Airbnb

Corporate brand

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A global online marketplace for short- and long-term stays, experiences, and travel services.

Last updated November 1, 2026

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Overview

Airbnb is a United States-based travel marketplace whose brand connects guests with hosts and property managers offering short- and long-term stays, experiences, and related services. Rather than owning a conventional hotel network, Airbnb generally acts as an intermediary: hosts publish listings, travelers search and compare options, and the platform facilitates communications, reservations, payments, reviews, and customer support while earning service fees or commissions from bookings. Its accommodation inventory includes entire homes, apartments, private rooms, shared spaces, and distinctive properties such as cabins, villas, historic buildings, and other unusual stays. The business originated in San Francisco in 2007, when roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia offered air mattresses and breakfast in their apartment during a conference that had made hotel rooms scarce. Nathan Blecharczyk joined in 2008 as the venture’s third co-founder and technology lead. The company initially operated under the name AirBed & Breakfast, launched its first website in August 2008, and later shortened the name to Airbnb as the marketplace expanded beyond air mattresses and shared rooms. Early growth was supported by participation in Y Combinator, direct visits to users in New York, and improvements to listing photography, search, payments, and trust mechanisms. Airbnb’s central proposition is that travelers can stay in homes and neighborhoods rather than relying only on traditional hotels, while hosts can generate income from spare rooms or properties. The platform’s network effects arise from the interaction of supply, demand, reviews, local knowledge, and global reach. Over time, the company moved from a narrow room-sharing concept toward a broad lodging marketplace, introduced Airbnb Experiences in 2016, experimented with premium and professionally verified offerings such as Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb, and expanded into editorial and media initiatives. Its customer base includes leisure travelers, families, groups, business travelers, and people seeking longer stays. The brand’s growth has also produced persistent controversies. Cities, housing advocates, hotel operators, landlords, and neighborhood groups have debated whether short-term rentals reduce long-term housing supply, increase rents, intensify tourism, create nuisance and safety problems, or operate outside established lodging rules. Airbnb has faced criticism concerning discrimination by hosts, platform enforcement, party houses, guest and host safety, data practices, taxation, and its responses to geopolitical events. Regulation differs substantially by jurisdiction and may include licenses, taxes, occupancy rules, annual night caps, zoning restrictions, or outright bans. The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced urban bookings in 2020, led to host-cancellation disputes, and prompted Airbnb to reduce its workforce. The company nevertheless completed an initial public offering on Nasdaq in December 2020. As travel recovered, Airbnb emphasized its global marketplace, longer stays, rural and distinctive accommodations, trust and safety systems, and additional travel products. It has remained a publicly traded company headquartered in San Francisco, with operations and offices extending across major international markets.

History

Airbnb’s origins are generally traced to October 2007 in San Francisco. Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, former schoolmates and roommates, were struggling to pay rent when a design conference filled the city’s hotels. They placed air mattresses in their apartment and offered visitors a basic bed-and-breakfast arrangement. The unexpectedly strong response suggested that ordinary residents could supply temporary lodging when conventional accommodation was unavailable. Nathan Blecharczyk, a former roommate of Chesky, joined the project in February 2008 as its technology co-founder. The venture was initially called AirBed & Breakfast and built a website for travelers seeking short-term rooms and shared spaces. The site went live in August 2008. The founders supplemented early financing by selling novelty cereal boxes themed around the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates, then entered Y Combinator’s winter 2009 program. They used the program’s funding and advice to visit users in New York, improve the service, and demonstrate a more repeatable marketplace model to investors. By March 2009, the website reportedly had thousands of users and listings, and the company shortened its name to Airbnb.com as its ambitions moved beyond air mattresses. The marketplace’s infrastructure became increasingly sophisticated. Hosts could create listings and set prices, guests could search, communicate, reserve, and review, and Airbnb could process payments and mediate parts of the transaction. Professional photography, identity and payment controls, review systems, customer support, and trust and safety measures helped make private accommodation more legible to travelers. The company expanded internationally, opening offices in London in 2011 and subsequently establishing teams and offices in European, Asian, Australian, and Latin American markets. Its inventory evolved from spare rooms toward entire homes, apartments, professionally managed properties, distinctive stays, and luxury vacation rentals. Airbnb broadened its brand during the 2010s. A 2014 redesign introduced a new visual identity and the Bélo symbol, while a partnership with Concur targeted business travel and expense reporting. In 2015, the company expanded to Cuba after changes in U.S. policy. In 2016 it launched Experiences, allowing local hosts to offer activities alongside accommodation. It also invested in Resy, introduced Airbnbmag with Hearst, and developed media projects including the documentary Gay Chorus Deep South through its Rausch Street Films division. Airbnb Plus and Beyond by Airbnb, announced in 2018, sought to serve travelers looking for more consistent quality, design, or luxury. Growth generated regulatory and social conflict. Municipal governments and housing advocates questioned the effects of short-term rentals on housing availability, rent levels, tourism, neighborhood stability, and tax compliance. Hotel groups argued that home-sharing platforms competed with regulated lodging businesses. Airbnb also faced criticism over discriminatory host behavior, party houses, guest safety, host safety, privacy, and the adequacy of platform enforcement. The company introduced or strengthened nondiscrimination policies after reports involving Black guests, and it took action against accounts connected to the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacist rally. These disputes became part of the wider debate over the responsibilities of online marketplaces. The COVID-19 pandemic produced a major shock. Bookings fell dramatically in many urban markets as travel restrictions and public-health concerns spread, although rural and longer-stay demand proved more resilient in some places. Airbnb committed funds to help hosts affected by guest cancellations and announced a substantial workforce reduction. In the same year, the company proceeded with its initial public offering, becoming a Nasdaq-listed public company in December 2020. The IPO raised approximately $3.5 billion according to contemporary public disclosures. After the pandemic, Airbnb focused on recovering travel demand, improving search and categorization, supporting longer stays, and strengthening safety and enforcement. It made its ban on parties and disruptive events permanent in 2022. That year it suspended operations in Russia and Belarus and ended domestic listings in China, citing sanctions, regulatory burdens, and market conditions. The company has continued to operate as a global marketplace rather than a traditional hotel owner, with its brand defined by distributed accommodation supply, host participation, reviews, digital transactions, and the promise of more locally embedded travel.

