Latest news with #BrianChesky
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Most spectacular Airbnb rental a $3.5k per-night mirrored house
This renowned Airbnb, which seemingly disappears into its natural surroundings, could be the ideal holiday retreat for those seeking a private escape. The concealed home blends so well into its rocky environs that a potential renter may have to squint to see it. 'Imagine a piece of modern art … one of the most spectacular homes in the world on all of Airbnb,' said Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb. At $3500 per night, the experience it offers almost justifies the price. Known as the 'invisible house,' the mirrored residence was designed by film producer Chris Hanley and Frank Gehry collaborator Tomas Osinski. Their vision was to build a mansion that directly connects inhabitants with the environment. The home features a mirrored-glass exterior that seamlessly bridges the gap between indoor and outdoor space. Celebrities such as Lizzo, Diplo, and Demi Lovato have stayed at the property, which also featured on Netflix's The Most Amazing Vacation Rentals and Selling Sunset. Although countless influencers have captured content at home, the beloved residence in the Mojave Desert is essentially an Instagram celebrity in its own right. Set on 36 hectares with a 30m pool in the living room, the home has three bedrooms and four bathrooms. The elongate minimalist house spans 510 sqm and also has a separate prefabricated house on wheels. Resembling a large, mirrored, rectangular container, the house features 3.5-metre ceilings and ample space for private enjoyment or entertaining. The home also offers a holistic human experience with a unique interior design concept. A notable feature is the indoor 30-metre, solar-heated swimming pool which runs along the home's west wall. Movie nights under the stars are a uniquely dramatic affair here, thanks to the 20 sqm white wall designed for screening films at the end of the pool. Inside, there's a world-class chef's kitchen featuring dual ovens, a separate refrigerator and freezer, marble surfaces, and Miele, Sub-Zero, and Wolf appliances, all anchored on concrete flooring. You'll also find an entire wall of sliding glass doors that open to the breathtaking landscape, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living spaces. And for the truly daring, there's also an all-glass, exposed shower. In the primary suite, highlights include a resort-style bath with a soaking tub, floating vanities, and a rain shower. The home is even equipped with special filters for the eradication of dust, bacteria, and viruses. It might be a tough place to stay during summer months when temperatures regularly crest 37 degrees. But for hardy souls and nature lovers, it's adjacent to a gated nature and tortoise reserve. And if you enjoy your stay, you can always place an offer to buy the place outright. It's still available for $27.6 million (USD$17,950,000), an asking price that has remained unchanged since the home was initially listed in 2023.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says his company is a 'convenient scapegoat' as European cities protest overtourism
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company isn't to blame for overtourism in certain European cities. Rather, Chesky said overtourism is due to poor policy and long-standing housing issues. Anti-overtourism activists plan to protest in cities like Barcelona and Venice on Sunday. Overtourism is rattling cities across Europe, where some activists blame short-term rental companies like Airbnb for swelling the cost of living and limiting housing options for locals. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky disagrees. Chesky addressed the criticisms during an interview with Dagmar Von Taube of WELT, a German newspaper that is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, saying, "I've heard the criticisms — and I have responses." The tech billionaire mentioned Barcelona, where activists protested overtourism in 2024 and are planning further protests on Sunday. "In Barcelona, housing prices rose 60% over the past decade, but Airbnb listings actually decreased. So we can't be the culprits. Sure, people see a lot of tourists, but many of them are cruise ship passengers or hotel guests — in Barcelona, that's around 70%," Chesky said. Airbnb has become a "convenient scapegoat for a failed policy and deep, long-standing housing issues," he said. "Cities haven't built enough new homes to match urban growth. That's the real crisis," Chesky said. "But we're committed to working with cities. We support modern, targeted regulations that protect housing without blocking hosts from occasionally sharing their homes." Chesky's remarks came after Airbnb blamed hotels for the problem this week. In a new report, Airbnb said hotels make up "almost 80% of guest nights in the EU." Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb's vice president for public policy, echoed Chesky's "scapegoat" remark in an interview with The Financial Times published this week. That garnered a response from Tui, Europe's biggest travel operator, which pushed back against Airbnb's suggestion that it's not getting a fair shake on Friday. "The reason protesters hit the streets is because of issues with the cost of living and especially housing. Both are driven by the secondary home market and short-term leases," Alexander Panczuk, group director of policy and reputation at Tui, told The Guardian. "All the destinations where we have seen the conflict of tourists and living spaces in the last few years are not where [operators like] Tui are active." Representatives for Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Although tourism can boost economies, those grappling with overtourism say the influx of travelers in their cities has caused the cost of living to spike, contributed to housing crises, and encouraged overcrowding. Last July, protesters took to the streets of Barcelona holding signs that read "Barcelona is not for sale" and "Tourists go home." Some even sprayed people visiting popular tourist spots with water guns. That June, the city announced its intention to ban all short-term rentals. Activists have also staged demonstrations in Italy, Mallorca, and other popular destinations. Widespread protests are scheduled for Sunday in cities across Spain, Portugal, and Italy. "When they (officials) say that we have to specialise in tourism, they are basically telling us that you have to get poorer so that other people can get richer," Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, a spokesperson for Barcelona's Neighbourhoods Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told Reuters. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
14-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says his company is a 'convenient scapegoat' as European cities protest overtourism
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company isn't to blame for overtourism in certain European cities. Rather, Chesky said overtourism is due to poor policy and long-standing housing issues. Anti-overtourism activists plan to protest in cities like Barcelona and Venice on Sunday. Overtourism is rattling cities across Europe, where some activists blame short-term rental companies like Airbnb for swelling the cost of living and limiting housing options for locals. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky disagrees. Chesky addressed the criticisms during an interview with Dagmar Von Taube of WELT, a German newspaper that is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, saying, "I've heard the criticisms — and I have responses." The tech billionaire mentioned Barcelona, where activists protested overtourism in 2024 and are planning further protests on Sunday. "In Barcelona, housing prices rose 60% over the past decade, but Airbnb listings actually decreased. So we can't be the culprits. Sure, people see a lot of tourists, but many of them are cruise ship passengers or hotel guests — in Barcelona, that's around 70%," Chesky said. Airbnb has become a "convenient scapegoat for a failed policy and deep, long-standing housing issues," he said. "Cities haven't built enough new homes to match urban growth. That's the real crisis," Chesky said. "But we're committed to working with cities. We support modern, targeted regulations that protect housing without blocking hosts from occasionally sharing their homes." Chesky's remarks came after Airbnb blamed hotels for the problem this week. In a new report, Airbnb said hotels make up "almost 80% of guest nights in the EU." Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb's vice president for public policy, echoed Chesky's "scapegoat" remark in an interview with The Financial Times published this week. That garnered a response from Tui, Europe's biggest travel operator, which pushed back against Airbnb's suggestion that it's not getting a fair shake on Friday. "The reason protesters hit the streets is because of issues with the cost of living and especially housing. Both are driven by the secondary home market and short-term leases," Alexander Panczuk, group director of policy and reputation at Tui," told The Guardian. "All the destinations where we have seen the conflict of tourists and living spaces in the last few years are not where [operators like] Tui are active." Representatives for Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Although tourism can boost economies, those grappling with overtourism say the influx of travelers in their cities has caused the cost of living to spike, contributed to housing crises, and encouraged overcrowding. Last July, protesters took to the streets of Barcelona holding signs that read "Barcelona is not for sale" and "Tourists go home." Some even sprayed people visiting popular tourist spots with water guns. That June, the city announced its intention to ban all short-term rentals. Activists have also staged demonstrations in Italy, Mallorca, and other popular destinations. Widespread protests are scheduled for Sunday in cities across Spain, Portugal, and Italy. "When they (officials) say that we have to specialise in tourism, they are basically telling us that you have to get poorer so that other people can get richer," Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, a spokesperson for Barcelona's Neighbourhoods Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told the outlet.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Consumer Internet Stocks Q1 Results: Benchmarking Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB)
