Founders: Brian Chesky (CEO), Joe Gebbia, Nathan BlecharczykLaunched: 2008Headquarters: San FranciscoFunding: $5 billionValuation: $18 billion (PitchBook)Industry: Hotels, travel, hospitalityPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 List: 7 (No. 7 in 2019) George Kavallines Among the companies hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and its stranglehold on travel is Airbnb. In early May the company laid off 1,900 people, or about 25% of
Travel
(CNN) — Alcohol sales may have boomed during lockdown, but our return to air travel will be an altogether more sobering experience. Airlines including Easyjet and KLM in Europe, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines in the United States, and Asia’s Virgin Australia, are suspending all or part of their alcoholic drinks service in response
An Airbnb on the island of Santorini, in Greece. Courtesy of Airbnb. Airbnb bookings are starting to grow again, thanks to pent-up travel demand. The company said that over the weekend of June 5–7, gross booking value grew in year-over-year terms for the first time since February, when the coronavirus began to devastate its business.
(CNN) — They’ve both got beaches, food, history and sunshine, but two leading tourist destinations are now selling themselves as Europe’s safest as they try to lure the visitors they need to prop up economies fried by the coronavirus. Both Portugal and Greece, which this week opened their doors wider to international visitors, are trumpeting
An increasing number of countries around the world are welcoming back international travelers for the summer, after a period of lockdown due to the coronavirus. However, with vaccines and treatments for the virus still in development, traveling safely is important. If paying up for your own private plane has crossed your mind as the dream
A sign is posted in front of a Hertz car sales and rental car office on August 8, 2017 in South San Francisco, California. Getty Images Hertz Global Holdings warned potential buyers in its common stock offering that it’s almost certain that the equity will become worthless. Hertz said in a government filing Monday that
Passengers wait to disembark the plane on their arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, on April 23, 2020. Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images As the U.S. economy makes further progress in recovering from the harsh blow of the coronavirus pandemic, certain industries are showing signs of recovery. Home purchases are up
An Orange County Convention Center employee replaces a sanitizer station ahead of the center’s reopening in July 2020. Source: Orange County Convention Center Today it might be hard to imagine a mass, indoor gathering with thousands of attendees. Yet that is the bread and butter of the convention and events industry, which was brought a
Nicolas Economou | NurPhoto | Getty Images British Airways plans to auction off art worth millions as the airline looks to raise capital amid the coronavirus crisis. The auction, first reported by U.K. newspaper The Evening Standard, will include works from Damien Hirst, Peter Doig and Bridget Riley, with one of the pieces valued at
(CNN) — With planes grounded and most tourism on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, one Taiwanese airport has come up with a unique solution to help citizens get their travel fix. Taipei’s Songshan airport will give 90 people the chance to take a tour of their airport and relive the experience of going through immigration,
A traveler wearing a protective mask walks past an American Airlines Group Inc. plane tail fin at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images American Airlines shares jumped more than 16% on Friday after the carrier said an uptick in travel demand
(CNN) — Just eight people have reached Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the ocean. More than 550 people have visited space. But only one person has done both: Kathy Sullivan. On Sunday, the NASA astronaut and oceanographer visited Challenger Deep, which sits at a depth of 10,928 meters (35,853 feet) in the western Pacific
Commuters arrive at Grand Central Station with Metro-North during morning rush hour on June 8, 2020 in New York City. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images In recent days, corporate America has made its strongest statements yet on racial inequality. But the protesters marching through small U.S. towns and gathering in large cities around
That was the question on people’s minds across India after Lonar Lake in the state of Maharashtra suddenly changed hues in recent days. Experts believe that the change is likely due to either increased salinity in the water, the presence of algae or a combination of both — like parts of Utah’s Great Salt Lake
Muslim pilgrims wear masks at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on February 28, 2020. Saudi Arabia suspended visas for visits to Islam’s holiest sites for the “umrah” pilgrimage, an unprecedented move triggered by coronavirus fears that raises questions over the annual hajj. ABDEL GHANI BASHIR | AFP | Getty Images
(CNN) — If someone would have told me that I would travel to Thailand in the spring of 2019 and leave three months later having worked on a Spike Lee film with “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, I would’ve cackled at the absurdity. I’d like to think travelers experience some degree of luck on their
A trader, center, wears a Citigroup jacket while working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Here are the companies making headlines in midday trading. Citigroup, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan — Bank stocks fell on Thursday as Treasury yields dipped and investors digested forecasts from the Federal
(CNN) — As the world continues to ease lockdown measures, opportunities abound for the first wave of intrepid travelers who are willing — and legally able — to hit the road again. After months of closure, resorts and hotels alike are understandably very keen to get local and international business back in, meaning there are