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| Hospitality Today | Feb/Mar 14
The company’s founders,
Joe Gebbia (R),
Brian Chesky (L), and
Nathan Blecharcyzk
(seated), in Airbnb’s
San Francisco HQ
- star of the ‘sharing
economy’, or beneficiary
of regulatory avoidance?
In snowy Davos last month at the World Economic Forum, amongst the
presidents, prime ministers and plutocrats, Brian Chesky, the founder and CEO
of Airbnb “held his first high-level talks with hotel group executives” as the
Telegraph put it. Chesky’s snow-bound summit meetings included two chief
executives and the chief financial officer of the three major hotel brands which,
with IHG, dominate the global hospitality industry. Chesky said he was eager
to work on new regulation to calm industry fears about his business.
The biggest of those giant players, though, did not meet Airbnb. From his suite at
the futuristic InterContinental Hotel in Davos (right), one of his newest openings,
IHG’s CEO Richard Solomons was in no mood to engage with the ambitious dot com
startup that he sees as a potential threat taking advantage of regulatory loopholes
to “disadvantage” hotels.