Comments by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky have renewed speculation the company may soon begin accepting Bitcoin.
AirBnB: BTC Integration ‘Discussed’ with Coinbase
Chesky made several direct references in several Twitter exchanges which appear to demonstrate his interest in Bitcoin merchant acceptance.
The first came during a discussion with a Bitcoin enthusiast on Christmas Day, Chesky saying he “discussed” the idea with Coinbase.
the founder of Coinbase worked for us and it's an area we have discussed
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) December 26, 2016
Chesky also said he “didn’t realize” that travel giant Expedia already accepted Bitcoin.
His comments were then picked up and highlighted by Bitcoin entrepreneur Tuur Demeester, with other users speculating Bitcoin acceptance could be a logical next step after Airbnb’s acquisition of ChangeTip earlier this year.
CEO of Airbnb's reaction to a Bitcoin enthusiast saying the only reason he uses Expedia instead is that they accept BTC & Airbnb doesn't: https://t.co/t24gzwkMIp
— Tuur Demeester (@TuurDemeester) December 26, 2016
While Airbnb did take on ChangeTip’s staff, it was not a takeover in the full sense, as no assets were bought. At the time, speculation was still rife that the move was designed to be a precursor to a new project, despite the company saying it had no plans to incorporate Bitcoin.
When asked about direct integration with Bitcoin the following day, however, Chesky was coy. Asked by a user whether Airbnb “used Bitcoin,” he responded: “not yet.”
not yet
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) December 27, 2016
Nonetheless, Chesky added he was “surprised” that Bitcoin functionality was the number one requested improvement to Airbnb, even topping a loyalty scheme.
I'm surprised by how popular this is in this thread (has overtaken loyalty program)
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) December 26, 2016
Vinny Lingham also joined in the debate, advocating Bitcoin’s selling point as a method of reducing discrimination, which has been an issue on the platform.
if you want to reduce discrimination even further, Bitcoin helps. Some minorities cannot access traditional banking…
— Vinny Lingham (@VinnyLingham) December 26, 2016
So did investor Stephen Cole, who even went as far as to say he would “give all his travel business to Airbnb and would in a heartbeat if it all took bitcoin.”
Yeah, they take it for hotels. I'd love to give all my travel business to Airbnb and would in a heartbeat if you all took bitcoin.
— Stephen Cole (@sthenc) December 26, 2016
What’s in an Acceptance?
Not just Bitcoin this week, but also Blockchain has been a topic for the travel industry. Global consultants Accenture have focused on the aviation industry as a likely candidate for overhaul, Blockchain catering to everything from check-in to security and aircraft maintenance.
While that move would likely avoid Bitcoin itself, Reddit commentators have meanwhile moved on to speculate that major corporations accepting Bitcoin may not be all that important after all.
In addition, analyst Tone Vays previously noted that merchant acceptance could in fact have a negative impact on prices due to wholesale conversions to fiat.
“Companies like Overstock are trying to relieve some of this pressure by paying their employees in bitcoin and perhaps they will also be able to convince their suppliers to accept the new asset class as payment,” he explained. “But for now the majority of these merchants are quickly converting into local fiat on the open market.”
Will Airbnb integrate Bitcoin? What are the effects of merchant acceptance? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of shutterstock, twitter
