Airbnb waives fees for Hurricane Sandy affected area

http://blog.airbnb.com/waiving-fees-for-hurricane-sandyaffected-area

by alexshye • 14 years ago

63 20 14 years ago

blog.airbnb.com

paulgb2• 14 years ago

Because they're still insuring the rentals, they're presumably taking a loss to do this, not to mention leaving a lot of money on the table due to increased demand. Very cool of them.

pedalpete• 14 years ago

You're right about it being very cool of them, but I also suspect that the brand recognition and coverage they'll get from doing this will more than make up for any loss.

Not that I'm saying that is why they are doing it, it's the right thing to do, it's a great thing to do.

paulgb2• 14 years ago

I totally agree. I just like when good business is aligned with doing "the right thing", and companies think long-term enough to see that.

pyre• 14 years ago

  > the brand recognition and coverage they'll get
  > from doing this will more than make up for any loss

This is not easily quantifiable, and therefore people that spend too much attention to 'bean counting' will just see this as a loss (and possibly not even do it in the first place).

juneyham2• 14 years ago

I work for Airbnb and was involved in the discussions leading up to our decision to waive fees and generally reach out to our community to help those affected and displaced by Sandy.

This was 100% due to our concern for the community and the stories coming out of the East Coast about all those impacted. We all came together--multiple departments across the company--and rallied quickly to make this happen.

It was very, very cool to witness.

bitcartel3• 14 years ago

The fee waiver does not include Port-au-Prince and other affected areas in the Carribean.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/29/caribbean-nation...

3JPLW• 14 years ago

For their... two listings I see in Port. Granted, the do have quite a few more in Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. But the latter two weren't hit nearly as badly.

colmvp2• 14 years ago

What a contrast from Uber.

kyro• 14 years ago

Yeah, decided to try Uber to get to the airport today, even with the $40 discount for first-time users, I ended up paying $75 for a 20-minute ride. Last time I'm using them.

easytiger• 14 years ago

I had a look at Uber, and the only thing i can think of is they are basing their entire model on the assumption that every customer is expensing each journey.

random42• 14 years ago

Context for the uninitiated, please.

DanBC• 14 years ago

Uber is "everyone's private driver". They've increased their prices. Some people accuse them of gouging. Other people say that prices must increase after catastrophe, to reward people taking the risk of providing the service / goods.

UBER (https://www.uber.com/cities/san-francisco)

Uber increases prices (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4725789)

retube• 14 years ago

yeah but the risks are different. An uber driver is potentially exposing himself and vehicle to the hostile elements. An ubder driver might have otherwise decided not to make himself available at all without the extra cash incentive.

pbiggar• 14 years ago

I wonder if Uber had waived their fees at the start, would they have ridden this out in style like AirBnb?

bgallegos• 14 years ago

So smart. I received so many emails from NY-based tech companies over the last few days. While I feel bad for them, I'm also in NY and in the same situation. But they insist on my attention. I love what Airbnb did here. Give give give give ... then ask. It actually feels authentic probably because it's a truly authentic gesture from them. Great way to do business.

Airbnb waives fees for Hurricane Sandy affected area

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