Airbnb declared a new initiative developed to assist displaced individuals hunt for housing solutions. The firm rolled out a new Donations tool that will allow Airbnb hosts kick back a part of their revenue to agencies developed to assist individuals who are in requirement of provisional housing. Hosts at Airbnb will be capable of selecting a portion from fares that they might like to offer, and 100% of those donations will be offered to nonprofits. Donors will receive frequent updates to allow them know how their contributors have assisted others get places to reside.
Airbnb Donations is an extension of the firm’s current Open Homes program, which rolled out in 2017 and motivates hosts to open their doors for those who require a place to reside. The initiative begun in the wake of attempted immigration ban by President Trump and lets hosts to volunteer their houses as provisional shelter for those displaced by natural calamities or for refugees. As per the firm, the initiative has already assisted 25,000 individuals and it expects to offer provisional housing to 100,000 by end of 2022.
On a related note, the line between the home-rental industry and the conventional hotel sector has become more and more blurred. Previous month, Airbnb purchased a last-minute hotel booking firm, HotelTonight. Now, Marriott is seeking to take on Airbnb. As per media, Marriott might turn out to be the first primary hotel firm to provide home rentals.
With almost 1.3 Million guest rooms all over the world, Marriott is the biggest hotel operator in the world. But Airbnb, the biggest home-rental service in the world, has almost 6 Million rentals all over the world. While Airbnb has encountered its fair share of hurdles—from privacy issues to court cases over data and ads—those close to Marriott claim that the home-rental industry is too huge an opportunity to stay away from.
