ABSTRACT
When 19-year-old Jacob Lopez traveled overseas to Madrid in July 2015, he anticipated an enjoyable trip and planned to stay at an Airbnb property. His decision to book an Airbnb in Madrid stemmed mainly from his great experience at an Airbnb property in Brazil just a year prior. Lopez texted his mother, Micaela Giles, in the United States. Giles immediately phoned Airbnb from the family's Massachusetts home for help. However, Airbnb personnel indicated that an address to the property could not be provided as she was not the registered guest. Airbnb's business model is straightforward. Users fall into one of two classifications: hosts or guests. Hosts represent the asset owners who list their homes and apartments on the platform. In effect, hosts provide the listings that are available to customers on the Airbnb digital platform. With many promising growth metrics, institutional investors continue to flock to Airbnb as a seemingly secure investment opportunity with a bright future.
