Skift Take
Airbnb is far past the early adopter phase, but it is just now entering the phase where its hosts and guests may not be there just for the sharing and belonging.
Earlier this month as I was planning a visit to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, I turned to Airbnb in my research process. I'm a big fan of the site -- I use it over a hotel in nearly all of my personal travel and once in awhile I even use it for work.
This particular search required a room for myself and ten colleagues and the results yielded a full spectrum of McMansions, cramped casino suites and a sprinkling of quite-nice-but-far-too-remote properties. And then one property caught my eye: it was $800/night, spacious, had an enormous kitchen and had a balcony overlooking the strip. With a hot tub.
The host, Ricardo, had no reviews, so I emailed him to learn more about his property. Within an hour, I had a response from the host assuring me of his authenticity, encouraging me to book the property and including two links redacted by Airbnb. Minu
