EDITOR'S COMMENT
• It was great to speak to Catherine Powell, the first-ever global head of hosting at Airbnb, at last week's Skift Future of Lodging Forum in London. In my 15-minute interview with Powell, who was initially hired to lead the company's Experiences division in January 2020, we were able to discuss a number of key challenges facing Airbnb, as well as the opportunities in the years ahead.
Amid reports that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is launching a sustained crackdown on anti-social behaviour at Airbnb listings, Powell insisted that there was an "unequivocal" ban on so-called "party houses" and that the platform was doing all it could to enhance safety and security for its guests and hosts respectively. Airbnb has been vocal about fighting discrimination and building inclusion throughout its community, yet high-profile incidents involving shootings and poisonings continue to persist at its listings, highlighting how much work there is left to do to reassure its users.
Check out the interview in full here to hear Powell's thoughts on a range of topics, including:
- How her experience at Disney prepared her for her role at Airbnb
- The latest on Airbnb.org and Airbnb's Experiences offering
- Airbnb's push for sustainable / responsible tourism
- How Airbnb is driving loyalty and whether it will consider a subscription element
- Airbnb's use of AI / machine learning to create a more personalised booking experience
• Tune in to this Tuesday's 'Pitch to Paul' Dragon's Den / Shark Tank-style webinar [4pm BST] to watch Philip Pickard [Speedy Wi-Fi], Karen Piscitelli [Explorabout] and Michal Borychowski [Lula.Cleaning] pitch for potential investment by signing up for our no-cost session here.
• With the Shortyz judging process now underway, you can now start booking your tickets here for our big awards night on Wednesday 26 April at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in London, as we prepare to announce the final shortlists next week.
Scroll down for the latest industry news.
• Please click here if you have a story you want us to tell the industry, or would like to be considered for a feature, podcast or webinar.
For more information and sponsorship / creative solutions advice, contact us at info@internationalhospitality.media.
