Airbnb Could Soon Add Support for Cryptocurrency Payments

Online hospitality marketplace Airbnb could be on track to add cryptocurrency payments.

CEO Brian Chesky recently took to Twitter to reveal that booking accommodations with the help of cryptocurrencies is the number one request for this year.

Got 4,000 suggestions. Here are the top 6:

1 – Crypto payments (top suggestion)
2 – Clear pricing displays
3 – Guest loyalty program
4 – Updated cleaning fees
5 – More long-term stays & discounts
6 – Better customer service

Already working on most, will look into others now! https://t.co/rxEM4BXZci

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 5, 2022

On Jan. 3, Chesky asked his Twitter followers for Airbnb-related suggestions. After skimming through thousands of tweets, he concluded that crypto was clearly in the lead. It is followed by clear pricing displays, a loyalty program for guests, updated cleaning fees and improved customer service.

Chesky says that he has seen a variety of token ideas, which likely means that Airbnb’s future cryptocurrency payment lineup will not be limited to one or two tokens.

He also added that Airbnb had processed $336 billion worth of payments since 2013.

Airbnb currently accepts Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal.

In September, Chesky told Fox Business that Airbnb had been getting plenty of requests related to cryptocurrency payments:

We get a lot of requests, I’ve been getting it for years, I have nothing to announce on it today.

In its initial public offering (IPO) prospectus, the company stated that it had to adapt to cutting-edge technologies such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain in order to remain successful in the future.

The world’s number one rental marketplace bought bitcoin tipping service ChangeTip back in 2016.

It is worth noting that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, one of the world’s richest people, is a former Airbnb employee.

Airbnb’s recent pivot to crypto comes amid competition from decentralized blockchain-based alternatives of the likes of Dtravel, a vacation rental service launched by Travala.com.