Airbnb’s CEO recently asked customers for their feedback via Twitter to kick-off 2022. He wanted to see what features patrons desired to add to the roadmap for the popular vacation rental platform.
Brian Chesky’s Twitter poll received over 400,000 responses from eager followers. Most of the 400,000+ responses asked for more transparent pricing displays, a guest loyalty program, long-term stays, discounts, and crypto payment options.
Adding a crypto gateway for payment was the most common request.
Chesky mentioned that his team was already working on most of these suggestions but will look into the others not initially on the 2022 roadmap.
With the emergence of other large US businesses accepting crypto, Airbnb started looking into that possibility in 2021.
Crypto Street, a restaurant in Florida, USA, recently announced that they accept cryptocurrency payments. AMC Theatres, a massive chain of movie theatres in the United States, also decided to accept these new forms of currency. They accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash as payment methods. They’ve also decided to take Shiba Inu tokens as payment.
“While renting their next home or apartment on Airbnb, customers are wanting to pay with Bitcoin or other digital currencies,” Chesky stated.
“Airbnb is already working on some of these features and will look into even more applications,” he continued.
Airbnb currently takes payments via Visa, Google Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Mastercard.
The company did announce the incorporation of cryptocurrencies in 2020 while preparing for its IPO. The 40-year-old billionaire also stated in an interview in 2021 that individuals have been requesting crypto payments on the platform for years.
“As the revolution in travel with crypto has begun, Airbnb has an interest in building trusted partnerships with crypto,” he added.
Airbnb operates an online marketplace with 5.6 million listings worldwide in the travel business, taking up 20% of the market share. However, the company has previously failed to integrate technical innovations. As a result, they want to implement new features slow but steadily.
While most of the globe is still wary about crypto payment systems, Airbnb’s CEO is plugging on. He believes Airbnb is structured to employ new technology that improves user experiences.
It looks like you may be able to pay for your next vacation rental in BNB soon!