What’s next for Airbnb?

A new array of services for hosts and guests, some for sale, and possibly an advertising platform with sponsored listings

These were some of the ideas that Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky discussed yesterday at an investor conference in San Francisco. Part of the interview revolved around his hope that Airbnb can deepen its “moat” to stave off the competition.

“And so my general principle is I want the moat of everyone to get deeper every year,” Chesky said. “And that means that every year, we need to give away more value than we’re charging.”

Key takeaways

• Airbnb wants to provide more free services to hosts, and provide more value, so it can start selling new products to hosts;
• A move from the current machine learning approach to rank listings to Artificial Intelligence would help match guests looking for a stay at Airbnb's 6.6 million listings;
• Airbnb, which counts 62% of its guests as 34 years old and younger, will continue to focus on the next generation of travelers.

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