American home rental firm Airbnb Inc. may soon join a growing list of companies that accept cryptocurrencies as a payment option for services.
Will Airbnb accept crypto payments?
The prospect of Airbnb supporting crypto payments comes after company co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky recommended anything the home rental firm does in 2022 to users on Twitter.
If Airbnb could launch anything in 2022, what would it be?
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) 2 January 2022
Three days after asking the question, Chesky solicited nearly 4,000 comments and made a list of the top six recommendations.
Crypto payments top the list
Obviously, many people want to be able to book an Airbnb apartment with digital assets because “crypto payments” top the list of suggestions.
Other recommendations in the top six include offering clearer price performance, a guest loyalty program, updated cleaning fees, more long-term stays and discounts, and better customer service.
Interestingly, the CEO said that some suggestions for 2022 are already in the pipeline, and the firm will consider others.
Although Chesky didn’t explicitly explain his company’s stance on adding crypto payments, his comments could mean one of two things. Airbnb was planning to integrate digital asset payments into its services before the CEO asked for suggestions, or it would consider doing so before the end of the year.
4,000 suggestions received. Here are the top 6:
1 – Crypto Payments (Top Tips)
2 – Clear pricing displays
3 – Guest loyalty program
4 – Update cleaning fee
5 – longer stays and discounts
6 – Better Customer ServiceAlready working on most, will look into others now! https://t.co/rxEM4BXZci
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) 5 January 2022
Whatever the case, Chesky said that the “crypto payment” recommendation covers a variety of token considerations, including bitcoin.
The co-founder of the home rental firm also said that Airbnb’s current payment volume is $336 billion, processed since 2013.
Supporting cryptocurrencies could increase this figure as the industry continues to see mainstream adoption. This will position the company to compete against Dtravel, a decentralized home rental firm founded by former executives of Airbnb and Expedia with the backing of major crypto exchange Binance.
More companies support crypto payments
Meanwhile, last year many companies integrated crypto payment options. As reported in August 2021, popular German fashion company Philipp Plein International AG said it would allow customers to purchase products with 15 different cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ether.
Similarly, US fintech company Verifone partnered with bitcoin payment service provider Bitpay in September to make crypto payment options available to its customers in the United States.
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