As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here's a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q1. Today, we are looking at consumer internet stocks, starting with Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB). The ways people shop, transport, communicate, learn and play are undergoing a tremendous, technology-enabled change. Consumer internet companies are playing a key role in lives being transformed, simplified and made more accessible. The 49 consumer internet stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts' consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter's revenue guidance was in line. Luckily, consumer internet stocks have performed well with share prices up 16.8% on average since the latest earnings results. Founded by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia in their San Francisco apartment, Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) is the world's largest online marketplace for lodging, primarily homestays. Airbnb reported revenues of $2.27 billion, up 6.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts' expectations by 0.6%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but number of nights and experiences booked in line with analysts' estimates. The stock is up 12.8% since reporting and currently trades at $140.01. Is now the time to buy Airbnb? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Known for its glass tower car vending machines, Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) provides a convenient automotive shopping experience by offering an online platform for buying and selling used cars. Carvana reported revenues of $4.23 billion, up 38.3% year on year, outperforming analysts' expectations by 6.2%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 30.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $337.92. Is now the time to buy Carvana? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it's free. Founded by consignment store aficionado Julie Wainwright, The RealReal (NASDAQ: REAL) is an online marketplace for buying and selling secondhand luxury goods. The RealReal reported revenues of $160 million, up 11.3% year on year, in line with analysts' expectations. It was a slower quarter as it posted full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts' expectations. As expected, the stock is down 21.8% since the results and currently trades at $5.71. Read our full analysis of The RealReal's results here. Originally founded as a part of Microsoft, Expedia (NASDAQ:EXPE) is one of the world's leading online travel agencies. Expedia reported revenues of $2.99 billion, up 3.4% year on year. This result missed analysts' expectations by 0.8%. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also logged a slight miss of analysts' number of room nights booked estimates. The company reported 107.7 million nights booked, up 6.4% year on year. The stock is up 4.4% since reporting and currently trades at $176.69. Read our full, actionable report on Expedia here, it's free. Famously founded by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) operates a collection of the largest social networks in the world - Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, along with its metaverse focused Reality Labs. Meta reported revenues of $42.31 billion, up 16.1% year on year. This print beat analysts' expectations by 2.3%. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts' EBITDA estimates but revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts' expectations. The company reported 3.43 billion daily active users, up 5.9% year on year. The stock is up 27.7% since reporting and currently trades at $698.80. Read our full, actionable report on Meta here, it's free. Thanks to the Fed's series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump's presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape. Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
13-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Big Tech Is Dealing Flat Design a Death Blow
Open Airbnb Inc. 's app today and you'll find a row of animated, whimsical buttons adorning the top of its new user interface. Tap the cute house icon for home listings and its teeny front door pops open and porch light illuminates. Click the silvery hotel reception bell for the new 'Services' page, where users can now book everything from personal chefs to spa treatments, and the image will rattle as if summoning a bellhop. Or hit the hot-air balloon to search for other travel experiences and the icon will buoyantly bounce as a wee burner fires from the wicker passenger basket. When Airbnb was starting down this new design path, Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky wasn't sure how Jony Ive would react. Ive, the fabled former design chief of Apple Inc. who has since become an adviser to Airbnb, had famously helped usher in an era of flat UI a decade ago, sanding down pixels to their essence. He replaced once-lifelike textures depicted on the iPhone — wood shelves in iBooks, casino baize in the gaming center, a gleaming lens for the camera app — with simplified icons, elegant typography and a cleaner aesthetic. Ive found beauty in order and efficiency, and pushed to excise unnecessary ornamentation, a minimalism that soon spread across the digital landscape.
