In 1996 a new airline called EasyJet began in its quest to change the face of air travel. Opening up a new world of cheaper air flights, making it more possible for more people to afford to travel, it began its journey (pardon the pun) of revolutionizing the airline industry.

Although cheap flights were already available via Ryanair, it is EasyJet who claim to have opened up the world (literally) and who went on to become Europe’s leading airline. They cornered the market, providing not just amazing prices but good customer service and frequent flights to popular destinations that meant that even people who hadn’t flown before began having the opportunity to travel.

And so it has become with AirBnB. People are even using their name as a verb these days – instead of ‘holiday letting’. In a similar way to ‘hoover’ and ‘biro’, the name Air BnB has replaced ‘holiday lets’, ‘holiday letting’, ‘rentals’, even at times, ‘hotel’. The term is used to cover a whole host (another pun – sorry!) of short-term or short-stay rental opportunities.

They kind of deserve this. They have also revolutionized a world of travel but in their case, the world of short-term stays, of holiday lets as an alternative to hotels. And like EasyJet, they have done it so well – almost annoyingly well! They don’t leave a stone un-turned when it comes to perfecting the world of holiday let stays. They have everyone’s interests at heart; the holiday let owners and the guests who stay have every station covered. And they began by simply advertising the idea of renting out a room in your home; in fact their name comes from the idea of offering guests an air bed and breakfast!

Of course, just like EasyJet were preceded by the likes of Ryanair, the holiday-let world already had many holiday letting websites to choose from when booking or hosting a holiday let. But none of them had much consideration for the host and they all left an awful lot to be desired. These sites were frustrating for owners and guests alike and although they still have their place, they are still a far cry from providing a satisfactory service for their money (charged to both hosts and guests). AirBnB have done some serious homework and every little thing you can think of has been thought of! And they keep doing their homework; it’s a progressive journey and they listen to people.

As a holiday-let company we resisted them at first. We were opposed to bandwagons and didn’t want to feel ruled by a company but we soon discovered that they don’t rule you at all. They just make every tool available to you to make the hosts and the guests have the best possible experience. And they have polite and helpful staff to talk to if you do have a question.

And like EasyJet again, they have opened up a world of travel to people who may not have been inclined to stay in hotels. A lot of guests don’t like hotels and hotel prices are notoriously high, making them unaffordable for many. With AirBnB, prices can be extremely affordable and the joy of sharing a home for a stay or holiday, as well as the cost, is very attractive.