Many of the stories about Airbnb in the press focus either on the guest from hell (think pop-up brothel) or on unlikely tales like the man that lived in his office for a year so that he could illegally Airbnb his place. As Airbnb is rumored to be about to go public, how does it compare against more traditional businesses in the travel space?

It is interesting to study the evolution of its strategy and compare it to another top company in the travel sector, Expedia, an Online Travel Agent (OTA). While they broadly operate in the same global travel market, they seemed so far to have mostly stayed out of each other's way. Expedia allows customers to book airline tickets, rental cars, and hotel rooms. Airbnb is a marketplace through which customers can book alternative lodging-overnight stays outside the traditional hotel channel. However, given recent moves by each company, it is fair to ask if they are really that different and what they will look like in the future.

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