Definitions of hospitality: the impact of Airbnb

Under hospitality, we group a diverse range of businesses. In the first place, if we look at firm size, we see a number of large multinational corporations, but also many small and medium enterprises, or even microenterprises.

One of the major disruptors in the hospitality industry over the past decade has been Airbnb. The company's origins trace back to the romantic anecdote involving San Francisco design students, who offered conference participants a place to stay under the name Airbed and Breakfast, in 2007. While this falls within the original definition of providing a hospitality service, the key to Airbnb's growth was its adoption of a platform business model that connects accommodation providers, both professionals and amateurs, with travelers. In other words, Airbnb, officially classified as a travel arrangement and reservation service, primarily acts as an intermediary that outsources its welcoming service to accommodation operators. Airbnb experienced an exponential increase in sales during the 2010s. Tourist numbers rebounded after the financial and economic crisis, and many people believed that the concept of so-called sharing would address the root causes of that crisis. In 2015, overnight bookings in Amsterdam saw a staggering 474% growth, and triple-digit growth became the norm in European city destinations. By 2022, Airbnb reported 6.6 million global active listings, and close to 400 million nights and experiences booked, establishing itself as one of the largest multinational hospitality companies.