The initial idea for Airbnb was to enhance the entire travel experience, not just provide a place to stay, by considering services like airport pickups and breakfast. We always intended to understand the operation of Airbnb from the inside out, including the timing and logistics of photographing apartments.

Airbnb is not just a travel company; we focus on community and connection, rather than traditional tourism.

Travel is about human connection and culture; at Selfbook, we aim to provide the hospitality that the industry is meant to deliver.

When we started adding travel experiences to the app, engagement increased by 70%, indicating that people were eager to learn about and book experiences, even though it was challenging to do so on the app due to a lack of proper booking infrastructure.

After realizing that property management companies were not aligned with our values, we refocused on offering primary home experiences, which enhance the guest's stay.

In the early days, Airbnb marketed itself as a cheap alternative to hotels, but later shifted to a tagline that emphasized a more human travel experience.

We realized that the original idea of airbeds for conferences could evolve into a broader concept of booking homes anywhere in the world.

Instead of trying to completely replace existing hotel systems, we pivoted to work cohesively with them, integrating our solutions to enhance the booking experience.

A pivotal moment for Airbnb was realizing that hosts didn't need to be present for guests to rent an entire apartment, which expanded our business model significantly.