Hosting Goodness: the view from 888 Brannon

It has been 2 weeks since the Airbnb Community Leaders Summit, and my canvas Airbnb bag is sitting next to my desk, still not completely unpacked...to include the yummy custom chocolate bars from Dandelion Chocolate. (https://www.dandelionchocolate.com/pages/shop).

My flight did not arrive in time for me to participate in some of the Experiences that corporate had set up for attendees, but I was not deterred from creating my own experience. I avoided all the Waymo self-driving cars, reserved an Uber, and enjoyed an evening on Pier 39. This was my first time to this location so I really enjoyed hanging out with all of the other tourists watching the boisterous and animated sea lions, and eating an epic seafood meal while watching the sun set over Alcatraz and the iconic Golden Gate bridge far on the horizon.

My Airbnb was fantastically clean and well decorated. I especially appreciated the host's witty bit of advice in the bathroom:

I was located right around the corner from Brannon Street so it was an easy morning to workout in my Airbnb's gym, change up, and be ready for the 1.5 days of the Summit without having to set the alarm too early.

There were about 150 Community Leaders (CL) in attendance from all around the US (an increase of about 20% over last year). It should be of no surprise that the average CL is an extrovert. I tend to be more introverted so I am very well entertained at these events...and I mean entertained in a very positive light. Airbnb's CL program is full of enterprising, smart, business savvy, empathetic, and creative hosts. They have varied backgrounds and are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.

One of the first speakers was a surprise--CEO Brian Chesky himself! In my 13 years of hosting, this was my first time seeing him in person. He was able to give us about 20 minutes of his time which allowed him to cover just a few topics, but fairly thoroughly.

Noteworthy topics

AI: Brian (and therefore Airbnb) is very interested in the progression of AI. Bottom line is that as AI increases and integrates more into our daily lives, the importance of the personal interaction of hosts and guests only increases. HUMANS ARE BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT IN THE AIRBNB EXPERIENCE

Future: the future of Airbnb is quite brilliant. I heard Brian use the term "the industiralization of Airbnb" but I will not claim that as the official title of their vision. By working with both cities and hosts, Airbnb's opportunity is with the large events, as experienced via the 2024 Paris Olympics. During the Olympics, Paris' hosts swelled from 100,000 homes to 150,000 homes allowing for the city to absorb the crowds without changing, altering, tearing down, or building up its current infrastructure for a "one and done" event.

When an event such as a Taylor Swift concert or sporting event is in town, Airbnb is creating relationships so that the homeowners and the host city are comfortable opening homes to the massive influx of attendees. The city can host without building up large hotels in prime real estate that will be mostly vacant the remainder of the year, and homeowners can experience the benefits of hosting without a full time commitment. FIFA 2026, anyone?

In my opinion, a huge benefit of this visioin is the relatioinships that Airbnb creates with the hosting cities' elected leadership. With the continual introduction of new regulations to limit or greatly hinder STR's, this strategy allows government leadership to shift their focus to a sympatico partnership and to move away from the demonization of the STR market. Sounds wonderful to me!

I so appreciate that Brian Chesky, with his financial success, continues to strive to make Airbnb more and better; we all (worldwide, guests, hosts, cities, towns, economies) benefit.

Other noteworthy topics included policy (WA State's defeat of an "STR tax" only is considered a model for future policy fights), social media maximization (think Instagram for most popular platform for trip related searches), and Airbnb.org (expanding the program for more and broader emergencies and disasters, not just Airbnb designated).

If my trip to the Airbnb Community Leaders Summit sounds interesting to you, Airbnb is always looking for more CLs. Or if you are interested in finding out more about your local CL to connect with other hosts, visit https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/lead-your-local-host-club-293.

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Opening your home to host is a good thought, but to put it into action can be overwhelming. Connect with me at HostingGoodness.com to chat about you and your home's potential.