AccorHotels, 154
affordable housing. See housing shortage
AirBed & Breakfast
cereal gimmick, 20–23
challenges faced by, 27
investors, 17–18
lite version, 12–14
media and press coverage, 19–20
original idea, 8–9
redefining of, 28
Y Combinator and, 23–29
Airbnb
advantages, xiii
company building, 35–38
competition (see competitors)
contact phone number, 95–96
diversity in, 187–88
forces behind, 134
home-sharing history, xvi–xvii
initial public offering, 196–202
investors in, 30–32
naming of, 28
obstacles faced by, xiv–xv
payment system for, 14
pop culture and, xv–xvi
product evolution, 59–60
safety, 50–55
scale of, 126–27
super-users, 67–69
user experience, 41–47
workspace, 183–84
Airbnb Friendly Building Program, 130
“Airbnb law,” 128
Airbnb Open, x–xi, 69, 74, 76–78, 133, 190–91
Airdna, 111, 116, 126, 131, 151
Airizu, 49–50
AllThingsD (website), 47
Americans with Disabilities Act, 98, 144
Andreessen, Marc, 34, 47, 52, 54, 161, 168, 170, 173
Arlo, 156
Atkin, Douglas, 64, 66, 78–79, 111–12, 127, 184, 186–87
authenticity, of travel experience, 62–63, 66, 79, 116
bed-and-breakfasts, 158
“belong anywhere” (mission), 64–67, 78–79, 117, 171, 172, 194, 205
Benner, Katie, 65
Berlin, 126
Blecharczyk, Nathan
on cereal gimmick, 21
family background, 11
fiancée, 31
growth hacks, 38–41
on hotel vs. Airbnb market, 140
payment system, 42–43
site crashes, 45–46
South by Southwest launch, 12–14
Y Combinator and, 23–29
“bleisure,” 146
Boatbound, 56
Bolton–St. Johns, 105
Botton, Alain de, 77
Bowerman, Bill, 1
brand awareness, xii, 38, 40, 58–59, 198
Brannan Street, 170
Brown-Philpot, Stacy, 171
Bryant, Kimberly, 187
Buffett, Warren, xvi, 166–67, 172, 209
Burch, Tory, 174
Bush, George W., 60
business travel, 145–47
Campbell, Michael and Debbie, 68–69
Cap’n McCain’s, 21–23
Case, Steve, 174
Chafkin, Max, 172–73
challenges, 80–104
deaths and, 96–97
fines and violations, 108–9
key exchange, 75–76
Paris Airbnb Open, 77–78
parties, 81–90
sexual assault incident, 90–93
Chan, Robert “Toshi,” 111
Chesky, Allison, 169
Chesky, Brian
on accidents, 97
on culture, 182–83
on EJ safety crisis, 53–55
on future regulations, 136
on home sharing, 130
hospitality and, 70–72
on hosts and brand, 117
on law enforcement, 91–92
Los Angeles move, 4–5
on mission of Airbnb, 172
praise for, 161–62
on public companies, 201
on safety, 48
San Francisco move, 6–7
strengths, 167–69
on Wimdu competition, 49–50
Y Combinator and, 23–29
Chesky, Deb and Bob, 3–4, 23, 32, 166, 168–69, 174, 208–9
Chicago, short-term rentals, 125
Choice Hotels, 153
Cianci, Buddy, 2
City Hosts, 191
Clampet, Jason, 93, 141, 148–49
Clinton, Bill, 124
Clooney, George and Amal, 209
cloud computing, 45
Clouse, Dave and Lynn, 149–50
Collins, Jim, 181
commercial listings, 110–13, 114, 115
Common, 156
“community compact,” 114
Craigslist (see Craigslist)
HomeAway (see HomeAway)
Wimdu (Samwer brothers), 48–50
See also hotels
compression pricing, 144
Conair internship, 1–3
Concur, 145
conferences
Airbnb and corporate travel, 145–46
Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, 166–67
International Council of Societies of Industrial Design/Industrial Designers Society of America, ix, 1, 7–10
Conley, Chip
on business travelers, 146
on Chesky, 171
on home-sharing history, 149
in joining Airbnb, 70–72