2022
Permanent party ban
[4]Airbnb announces permanent party bannews.airbnb.com
Airbnb converted its temporary pandemic restriction on parties into a permanent platform policy.
2020
Initial public offering
[3]Airbnb Investor Relationsinvestors.airbnb.com
Airbnb completed its IPO and began trading on Nasdaq as ABNB during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2016
Experiences introduced
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
The platform added bookable activities hosted by local people and organizations.
2014
Visual identity redesign
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
Airbnb introduced a redesigned website and mobile application along with a new logo and expanded business-travel efforts.
2011
First international office
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
Airbnb opened an office in London, beginning a wider international office expansion.
2009
Name shortened to Airbnb
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
The company adopted Airbnb.com as its shorter brand name as the marketplace expanded beyond air mattresses.
2008
AirBed & Breakfast launches
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
Nathan Blecharczyk joined as the third co-founder, and the original AirBed & Breakfast website launched in August.
2007
First air-mattress lodging experiment
[1]Airbnben.wikipedia.org
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia hosted visitors in their San Francisco apartment during a crowded design conference, establishing the concept that became Airbnb.

Products and positioning

A technology-enabled marketplace for distinctive stays and locally oriented travel, positioned as an alternative or complement to conventional hotels while enabling hosts to monetize available space or property.

Online accommodation marketplace · 2008
Airbnb Stays
The core Airbnb marketplace enables guests to search, compare, reserve, and review short- and long-term lodging. Inventory includes entire homes, apartments, private rooms, shared spaces, and distinctive properties. Hosts or property managers create listings, provide availability and pricing, and communicate with guests through the platform, while Airbnb supports payments, reviews, customer service, and trust and safety processes.
Travel experiences · 2016
Airbnb Experiences
Experiences extends Airbnb beyond accommodation by allowing travelers to discover and book activities organized by local hosts or operators. The offering has included cultural, culinary, recreational, and other destination-based activities, although its availability and format have changed across markets and product revisions.
Vetted accommodation · 2018
Airbnb Plus
Airbnb Plus was introduced as a collection of homes reviewed against higher standards for quality, comfort, design, and service. It represented an attempt to give guests more consistency within a marketplace whose listings are independently supplied by hosts.
Luxury accommodation · 2018
Beyond by Airbnb
Beyond by Airbnb was positioned toward luxury vacation rentals and higher-end travel. The offering complemented the broader marketplace by targeting guests seeking premium homes, elevated service, and more curated stays.

