Airbnb’s Playful Video Taunts New York City’s Mayor-Elect
Sheldon Ferrao
Dec 10, 2013
Have you ever used AirBnb when travelling? If the answer is no, you should reconsider. With the city of New York in a legal battle with the house-sharing company, claiming it is an illegal practice and issuing a subpoena for AirBnb to hand over its list of users; the company has responded with a playful marketing video.
The startup has been a widely successful hit in the international market, as residents rent out their homes to travellers on a short-term basis. Accommodations range from low-end houses to the most luxurious, allowing visitors to experience a city and real neighbourhoods without the hotel facade. Also it provides home-owners another stream of revenue; the top 40 New York hosts have grossed at least $400,000 (each) within the past three years. With access to over 192 countries and 10 million nights booked worldwide, there was no way that the company was going to let New York run them out.
The New York city mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, has publically expressed his support for short-term public rental laws that ban Airbnb from one of its biggest markets. So in a passive and non-antagonistic video, the company filmed Airbnb hosts inviting Blasio and his friends and family, into their homes.
Bonus: Here are some of the coolest Airbnb houses available for rent from their wishlist:
