Airbnb hosts know there’s no place like home – that’s why they open theirs up to people around the world

Asian Airbnb hosts reveal the highs and lows of welcoming strangers into their homes and the tricks of the trade that ensure the guest list remains full

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A bedroom at Airbnb host Hari Velliappan’s property Aira in Mysuru, India. Opening their homes to tourists gives hosts additional income and allows them to meet people from around the world and show them around. Highly rated ones become Airbnb superhosts, which helps bring in business. Photo: Aira

Published: 11:15am, 14 Oct 2023

Airbnb superhost Princess Lou Marzo, 47, says it was her adventure-loving father who convinced her to register their family properties on the online accommodation marketplace in 2016.

The former sailor wanted to bring the multicultural atmosphere he had encountered on his voyages back home to San Fernando, in the Philippine province of La Union, but he didn’t have the patience to answer email inquiries or manage day-to-day business affairs. Those chores would fall to his daughter.

They had converted the two homes behind their own into homestays in 2014, but after registering with Airbnb, their client list grew.

“Since then, we’ve encountered diverse clients from all provinces of the Philippines and around the world,” says Marzo.

Princess Lou Marzo is a superhost on Airbnb. Photo: Princess Lou Marzo

Airbnb recorded its first ever full year of profit in 2022, after a tumultuous pandemic period that brought the travel industry to its knees. The company generated US$1.9 billion of net income last year, compared with a net loss of US$352 million in 2021.

It took time for the concept of throwing open one’s home to strangers to take root. Today, with more than 6 million listings around the world, Airbnb’s expansion in emerging markets such as the Philippines has helped the company to finally become profitable.