Airbnb, the biggest name in the hotel rental market, has this week made a huge announcement. Sharing details of their latest venture, it appears the brand is heading into a new sector; air travel. Planning to open their own airline in the very near future, this comes as part of their plans to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ for the world’s travel needs. Having arguably monopolised the holiday rental market; can Airbnb mirror their success with this new business?
The announcement was made by Brian Chesky , the 36-year-old billionaire founder of Airbnb. Talking to the Sunday Times, he explained how this is not a random venture but something that has been in the business’ plans for many years.
“We’ve seriously considered a lot of things around aviation and we’ve spent a lot of time exploring different concepts. We definitely want to make sure, though, that we can get into the end-to-end trip business” he says.
Looking to continue their success story with a next chapter, the business came from humble beginnings. The idea behind Airbnb came to Chesky after he rented mattresses to three strangers in his San Francisco apartment. Spotting a gap in the market for a modern hotel and apartment rental service, Airbnb was formed. Having evolved into one of the biggest technology companies in the world, Airbnb now owns the platform to create something even bigger, eager to follow in the footsteps of household brands such as amazon.
“Of all the big tech companies, the way Amazon has approached building their business to a one-stop shop for shopping is probably most similar to what we’re trying to do.
“We’re trying to be a one-stop shop for travel” Mr Chesky added.
Can this venture take off?
Let us know what you think, can Airbnb triumph and become a world-leader in travel? Share your thoughts and opinions with us.
