Back in 2008, three friends—Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky and Nate Blecharczyk—rented out their living room and an air mattress to people who couldn’t find a place to stay in San Francisco during a convention. They called their offering Air Bed & Breakfast. That marked the beginning of Airbnb, which eventually became one of the biggest sharing economies in the hospitality service.
Airbnb, now the leader in the home-sharing industry, with more than 160 million guest arrivals spread across 65,000 listed homes in 191 countries, is looking forward to expand its horizon with the launch of Trips, a new platform offering unique local experiences designed and led by locals themselves.
Trips successfully launched in November 2016 in Los Angeles and 11 other cities around the world, including London, Barcelona and Tokyo. Gebbia recently visited Thailand to launch the service in Bangkok.
When it comes to tourism, nothing can beat Bangkok, which has been recognized as one of the world’s top travel destinations. With more than 21 million international visitors in 2016, the hospitality business—from luxury hotels to cheap hostels and sharing economy service—is still on the rise. “Thailand is an incredible tourist destination, with inbound travel on Airbnb growing by 149% in the last year alone,” said Gebbia. “We know that travelers want to see the real soul of a place, especially in Bangkok, a leading creative capital in Southeast Asia known for its distinctive culture, edgy, energy and rich heritage.”
The new platform offers three core services—Homes, Experiences and Places. Now Airbnb is not only about home-sharing; it also provides bookable local experiences to explore a new city through a local’s eyes. “Food and drink are probably on the top of this list because the platform can help you find a local gem you can’t find in a guidebook,” he continues. “Everyone can be an experienced host. We’ve seen instances where the hosts take their guest to their favorite places, sharing real local experiences, which, I must say, are very unique.”
Ten different experiences are now available to try in Bangkok including muay Thai and Thai fruit carving.
With the new platform, guests can also check recommendations from thousands of Airbnb hosts and local insiders providing insider knowledge on what’s happening in the city. Trips also provides access to a city’s hidden gems, as well as the chance to socialize with locals and fellow travelers. “The majority of Airbnb homes are outside Bangkok so I would love to see it eventually expand into other cities,” said Gebbia. “Trips is the first step to improve travel experiences.”
Trips is available only on the Airbnb application, available on iOS and Android platforms.