* All the locations are real Airbnb places.
* The pretty lady in the video is Venetia Pristavec, who does all the in-house video content for Airbnb, traveling around to different countries and interviewing hosts. She’s great.
* Where you see people, those are real Airbnb hosts.
* The site is neat, but you should download the iPhone app. It’s one of the best-designed, most beautiful and functional apps I’ve ever used.
* The cinematographer is my friend Rachel Morrison. She’s great.
* That villa with the credit card logos in the pool? It’s in Puerto Vallarta. The crew stayed there for a few days. It’s great.
* My side of the Scrabble board spells out “COOTYS RAT SEMEN”. Venetia’s spells “BEANS”. I won.
Square: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBieYjxUj5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2_u2nMsgjg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzsFAJAKHI .. wow square has a lot of videos
Birdhouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8yRaWY1xV8&feature=playe...
Jawbone's JAMBOX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgC3zjNH1oU&feature=playe...
Couch to 5k (iOS app): http://vimeo.com/15981967
(but yes, I agree with you - I don't know how keen I'd be to leave someone the keys to my place while I'm out either)
I've booked a couple of places through the site when I was traveling in California, and the result in both places was better than I would have expected.
The culture of the site is interesting in itself - it attracts people that don't mind having a stranger in their house. You really have to be a sociable person to allow that, and it shows in the personalities of the hosts (and guests). Makes for a very friendly and welcoming environment.
I wonder how much something like this would cost?
I might be moving to London for a few months, and the "stay for a month" line certainly persuaded me to take a look when I do.
So, it's not as easy as this video implies. For me, it has been something of a headache and a time waster, which is unfortunate because I think their idea is excellent.
(Maybe it is easy if you're a hot hipster waif?)
Comparing airbnb and couchsurfing experience would be a great exercise in understanding the altruism and economics of the internet and online communities.
Would I need to get my landlord's permission? Or is it my right according to CA tenant law? Or somewhere in between?
