Airbnb in Context

Just like in the nineteenth century, it is becoming difficult to draw a line between housing and lodging. The same physical asset is used differently depending on the channel through which it is marketed: leased for a year through a traditional leasing agent, booked for a night on Airbnb, or offered for several months through a serviced operator li... See more

ven the boundaries between renting and owning are being blurred by technology. iBuyers use data and venture capital to bring unprecedented liquidity to the housing market, enabling people to sell or buy a house within days. Meanwhile, companies such as Space10 and Venn are exploring models that would enable long-term renters to build an equity stak... See more

Today’s plain apartment buildings were once considered radical, opposed by social critics, and avoided by most “proper” people. The notion of sharing a hallway, a laundry room, an elevator, or a roof with other families was seen as a recipe for moral decline.

But digital distribution channels did not simply change how hotels were sold. They changed what hotels are. Airbnb unlocked millions of rooms in new inventory by lowering the cost of finding, booking, and trusting them. Others used Airbnb as a channel to offer a more standardized lodging product, with a business model that flipped the real estate o... See more

Companies like Common Living and Ollie are building their own digital distribution channels and are building branded residential franchises. Their initial focus was on under-served, low-end customers, but they are gradually making their way upmarket.