cryptodaily.co.uk
Airbnb founder Brian Chesky has suggested that the vacation rental company may start accepting crypto in 2022 after asking his Twitter followers for new services they would like Airbnb to offer via a poll.
According to the CEO of Airbnb Chesky received 40,000 suggestions from participants of his poll, which was topped by requests for the company to accept cryptocurrency payments.
“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 service
Already working on most, will look into others now!
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 5, 2022”
The online marketplace was conceived in 2017 and currently has over 5.6 million listings in over 220 countries and regions. The revolutionary vacation and property marketplace has changed the way people travel by offering a wide range of accommodations for all budgets, as well as offering hosts with a stream of income for their existing property.
In his recent Tweet, Chesky noted that he was already working on most of the top suggestions from the poll, including crypto payments. This update is not the first time the CEO has mentioned cryptocurrency, back in september 2021, Chesky spoke with Fox Business, noting that clients had been requesting crypto services for quite some time. Additionally, prior to going public in 2020, Airbnb’s IPO prospectus also mentioned cryptocurrency, and its importance in technological advancements:
"Our future success will also depend on our ability to adapt to emerging technologies such as tokenization, cryptocurrencies, new authentication technologies, such as biometrics, distributed ledger and blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud technologies,"
The prospectus also included the consideration that despite the importance of adapting to emerging technologies, "these efforts may be more costly than expected and may not be successful."
Chesky’s recent Twitter poll seems to be an indication that Airbnb has committed to pursuing emerging technologies in 2022, particularly with the slew of global companies such as Samsung that are mainstreaming the adoption of crypto.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.