Bicol Merchant Marine College Inc.

,
Brgy. Piot, Sorsogon City
AY: 2021-2022

Applied Business Tools and Technologies

Case Study: AIRBNB
Week2
Student Name: Rea Nica Gerona Date: September 15, 2021
Year & Section: BSTM 2A Grade: ____________
Instruction: Read the above Case Study carefully and answer the below study questions.

Study Questions:
1. Visit the Airbnb website and explore some of the products, listings and reviews. Use your
observations to analyze the key technologies that you think made the platform so successful.

Key technologies that made Airbnb a successful platform include internet, internet access through phones, and
background checks. The homepage has compiled pages of unique homes, online broadways experiences, and
BnBs to rent near me. When visiting other accommodation websites, I can’t recall any that have a similar setup
to Airbnb. If not for easy internet access across phones, tablets, and laptops all over the world, there would be no
way that homeowners would find the platform, let consider applying to host. Imagine from those who live in Big
Island near a volcano, it would be hard to imagine these homeowners having an easy time renting out their
homes without a platform like Airbnb. Even if a platform like Airbnb did exist, a lot of people would be
questioning if a platform like Airbnb and the homeowners on it can be trusted. Getting a background check for
applying for a new job or buying a house seems normal, but Airbnb requires everyone to get a background
check. Both customers and homeowners are required to get a background check in order to keep business
running smoothly and safely. The background check process, which usually took 1-2 weeks, now takes as few as
2-3 days! Thanks to internet databases, information that the company receives can quickly be cross referenced,
confirmed, and sent back to the company for further processing.

2. How does the Airbnb platform use technology to reduce the risks associated with bad hosts and
guests?

Risks associated with bad hosts and bad guests include not knowing who they are or where you’re staying, no
direct contact with the owners of hotels, and misleading information. Airbnb eliminates these risks with putting
the customer and homeowner in direct contact, and requiring background checks on both ends. Speaking from
experience, when I’m looking for a boarding house or renting place, I have the option to message the
homeowner for any questions that I may have regarding my stay. If they have any questions or concerns, they
can contact me at any time as well! This eliminates the falsifying of information that the owner may feed to me
or vice versa. It assures them that the person they’re renting their place out to is going to be a good guest, and
I’m assured that they’ll be a good host. There are even rating systems in place after the stay is complete. Owners
can rate guests, and guests can rate owners for others to decide whether or not they’d like to do business with
them.
 Bicol Merchant Marine College Inc.,
Brgy. Piot, Sorsogon City
AY: 2021-2022

3. If you were a hotel manager, how would you respond to the disruption created by Airbnb?

To be truthful, it depends on what I’d want to do for my personal well-being. If I presume that I can make more
money joining Airbnb renting out my home, then by all means, I’d quit my job and basically work from home.
If I wanted to stay being a hotel manager, I’d think of what Airbnb offers that the hotel doesn’t and find some
way to repay or find an alternative. For example, setting the customer in direct contact with the “owner” of a
hotel is very challenging, especially when a hotel has exponentially more rooms than an Airbnb and more
customers to deal with at once. If staffing allows, I’d assign one concierge or front desk worker to a handful of
hotel rooms. Each concierge should know about their hotel rooms that they were assigned, and should be able to
answer any question that the customer might have. Other issues that Airbnb may not be so easily contested on
are the lower rates, background checks, and the ability to rent out an entire building in any area of the customers
prefer. There are other amenities that hotels have that most Airbnb’s don’t (some listings are a timeshare hotel
room, so there’s not much we can do for that). Hotels can sell an experience, including five-star dining, room
service, a pool and spa, and other activities that Airbnb hosts simply can’t manage. I would definitely advertise
the additional services that hotels have to offer more often.