Controversies

2025
Political concerns surrounding Joe Gebbia’s government role
Joe Gebbia’s participation in the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency generated calls from critics for an Airbnb boycott. The controversy concerned the political implications of a co-founder and board member taking that role.
Source
2022
China data and Xinjiang listing criticism
Airbnb faced criticism over Chinese regulatory data requirements and allegations that listings were available on land associated with a sanctioned Chinese state-linked organization. The company later discontinued domestic China listings.
Source
2022
Airbnb settles OFAC case over Cuba embargo violations
Airbnb agreed to pay US$91,172.29 to settle its potential civil liability for apparent violations of US sanctions against Cuba, including accepting certain reservations and failing to keep required records. OFAC said Airbnb disclosed the potential violations and cooperated.
Source
2021
Capitol attack booking response
Airbnb initially permitted some Washington-area bookings by people connected with the January 6 Capitol attack, then announced a regional booking ban before the presidential inauguration amid concern about further violence.
Source
2021
Paris court fines Airbnb over unregistered rental listings
A Paris court ordered Airbnb to pay an eight-million-euro fine over more than 1,000 listings that lacked required rental registration numbers. The ruling concerns a case filed in 2019. The court's decision addressed the absence of the required registration numbers on those listings, and the fine was set at eight million euros. The case had been filed in 2019, and the ruling was issued in this matter.
Source
2021
Paris court fines Airbnb over unregistered listings
In 2021, a Paris court ordered Airbnb to pay an eight million euro fine over more than 1,000 listings that lacked required registration numbers. The ruling concerned listings on the platform that did not carry the registration numbers required under the applicable rules. In response, Airbnb said it would require Paris landlords to prove their apartments were registered with city hall. The case centered on the absence of required registration numbers for the listings cited by the court, and the company's stated response was to impose a proof-of-registration requirement on Paris hosts.
Source
2021
Airbnb listings in Xinjiang draw human-rights criticism
The article reported that 14 Airbnb listings were on land associated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which it said had been sanctioned by the United States and was involved in forced labor against Uyghurs. Senator Marco Rubio called on Airbnb to remove the listings and withdraw its Beijing Winter Olympics sponsorship. Airbnb responded that China accounted for a small part of its revenue and was important to connecting people around the world; the article said it had no intention of reviewing the matter.
Source
2021
US lawmakers condemn Beijing Olympics sponsors
A bipartisan US congressional group condemned US companies sponsoring the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, saying they refused to condemn the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs. The companies' representatives testified at a hearing; Coca-Cola's representative said the company respected all human rights.
Source
2021
Rights groups pressure Olympic sponsors over reported abuses in China
Human-rights advocates targeted Olympic sponsors, initially including Airbnb, urging them to address reported abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans and other minorities in China. The article reports allegations and advocacy pressure, not a finding about Airbnb’s conduct.
Source
2020
COVID-19 cancellation and host-compensation dispute
Large-scale cancellations during the pandemic created conflict among guests, hosts, and Airbnb over refunds, payout decisions, and the company’s handling of exceptional circumstances.
Source

Marketing campaigns

2025FIFA official fan accommodation partnership
Global
Airbnb became a FIFA Club World Cup sponsor and announced a multi-year relationship connected with official fan accommodation for future FIFA tournaments.
Outcome. The partnership expanded Airbnb’s sports and event-marketing presence.
Source
2017Charlottesville account and booking cancellations
United States
Airbnb cancelled reservations and closed accounts associated with attendees of the Unite the Right rally, presenting the action as enforcement of its requirement that members accept people regardless of protected characteristics.
Outcome. The action reinforced Airbnb’s public nondiscrimination positioning but also drew debate over platform moderation and political speech.
Source

Brand decisions

2022
Permanent ban on parties and disruptive eventsStrategy
Background
Party-house incidents and complaints from neighbors and hosts created safety, nuisance, and reputational risks for the marketplace.
Action taken
Airbnb made its temporary pandemic-era party restriction permanent and later introduced technology intended to detect and prevent prohibited gatherings.
Aftermath
The policy became a central component of Airbnb’s safety and community-relations strategy.
Source
2022
Exit from domestic China listingsStrategy
Background
Airbnb cited regulatory complexity, information requirements, COVID-19 lockdown effects, and limited domestic business performance in China.
Action taken
The company ceased domestic accommodation operations in China while maintaining other forms of China-related outbound travel activity at that time.
Aftermath
China became a smaller part of Airbnb’s direct marketplace strategy, with the company concentrating on international travel involving Chinese users.
Source
2022
Suspension of Russia and Belarus operationsOther
Background
International sanctions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the legal and operating environment for travel services in the affected markets.
Action taken
Airbnb suspended business in Russia and Belarus.
Aftermath
The move aligned the platform with sanctions-related restrictions and broader corporate responses to the war.
Source
2020
COVID-19 host support and workforce reductionOther
Background
Pandemic restrictions caused severe booking declines and widespread guest cancellations, creating financial pressure across the host marketplace and the company.
Action taken
Airbnb pledged $250 million toward host payouts for certain pandemic-related cancellations and reduced its workforce by approximately 1,900 employees.
Aftermath
The company proceeded with its IPO later in 2020 and subsequently benefited from the recovery of travel demand.
Host cancellation support commitment. 250 million USD (2020)
Source
2020
Initial public offeringOther
Background
Despite the pandemic shock to travel, Airbnb pursued a public listing to raise capital and establish a quoted market for its shares.
Action taken
Airbnb completed an IPO on Nasdaq on December 10, 2020, raising approximately $3.5 billion.
Aftermath
Airbnb became a publicly traded company under the ticker ABNB.
IPO proceeds. approximately 3.5 billion USD (December 10, 2020)
Source
2016
Anti-discrimination policy reformStrategy
Background
Reports of hosts rejecting prospective guests based on race exposed limitations in Airbnb’s nondiscrimination controls and generated reputational pressure.
Action taken
Airbnb revised its policy, engaged Eric Holder for advice, and changed aspects of how prospective guest photographs were shown to hosts.
Aftermath
The reform became a significant part of Airbnb’s trust, inclusion, and platform-governance program, although discrimination remained a continuing issue for the sector.
Source

