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Folks had been using alternatives to rent space like HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, BedandBreakfast.com and Craigslist for years. Airbnb won because: - Better design

Folks had been using alternatives to rent space like HomeAway.com, VRBO.com, BedandBreakfast.com and Craigslist for years. Airbnb won because: - Better design, easy to use, nice pictures they took themselves at first (per PG's advice) - Integrated payments and reviews in a seamless experience - Popularized the idea of sharing a space when the host is there - Offered unique accommodations in urban places - Lots of buzz about treehouses, castles, teepees, shipping containers, etc. - Their timing benefited from the Great Recession - Very good at promoting their rag to riches story with YC's help - Also you didn't need to constantly repost like Craigslist, just post once

keiferski 2y ago
I agree with the reasons for their success, but I don't believe that any of those alternatives allowed you to book a room/couch in someone's apartment. They were merely ways to either use properties for vacations (VRBO), semi-hotels like beds and breakfasts, or just regular renting space (Craigslist) for short/long term. Not the same thing as AirBnb at all.
dowager_dan99 2y ago
>> - Popularized the idea of sharing a space when the host is there this was not a popular option, and I don't believe was ever intended to be. It also opened the door for VRBO to gain traction explicitly marketing NOT sharing accommodation. The "rent out your spare bedroom" has never been a major component; it was a fake-out to counter the regulatory & licensing complaints they were facing.
- cthalupa 2y ago
  It was a huge focus of their early marketing, to the point where I was surprised to find out later that people were just renting out the properties vrbo style. It's also quite literally in the name - 'bnb' - which necessarily implies the hosts are there with you.
- tschwimmer 2y ago
  In addition to the sibling comment saying that it was a major marketing focus, it was also an internal culture focus for some time - the archetypal host as discussed internally was something like a 50+ couple that just sent their kid off to college and had a spare bedroom and some free time. I didn't work there, but based on what I saw there was a genuine focus on "non-professional" hosts. If this was an intentional ploy to fool the world, they were also doing a very good job of fooling themselves too. I'm not debating that professional, non-resident hosts were and are the majority of the platform, just that it wasn't the original intent.

keiferski 2y ago

I agree with the reasons for their success, but I don't believe that any of those alternatives allowed you to book a room/couch in someone's apartment. They were merely ways to either use properties for vacations (VRBO), semi-hotels like beds and breakfasts, or just regular renting space (Craigslist) for short/long term. Not the same thing as AirBnb at all.

dowager_dan99 2y ago

>> - Popularized the idea of sharing a space when the host is there this was not a popular option, and I don't believe was ever intended to be. It also opened the door for VRBO to gain traction explicitly marketing NOT sharing accommodation. The "rent out your spare bedroom" has never been a major component; it was a fake-out to counter the regulatory & licensing complaints they were facing.

cthalupa 2y ago
It was a huge focus of their early marketing, to the point where I was surprised to find out later that people were just renting out the properties vrbo style. It's also quite literally in the name - 'bnb' - which necessarily implies the hosts are there with you.
tschwimmer 2y ago
In addition to the sibling comment saying that it was a major marketing focus, it was also an internal culture focus for some time - the archetypal host as discussed internally was something like a 50+ couple that just sent their kid off to college and had a spare bedroom and some free time. I didn't work there, but based on what I saw there was a genuine focus on "non-professional" hosts. If this was an intentional ploy to fool the world, they were also doing a very good job of fooling themselves too. I'm not debating that professional, non-resident hosts were and are the majority of the platform, just that it wasn't the original intent.