Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky explained that the most important feature users demand in 2022 is to pay for reservations in cryptocurrency.
Over the weekend, Chesky took a Twitter post: “If Airbnb could launch anything in 2022, what would it be?” Two days later, it published a list of the first six of the nearly 4,000 recommendations received.
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 serviceAlready working on most, will look into others now! https://t.co/rxEM4BXZci
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 5, 2022
He said the first on his list is crypto payments. This was followed by clearer pricing indicators, a loyalty program for regular users, updated cleaning fees, longer stays, discounts and better customer service.
Chesky “We are already working on most of them, now we will look at the others!” said. A user suggesting crypto said that some countries are blocking international payments and thus relying on digital assets. Actively responding to some of the tweets, Chesky replied, “We’re investigating this.”
According to the executive, the online travel and booking firm has seen $336 billion in payment volume since 2013. Airbnb currently accepts Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal as payment methods.
If Airbnb incorporates the popular proposal, Tesla and AMC will join the group in accepting crypto as payment.
Besides, this isn’t the first time Chesky has talked about the crypto industry. In a statement in September 2021, he stated that crypto payments are a constant demand. In the same interview, he also drew attention to his connection with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Armstrong, who now runs the largest crypto exchange in the US, was formerly the product technical manager at Airbnb.