stopped when he committed suicide. Crime can happen anywhere. Also, have you never heard of bedbug cases in hotels? Viva creative destruction.

wait 16y ago
If you're talking about the bill that makes something like Airbnb illegal, their founder commented on it during StartUp School. If I remember correctly, he said that the bill was in response to people who would buy apartment buildings and use all the rooms to make them into an unlicensed hotel. They talked with the sponsor of the bill and he said that they wanted to work with each other, or something to that effect. I haven't looked into it any more than watching his talk, so I could be wrong. That's not to disagree with you, though. I find it a cowardly move, as well.

racecar789 16y ago

Airbnb does run a risk of pushback by state/local governments. Cities create residential/business zoning for valid reasons. Airbnb disregards this zoning and turns every house into a potential hotel. Nobody likes living next to a rental property. That said, still a very ingenious idea and I wish them the best.

spaghetti 16y ago
Hopefully state/local governments will realize the potential increase in tourist spending that Airbnb makes possible. I paid $X for a week of lodging via Airbnb. The equivalent hotel would have cost easily 3X. So now I've saved 2X... and since I'm on vacation I have no problem just spending 1.5X on purely fun stuff (restaurants etc). Also note that having to pay 3X for a traditional hotel would strongly discourage me from going on vacation all together.

robg 16y ago

Dear esteemed HN Editor, Why add the YC branding to the title? If anything, the branding adds a weird reason to read the article. Without, it's simply an interesting idea in which a YC company is winning. I like the latter much better.

pg 16y ago
It's the default, which means the question is not when to add it, but when not to, and it's too much work to decide not to in a few cases where it might seem wrong for some subtle reason.
- robg 16y ago
  Seems like that default oversteps the need for editors. It's not adding clarity. It's pimping information for promotion, not genuine interest.
  - pg 16y ago
    The default derives from the site's origins as a place for YC alumni to exchange links. HN is in effect like an alumni magazine that has gotten a broader readership.
    - robg 16y ago
      I've never seen it referenced as such. Is that what you'd prefer it to be? Rather than a default editorial action, why not simply ask the community to put the YC info in the title? Like I said, it changes the interest for me. I'm less likely to read marketing. I could be in the minority even in this case as a happy Airbnb user.
      - pg 16y ago
        Often the people who submit links do put the YC info in titles. But it wouldn't work to make it a rule that one had to, because a lot of submitters wouldn't know what batch a given startup was in.

spaghetti 16y ago

I'm standing in a beautiful cottage I reserved via Airbnb right now. Using Airbnb has been a great experience and I've recommended it to about a dozen people so far. Keep up the good work!!