Airbnb has changed the way people travel. Instead of booking expensive hotels, travelers can book accommodation from local homeowners directly through the Airbnb platform at an affordable price. In this two-sided marketplace, Airbnb provides revenue generating opportunities for residents and cost saving opportunities for travelers. Airbnb benefits by charging a fee to both the homeowner and traveler. While the concept is simple, its widespread adoption was not. Homeowners feared that travelers may damage their property, and travelers wanted an accommodation that was good value for their money (i.e. location, amenities, cleanliness, price, etc.). In its operating model, Airbnb provides value to the marketplace by providing mechanisms for trust: transparency of information (i.e. reviews of homes, reviews of customers, pictures), free homeowners\u2019 insurance to cover unlikely damages and a seamless booking process.<\/p>\n
Airbnb continues to connect the world through the internet. Just yesterday, Thursday, November 17th<\/sup>, the company shared a vision of creating an immersive experience for travelers by connecting them to locals through its online network. Airbnb\u2019s three new products include \u201cExperiences,\u201d \u201cPlaces\u201d and \u201cMeet Ups.\u201d \u201cExperiences\u201d include activities local to a particular region. For example, in Los Angeles, you could surf with a local, learn pottery with a local or embark on a motorcycle trip through the desert with a local. Airbnb\u2019s \u201cPlaces\u201d product offers the chance to attend local venues with a local guide. Its \u201cMeet Ups\u201d product allows travelers to meet other travelers in the same area. Furthermore, Airbnb integrates its products into a single itinerary, so Airbnb can be your single app to book and plan your vacation (after it installs airline options). Airbnb is the perfect candidate to test the new products they introduced. They are taking advantage of the trust in their core business while encouraging travelers to use their new products.<\/p>\n The question is\u2014how can Airbnb continue to use the internet\/digitization to draw travelers? What are the drawbacks?<\/p>\n Drawing Travelers<\/strong><\/p>\n Drawbacks of Digitization<\/strong><\/p>\n The digital world has brought positive changes to the way we travel, and Airbnb continues to improve the way people connect with one another in new destinations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Airbnb has changed the way people travel. Instead of booking expensive hotels, travelers can book accommodation from local homeowners directly through the Airbnb platform at an affordable price. In this two-sided marketplace, Airbnb provides revenue generating opportunities for residents and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2285,"featured_media":20486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-20456","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\n\n
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