How Airbnb Changed the Traditional Lodging Industry | entrepreneur.com
By taking advantage of existing properties and involving homeowner in the transaction, Airbnb disrupted the lodging industry and is now valued at $20 billion. Just like the taxi industry, in the 2000s, the hotel sector was ripe for disruption. In many cities, hotels in central locations were (and still are) overpriced and lacked the “atmospheric” character of the place itself. Airbnb enables homeowners to offer their couches, spare rooms or entire homes for rent for short stays, and the company has become a network of over 25,000 active hosts in 190 countries. More than twenty million guests have booked thirty million nights on the platform since it was founded in 2008.