Corden, James, 191
Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 70, 166
Couchsurfing.com, xi, 13, 14, 41, 46
Craigslist, 38–39, 41, 51, 82, 100, 108, 149, 179
crisis management, 48–50, 51–54, 77–78, 90–93
Crittenden, Quirtina, 100–101
Crossing the Chasm (Moore), 181
Culting of Brands, The (Atkin), 64
culture, of company, 35–38, 165, 174–75, 182–88
Cuomo, Andrew, 106–7, 108, 121, 126
Curtis, Mike, 77, 181, 184, 185
customer-service platform, 44, 52–54, 56, 86–90, 94
Democratic National Convention (Denver), 15, 18–20
Diller, Barry, 142
Dimon, Jamie, x
discrimination controversy, xv, 99–104, 171
diversity, 187–88
DogVacay, 56
Dorsey, Jack, 165
Drybar, 152
Dubost, Lisa, 171
dukana, 56
Ecolect.net, 11
Eisenhower, Dwight, 139
emergency reaction policy, 91
“entrepreneur,” as term, 11
European market, 48–50
Everbooked, 75
Experiences, 192
Federal Highway Act, 139
fee structure, 39–40
Ferriss, Tim, 93
fines and violations, 108–9, 117, 129, 134
Firestarter, 127
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The (Lencioni), 181
Flatbook, 156
FlipKey, 146
Friedman, Tom, 173
future directions, 130–31, 145–47, 177–79, 188–210
Gates, Bill and Melinda, 209
Gatto, Chris, 132
Gebbia, Joe
background of, 42–43
culture, of company, 185
hometown, 12
prototyping/design studio, 177–79
refugee crisis, 209
at Rhode Island School of Design, 1–3
TED talk, 172
Y Combinator and, 23–29
Gilbert, Elizabeth, 191
Giving Pledge, 209
GLō, 152
Golden, Jonathan, 184
golf party incident, 82–90
Good to Great (Collins), 181
Gothamist, 111
Graham, Paul
on Chesky, 171–72
interview with, 23–24
on Wimdu competition, 49–50
Grandy, Nick, 36
Grazer, Brian, 191
Grove, Andy, 166
growth, xii–xiii, 38–41, 46–47, 56, 144, 162, 198–99
guest arrivals
August 2009, 35
average age of, 66
fee structure, 39–40
as term, ix–x
Guesty, 75
Gupta, Prerna, 67–68
Hantman, David, 109
Hartz, Kevin, 31
Hewlett, Bill, 1
High Output Management (Grove), 166
Hilton, Conrad, 139
Hilton hotels, 141–42, 152, 167
hiring, 25, 35–38, 49–50, 55, 56–57
Hoffman, Reid
“Blitzscaling” course, 188
on Chesky, 167–68
as investor, 46–47
NYC politics, 121
on uniqueness, 62
Holiday Inn, origin, 138–39
home sharing, xvi–xvii, 125–26, 149
HomeAway, xvii, 41, 82, 106, 108, 133, 146, 150, 154, 198
HonorTab, 75
Hoplamazian, Mark, 152
Horowitz, Ben, 47, 52, 164, 171
hospitality, 70–73, 115, 117, 129–31, 139–45, 151–53, 165, 166
Host Assist platform, 76
Host Guarantee, 82, 86, 87, 88, 89, 94
hosts
as career choice, 73–75
from Cuba, 185–86
data and behavior, 114–15
defined, x
discrimination, 99–102
experiences offered by, 178
initial public offering, 199–200
matching with guests, 44–45
Verified ID, 95
See also Airbnb Open
hotels
business travel, 145–47
campaign against Airbnb, 113
civil rights laws, 103
compression pricing, 144
legislation, 122
millennials and, 152
online travel agencies, 148
origin of, 138–39
short-term rentals, 153–54
housing shortage
Denver, 18–19
San Francisco, 126
Houston, Drew, 165
Hsieh, Tony, 36
Hugo, Victor, 137
humanity. See authenticity; challenges
idealism, 64–65, 78–79, 97, 102, 117, 171–73
illegal hotels, 107, 109, 114, 115, 144
initial public offering, 196–202
in-law unit, 124
Innclusive, 102
InterContinental Hotels Group, 153
