Skift Take
Retaining its focus on short-term rentals would probably be the largest contributor to any competitive moat that Airbnb has. Neither of its two largest rivals has that luxury.
What's next for Airbnb? Among the possibilities are a new array of services for hosts and guests, some for free and some for sale, and an advertising platform that might include sponsored listings.
These were some of the ideas that Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky discussed yesterday at an investor conference in San Francisco. Part of the interview revolved around his hope that Airbnb can deepen its "moat" to stave off the competition.
"And so my general principle is I want the moat of everyone to get deeper every year," Chesky said. "And that means that every year, we need to give away more value than we're charging."
Chesky said Airbnb already offers its hosts things that competitors don't, such as $3 million in damage protection in its AirCover insurance, and "24/7 support" for hosts. (There's defini