25 Facts about Airbnb, the vacation rental website that's shaking up the travel industry.

1. Based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a privately owned accommodation rental website, with 1,500,000 unique listings in 34,000 cities in 192 countries all over the world. 

2. By renting out rooms, space, or even entire private residences, Airbnb is offers cheaper, more flexible, and often more charming and comfortable alternatives to a hotel room. 

3. For instance, a recent query showed that a night in a hotel in San Francisco would set you back on average $229, however Airbnb was able to offer room at approximately $165 and cheaper.

4. It’s perfect for families who wish to rent out an entire apartment on vacation, young couples or solo travellers who wish to explore foreign destinations on a budget, or anyone who’s looking for more of an authentic traveling experience.

5. While Airbnb is just about a household name today, the company started from extremely humble beginnings. In fact, Airbnb was born from the desperate attempts of two guys struggling to pay rent to earn a few bucks back in 2008. 

6. Roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia couldn’t afford to pay their rent in their San Francisco apartment. So they came up with the idea of setting up and renting out three air mattresses in their apartment for travelers in the area, including breakfast as a perk.

7. The even created a quick website, Airbedandbreakfast.com

8. Soon they had their first guest, 2 men and a woman, who paid $80 each. 

9. The light bulb went on that this was a great idea, so they enlisted their ex-room mate, Nathan Blecharczyk, into the fold to create a better website, promoting the concept of personal rentals to others, earning about $200 a week.

10. The boys even raised their first $20,000 in funding to grow the concept. They decided they needed to advertise and promote their listings with better imagery, so went door to door in New York and took beautiful photos of their listings, which helped them ramp up to $400 a week and a slow but steady upward trajectory.

11. Although they were spurned by bigger investors, they didn’t give up, and eventually went on to raise $119.2 million from various investors, including actor Ashton Kutcher (who is still a strategic advisor for the company.) 

12. In 2011, the company started its overseas expansion, opening its first international office in Hamburg, Germany.

13. Certainly no company has climbed to greater heights in a short time than Airbnb, as only six years after their inception, in 2014, the company earned a 10 billion-dollar valuation.

14. According to The Wall Street Journal, Airbnb expects to climb to $10 billion in revenue by 2020 led by the current CEO, Arne Sorenson - one of the major players in the hospitality industry.

15. The “traditional” hotel industry doesn’t think highly of Airbnb, as Marriott International stated on CBS that Airbnb was an “interesting experiment,” but they “did not see them as any threat.”

16. Airbnb guests stay longer than average travelers (average travelers stay for 2.8 nights while Airbnb’s average is 5 nights).

17. About 20% of people staying with Airbnb are staying more than 30 days or more.

18. Less than 20% of people have heard of Airbnb and the movement that’s labelled “the sharing economy,” so the company is anticipated to still see exponential future growth.

19. How much can regular people earn by renting out their homes? In New York City, one commercial host made approximately 6.84 million dollars from renting out their properties in the US between 2010 and 2014.  

20. Along with their meteoric rise, Airbnb certainly felt some growing pains, as not all customer experiences were glowing. In fact, the company has endured a number of scandals involving theft, property damages and an array of sordid activities in hosts’ apartments. Here are just a few to mention…

21. Airbnb recently promised to pay the damages, expected to be at $75,000 after a house was destroyed during a ‘drug-crazed orgy.’

22. CEO Brian Chesky was recently shocked by an incident involving a woman’s home that was ransacked by an Airbnb renter. In response, he instituted a $50,000 Airbnb guarantee protecting future hosts from damage.

23. An Airbnb guest once stayed at a house where the host died midway through their stay, confusing the matter of checking out and payment.

24. According to reports in the New York Post, “entertainers” of questionable character regularly pose as tourists renting out Airbnb listings in New York City, helping them security avoid cameras and saving money compared to hotels.

25. One Airbnb host was forced to pay tenants $1,700 to vacate her apartment after they refused after 30 days, citing California tenant's rights laws and demanding a payment of relocation fees before they left.

Despite this small number of issues, the vast majority of Airbnb customers have wonderful experiences and thoroughly enjoy their stays.

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Here are 10 of the most interesting rentals found on Airbnb all around the world:

As well as offering less expensive, the site is famous for offering some unique and unforgettable abodes. 

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B in America ($98 per night)

Have you ever wondered what it was actually like to be kicked out to the doghouse…now you can stay in one – a comfy one at that!

Giraffes Manor in Kenya ($500 per night)

Fit for a family vacation this manor is also home of a giraffe – beware while you’re enjoying your meals that this sneaky host doesn’t take a bite of your food.

Edvard’s Igloo in Greenland ($327 per night)

You can rent one of five modern igloo cabins, equipped with the tiniest kitchenette imaginable, television, and a bathroom with shower.

Fairytale treehouse in America ($350 per night)

This beautifully, mystic abode is totally surrounded by nature…perfect for a little weekend get-away out of the city.

Water Tower in London ($187 per night)

This round room in the sky is a converted water tower situated in Kensington. When the sun does shine in England, this room is flooded with light.

Train Carriage in Australia ($114 per night)

Set in the middle of vineyard country in New South Wales, you definitely will not loose out on sleep in this motionless train carriage.

Seashell House in Mexico ($225 per night)

With views of the Caribbean sea, you wont need to press your ear to this conch shell to hear the ocean…This exquisite house is definitely an unusual one!

The glass treehouse in America ($500 per night)

People in glass houses … shouldn’t throw stones! This Airbnb host wouldn’t be too happy.

Stay the Night in a Beer Barrel in Germany ($115 per night)

Spend a night in a 19th Century beer barrel that was in use until about 1995, just for something a little different!

Boothouse in New Zealand ($233 per night)

Ignore the old children’s nursery rhyme, ‘The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?’ This Boathouse recreates that old tale!