International Council of Societies of Industrial Design/Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), ix, 1, 7–10
interview process, 37–38
investors
in 2010, 46–48
cons of, 201
first investors, 30–33
initial public offering, 196–202
on political challenges, 135
safety and, 93
warning letter to, 120
Wilson meeting, 29
ISIS-coordinated attacks, 77–78
IStay New York, 108
Jefferson-Jones, Jamila, 102
Johnson, Belinda, 55, 77, 108, 113, 171, 187
Jordan, Jeff, 52, 135, 184–85, 201
Junger, Sebastian, 208
Kalanick, Travis, 165
Karim, Jawed, 31
Katie C., 86–88
KB Home, 204
Kelley, David, 174
Khan, Sadiq, 132
Kimpton, Bill, 147
King, Mark and Star, 81–82, 99
Klein, Nicholas, 227
Knife Fight (film), 124
Kokalitcheva, Kia, 130
Kondo, Marie, 77
Kong, David, 142, 144, 157, 159
Krueger, Liz, 107
Kuok, Elaine, 67–68
Kutcher, Ashton, 120, 121, 191
Kwatra, Neal, 123
Lab, The, 179
Lacy, Sarah, 5, 20, 22, 48, 159
landlords, 107–9, 111, 119–20, 129–31, 204
Lane, Jamie, 143
law enforcement, 86–87, 90–93, 94
leadership, 161–89
advisers and mentors, 164–65
anomalies of, 162–63
Blecharczyk and, 179–82
Chesky’s growth as CEO, 164–74
culture, company, 182–88
Gebbia and, 174–79
new directions, 188–89
overview of, 206–8
praise for, 161–62
leases and short-term rentals, 119
LeFrak, Richard, 142
legal issues, xiv, 105–10, 116–17, 126–29, 133–37
Lehane, Chris, 77, 122–29, 133
Lencioni, Patrick, 181
London, 132
Lopez, Jacob, 90–92
Lynch, Kevin, 68
Madrid incident, 90–93
Mahaney, Mark, 198
management. See leadership
Maples, Mike, 19
market penetration, xii, 38, 41, 58–59, 198
marketing
for Democratic National Convention, 18–20
rebranding (2013), 64–67
at RISD, 2–3
uniqueness of experience, 63
Marriott, Bill, 142
Marriott, J. W., 139
Mason, Andrew, 49
matching (guest and host), 44–45
McAdoo, Greg, 30–31, 35–36, 164
McNamara, Robert, 166
media and press
at conventions (2009), 38
Democratic National Convention coverage, 19–20
“Meet Carol” television ad, 112
presidential inauguration, 28
“Meet Carol” television ad, 112
Meyer, Danny, 191
Michael (original guest), 8, 10
Mildenhall, Jonathan, 64
millennials
apartments and, 129–30
as mobilizing force, 134
New York and, 108
mission statement, xiv, xix, 36, 64–67, 78–79, 117, 171, 172, 194, 205
Morey, Elizabeth, 31
Morgan, Jonathan, 74–75, 116, 117, 134
Morgan Stanley, 145
Morris, Phil, 202
Moxy, 152
multifamily buildings, 129–31
Multiple Dwelling Law, 107, 115
multiunit listings, 110–13, 116–17
Musk, Elon, 196
Nassetta, Christopher, 141–42
neighbors, 83–85, 109, 118–19, 132–34
network effect, 40–41
New Jersey, 126
New York City, 105–37
anti-Airbnb alliance, 109
attorney general’s report, 109–110
Chesky’s reaction to, 113
future negotiations, 133–37
objections to short-term rentals, 118–24
Warren verdict, 108–9
Noirbnb, 102
Obama, Barack, 18, 28, 92, 161–62, 173–74, 209
Obama O’s, 20–23, 24, 33, 47, 174
Olympics, 156
“one host, one home” policy, 114
online travel agencies (OTAs), 148
Open Doors policy, 102
Orbitz, 148
Orlando, 142
Oswald, Lee Harvey, xvi
Packard, Dave, 1
Panetta, Leon, x
Paris, Airbnb Open, 77–78
parties, 81–90
Patton, George S., 166
payment system, 14, 16, 27, 39–40, 42–43
PayPal, 43
Peak (Conley), 70–71
Penz, Hans, 200
performance metrics, 72–73
photography, xvii, 27, 45, 99, 100–104, 206
