Airbnb Is in Midlife Crisis Mode

Chesky explains that historically, radical utilized Airbnb lone erstwhile oregon doubly a year, truthful its plan had to beryllium exceptionally simple. Now the institution is retooling for much predominant access. Open the app, and you spot a trio of icons that enactment arsenic gateways to the expanded functions. Within minutes Chesky and his lieutenants are applauding the cheery, retro benignant of the icons—a location for accepted rentals, a edifice doorbell for services, and a Jules Verne-ish hot-air balloon representing activities. “We truly thought profoundly astir the metaphor—what was the close ocular to explicit an experience?” says Connor. Once they decided connected the balloon, they drilled into however overmuch occurrence should belch from the basket. The icons were drawn by a erstwhile Apple decorator whose sanction Chesky would not divulge. “He’s a spot of a concealed weapon,” helium says.

A less-secret limb is Chesky’s collaboration with the iconic, besides ex-Apple, concern decorator Jony Ive. Chesky’s northbound star, it should beryllium said, is Apple. “Steve Jobs, to me, is similar Michelangelo oregon da Vinci,” helium says. Despite ne'er gathering Jobs, “I consciousness similar I cognize him deeply, professionally, successful a mode that fewer radical ever did, successful a mode that you lone perchance could by starting a tech institution arsenic a originative idiosyncratic and going connected a rocket ship,” Chesky says. By hiring Ive’s LoveFrom institution and moving with Jobs’ cardinal collaborator, Chesky gets a sensation of the celebrated Jobs/Ive dynamic. Ive himself doesn’t marque that comparison, but helium does praise Chesky’s plan chops. “There are definite tactical things wherever I anticipation that sometimes I'm of usage to Brian, conscionable arsenic as a chap designer,” Ive says. “But the bulk of our enactment has been astir ideas and the mode we framework problems and recognize opportunities.”

Another cardinal portion of the app is the illustration page. “You request trust,” Chesky says—meaning a verifiable identity. Airbnb has been vetting the caller vendors, which it calls “service hosts.” For months, Chesky says, an service of inheritance researchers has been scrutinizing the résumés, licenses, and recommendations of chefs, photographers, manicurists, masseuses, hairsbreadth stylists, constitution artists, idiosyncratic trainers, and aestheticians who supply spa treatments specified arsenic facials and microdermabrasions. They’re each being professionally photographed.

For the adjacent phase—turning Airbnb’s idiosyncratic profiles into a superior net ID—Connor and her squad person engaged successful immoderate far-out experimentation. She rattles disconnected a database of technologies they’ve been exploring, including biometrics, holograms, and the reactive inks utilized to deter counterfeiting connected authoritative ID cards. But it’s acold from casual to go a backstage individuality inferior (hello, Facebook), and adjacent Chesky notes that getting governments to judge an Airbnb credential to verify individuality is “a agelong goal.”

Now that a full slew of radical volition person caller reasons to chat with each different and coordinate plans, Airbnb has besides enhanced its messaging functions. Fellow travelers who stock experiences tin signifier communities, enactment successful touch, adjacent stock videos and photos. “I don’t cognize if I privation to telephone it a societal network, due to the fact that of the stigma associated with it,” says Ari Balogh, Airbnb’s CTO. So they employment a fuzzier term. “We deliberation of it arsenic a transportation platform,” helium says. “You’re going to spot america physique a batch much worldly connected apical of it, though we’re not an advertizing system, convey goodness.” (My ain reflection is that immoderate for-profit institution that tin big advertizing will, but whatever.)