
News: Airbnb’s first international acquisition took place (where else?) in France, which is their #1 market outside the US. French startup Luckey (link in French) was bought for an undisclosed sum.
In consuming their first concierge, the sharing economy giant expands into a full-service offering. This labor-intensive service is very different from the hands-off platform model deployed by Airbnb to date. A concierge must check-in/check-out guests, handle keys, coordinate cleaning and other customer service issues, both during a stay, and in preparation for the next guests or owner handover. A concierge might also manage listings, optimize pricing and provide reports on property performance.
One of the great advantages of using a concierge is that they can manage listings and availability on several platforms simultaneously, greatly increasing the likelihood of finding a renter for that night. Although Luckey will continue to list on multiple platforms, do their clients truly believe the placements will be agnostic? Time will tell how the currently claimed 1000+ owners will react to the move.
Meanwhile, how do the hundreds of competitive concierges think about this new situation? Will they align with another of the home-sharing giants? Will they leverage their independence towards owners wary of putting their nest-eggs all in one basket?
Is this an experiment by Airbnb, as many tech giants often do? A second acquisition in the space would be telling.
This subject warrants deep reflection and further coverage we plan to deliver here at My Property Payday.