Pillow, 75
politics
Airbnb as force for change, 126–28
Airbnb guests and, 133
future negotiations, 133–37
Lehane and, 125–29
New York advertising policy, 121–22
New York short-term rentals, 105–10
popular listings, 60
Pressler, Paul, 196
product evolution, 59–60
product/market fit, 34–37
professional operators, Airbnb, 111
profit and earnings, 73, 110, 112–13, 127
property management, 129
Proposition F, 128–29
prototype operations, 177–78
Rabois, Keith, 31
racial discrimination, 99–104
Rasulo, Jay, 196
Rausch Street apartment, 7–8, 14, 25, 36–38, 179, 183, 208
regulations. See legal issues; politics
Reyneri, Phil, 14
Rhode Island School of Design, 1–4, 42
Roberts, David, 67–68
Room Mate hotels, 158
Roomorama, 154
Rosenberg, Javier, 151
Rosenthal, Helen, 120
Rosenthal, Linda, 120, 121, 123
Royal Caribbean, 152
Rozenblatt, David, 28
Rubell, Steve, 147
Rubey, Kim, 55
Sacca, Chris, 93
safety, 50–55, 92, 97–98, 109, 118, 144
Samwer brothers, 48–50, 170–71
San Francisco, x, 5–8, 126, 127, 128–29, 135, 143
Sandberg, Sheryl, 165
Santa Monica, 131
Schneiderman, Eric, 109–10, 120
Schonfeld, Erick, 19
Seibel, Michael, 14–18, 23, 32, 136–37, 164
sexual assault, 90–93
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, 152
Shapiro, Nick, 89–90, 92, 95, 98
Share Better, 113, 114, 120, 123
sharing economy, xvii, 79, 98–104, 142, 154
Sharing Economy, The (Sundararajan), xvii, 40
Sharp, Isadore “Issy”, xvi
Sharples, Brian, 150
Shaw, George Bernard, 135, 136, 159
Short, Rochelle, 202
short-term rentals
advertising ban on, 121
Airbnb listings, 150–51
Berlin, 126
fines and violations, 129
intimacy of, 79
London, 132
new industry in, 154–58
objections to, 118–24
practice of, 107–8
safety, 97
Santa Monica, 131
Silicon Valley
breakthroughs from, 150
cell signal, 24
core values, 36
diversity in, 187–88
mentors and advisers of, 164–65
product/market fit, 34
workspace, 183
Sinek, Simon, 173
“slumlord law,” 112
Snow White (project), 177
“snowflake” model, 127
Sonder, 156
staff
Airfamily (Airfam), 184
culture, 182
customer service, 43–44
diversity in, 187–88
EJ incident, 93–94
Paris Airbnb Open, 77–78
Stanberry, Parker, 155, 156, 157
Starwood, 148
Stay Alfred, 154
Stay.com, 153
Stern, Andy, 120
Steyer, Tom, 124
Stone, Zak, 96–97
Stoppelman, Jeremy, 46
Sundararajan, Arun, xvii, 40, 66, 98–99
Surve, Amol, 8–10
technology, vs. regulations, 107
Teman, Ari, 81
Tenet, George, 165
Thiel, Peter, 182
“three-click rule,” 41–47
Tier coding system, 94
time-share industry, 147
“Toshi,” 111
Tosi, Laurence, 197
travelers. See guest arrivals
Travelocity, 148
Tribe (Junger), 208
Tru, 152
trust, 99
Trust and Safety Operations, 89, 94
24/7 hotline, 92
Ulukaya, Hamdi, 174
Unbound Collection, 152
Urban Land Institute (ULI), 139–40
user experience, 41–47
vacation rentals, 149–50
values. See core values; mission statement
venture capital funding. See investors
verification, of guests, 86
Vīb, 152
VRBO.com, xi, xvii, 41, 87, 106, 149–50
Walt Elias Disney Enterprises (WED), 195–96
Warren, Nigel, 108–9
Washington, D.C., 28
weddings, 146
Weiner, Jeff, 165
Williams, Jumaane, 122
Wilson, Kemmons, 138–39
Wimdu, 48–50
Wolff, Max, 199
Wylde, Kathy, 134
Y Combinator, 15, 23–26, 30, 34, 177
Yoshino Cedar House, 178
Youniversity Ventures, 31
Zimmer, John, 165