Recent events

2026-10-29
Airbnb introduces stay-funded support for Airbnb.org[24]Airbnb推出以住宿收入支持Airbnb.org的资助模式ttrweekly.com
Reported: 2026-10-29
Airbnb introduced a funding model under which a portion of revenue from every stay will go to Airbnb.org. The model is expected to provide USD 500 million over five years.
2026-10-28
Airbnb pledges $500 million to Airbnb.org[25]Airbnb承诺向Airbnb.org提供5亿美元winnipegfreepress.com
Reported: 2026-10-29
Airbnb announced a plan to dedicate $500 million to its philanthropic arm over five years to expand temporary housing support for medical travelers and disaster survivors. The funding is to come from 10 cents per booking, with Airbnb making up any shortfall.
2026-10-21
Airbnb updates rules on guest cleaning tasks[26]Airbnb更新住客清洁任务规则bbc.co.uk
Reported: 2026-10-21
Airbnb changed its rules to limit the cleaning tasks property hosts may ask guests to perform. The updated policy applies to reservations booked on or after 20 November.
2026-10
Airbnb rolls out AI-powered search in fall app update[27]Airbnb 在秋季应用更新中推出 AI 驱动搜索techcrunch.com
Reported: 2026-10-01
Airbnb rolled out its new AI-powered search this week as part of its fall app update, described as a significant step for a company that has been slow and deliberate about AI. CEO Brian Chesky said the current version of the search is not the final form and its interface will evolve over time.
Unconfirmed
Airbnb launches meal delivery, laundry and rental services in select locations[28]Airbnb在部分地点推出送餐、洗衣及租赁服务techcrunch.com
Reported: 2026-09-30
As part of its fall product update, Airbnb is adding new services to its app, including meal delivery, laundry, baby gear rental, ski and boat rental in limited locations, and is expanding grocery delivery.
Unconfirmed
Airbnb reports second-quarter 2026 results[29]爱彼迎发布2026年第二季度业绩donews.com
Airbnb reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $3.608 billion, up 17% year over year, and net income of $816 million, up 27%. The company also raised its full-year outlook for the second time this year and expected third-quarter bookings to grow at a double-digit rate.
2022-01-28
Airbnb announces Guest COVID Support Program[30]Airbnb宣布推出住客新冠支持计划pageone.ph
Reported: 2022-01-28
Airbnb announced its Guest COVID Support Program, offering eligible guests travel coupons covering 50 percent of the unrefunded portion of reservations cancelled because of specified unexpected government-mandated travel disruptions. The program was effective immediately and applied retroactively to qualifying reservations with check-in dates on or after December 1, 2021.
2022-01-03
Airbnb settles OFAC case over Cuba embargo violations[18]Airbnb settles OFAC case over Cuba embargo violationslivemint.com
Reported: 2022-01-04
Airbnb agreed to pay US$91,172.29 to settle its potential civil liability for apparent violations of US sanctions against Cuba, including accepting certain reservations and failing to keep required records. OFAC said Airbnb disclosed the potential violations and cooperated.
2021-12-08
Airbnb listings in Xinjiang draw human-rights criticism[19]Airbnb listings in Xinjiang draw human-rights criticismnewtalk.tw
Reported: 2021-12-08
The article reported that 14 Airbnb listings were on land associated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which it said had been sanctioned by the United States and was involved in forced labor against Uyghurs. Senator Marco Rubio called on Airbnb to remove the listings and withdraw its Beijing Winter Olympics sponsorship. Airbnb responded that China accounted for a small part of its revenue and was important to connecting people around the world; the article said it had no intention of reviewing the matter.
Unconfirmed
Airbnb partners to fund rural heritage restoration in France[31]Airbnb合作资助法国乡村遗产修复connexionfrance.com
Reported: 2021-12-03
Airbnb signed a partnership with the Fondation du Patrimoine to donate millions toward restoring heritage buildings in the French countryside. Airbnb pledged an immediate gift of €5.6 million.

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