Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted a poll on Monday asking his roughly 400,000 followers what they wanted from the rental platform in 2022.
Chesky has today revealed that the majority of respondents want to be able to pay with Bitcoin (BTC) or other popular digital currencies when renting their next house or apartment on Airbnb. Other requests included clear pricing displays, a loyalty program for visitors, up-to-date cleaning charges, and enhanced customer service.
Got 4,000 suggestions. Here are the top 6:
1 – Crypto payments (top suggestion)
2 – Clear pricing displays
3 – Guest loyalty program
4 – Updated cleaning fees
5 – More long-term stays & discounts
6 – Better customer serviceAlready working on most, will look into others now! https://t.co/rxEM4BXZci
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 5, 2022
Chesky also added that he has seen a number of token ideas, implying that Airbnb’s potential cryptocurrency payment selection will not be confined to one or two digital assets. Airbnb currently accepts Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal as payment methods. The CEO also noted that the accommodation company has processed $336 billion in transactions since 2013.
Chesky has been vocal regarding the potential of new technologies. In September, he told Fox Business that the company had received a lot of inquiries regarding crypto payments:
“We get a lot of requests, I’ve been getting it for years, I have nothing to announce on it today.”
During a November interview with Nilay Patel of The Verge, he was asked about his thoughts on the future of crypto and metaverse:
“We are definitely looking into it. Absolutely. Like the revolution in travel, there is clearly a revolution happening in crypto. Airbnb and crypto both have interesting relationships with trust.”
Related: Crypto exchange lists Airbnb derivatives contract ahead of IPO
He went on to note that Brian Armstrong, the CEO of Coinbase, was a former employee of Airbnb. The crypto buzz surrounding Airbnb comes amid a rise in competition from decentralized blockchain-based alternatives like Travala.com’s Dtravel, which provides a holiday rental service.