CouchSurfing
Encyclopedia
CouchSurfing International Inc. is a corporation based in San Francisco that offer its users hospitality exchange
and social networking services. It is a for-profit private
corporation, planning to go public. With more than 3 million profiles in 246 countries
and territories, CouchSurfing has an Alexa
Traffic Rank of about 1,700. It recently suffered significant criticism from thousands of users after becoming a for-profit corporation when it had been a non-profit for years.
, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
and activity level.
Homestay
s are consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance. No monetary exchange
takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food).
CouchSurfing provides editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. CouchSurfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.
The website features a searchable database of hundreds of upcoming events organised by CouchSurfing members, including the annual "Berlin
Beach Camp" which draws over 1,000 attendees, the annual "WinterCamp," and a New Year's Eve
party hosted in a different city in Europe
every year. Famous Couchsurfers include Julian Assange
and Daniel Bedingfield
.
s. Ambassadors must be role-models and actively promote the "CouchSurfing spirit" among members and to the public. In addition to promoting use of the site, they greet new members, help with questions and perform other administrative tasks, all on a volunteer basis.
As of January 2011, couchsurfers represents more than 80,000 unique towns in 245 states and territories. Around 20% of the couchsurfers had registered their country as being the United States
, with Germany, France, Canada and England also registering large numbers of participants. The city with the largest number of resident couchsurfers was Paris
.
English was spoken by nearly 74% of registered Couchsurfers. French (20%), Spanish (17%) and German (16%) were also spoken.
The average age of participants was 28 years of age.
to Iceland
. Fenton randomly e-mailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland
asking if he could stay. He ultimately received more than 50 offers of accommodation. On the return flight to Boston, he began to develop the ideas that would underpin the CouchSurfing project.
Fenton developed the code intermittently over the next few years. The site was launched with the cooperation of Dan Hoffer, Sebastien Le Tuan, and Leonardo Silveira as a beta in January 2003, although none of these except Fenton was a member of the original board of directors. The project became a public website in January 2004.
Initial growth of the site was slow. By the end of 2004 the site had just over 6,000 members. In 2005, growth accelerated and by the end of the year, membership stood at just under 45,000. As of October 2011, CouchSurfing has over 3 million active and inactive members and is the most popular free accommodation site. As of October 2011, the site has an Alexa
Global Traffic Rank of 1,729.
On 1 September 2011 Daniel Hoffer was announced as the new President and Chief Executive Officer
of CouchSurfing. Dan was one of the original founders of the website and will be in charge of daily operations. Casey Fenton remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was self-appointed chairman of the board for life of the dissolved nonprofit CouchSurfing.
being irrevocably lost. Due to the volume of critical data that had been lost, Casey Fenton was of the opinion that the project could not be resurrected. On 29 June 2006, he sent an e-mail
to all members: "It is with a heavy heart that I face the truth of this situation. CouchSurfing as we knew it doesn't exist anymore."
Fenton's e-mail was met with vocal opposition to the termination of the project and considerable support for its recreation. A CouchSurfing Collective was underway in Montreal at the time and those in attendance committed to fully recreating the original site, with users to re-enter their profile data. "CouchSurfing 2.0" was announced early in July 2006, with the intent to be operational within 10 days. The initial implementation of CouchSurfing 2.0 actually launched after only four days with the current CouchSurfing slogan "Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time". Since the site relaunch, the project has received international media coverage.
, UK, a man named Abdelali Nachet rape
d a woman from Hong Kong
who stayed at his place through the CouchSurfing project. Nachet was sentenced to 10 years in prison
.
incorporated in the U.S. state
of New Hampshire
.
In November 2007, they applied for the federal 501(c)(3) non-profit status, but that was never granted, what according to Casey Fenton, led him to seek "other options"
In August 2011, CouchSurfing announced that its certification as a for-profit B corporation. A $7.6 million million dollar investment was raised by Benchmark Capital
. The site had previously been financially operated using revenue from the voluntary identity verification service.
The announcement that CouchSurfing had become a for-profit corporation created a backlash from core members and volunteers with the organisation. A protest group within CouchSurfing of more than 1,400 members was formed entitled "We are against CS becoming a corporation." as a response. The protesters see CouchSurfing's source code and user database as community created and say that they should not be used for profits.
In an interview with El País CEO Dan Hoffer stated that there's a plan to let the company grow much bigger and the final objective is to go public.
. The fund will award grants ranging between $30,000 and $50,000 annually to nonprofits and schools with compatible missions. The goal is to foster appreciation and understanding between different cultures — with an emphasis on youth and young adults — through such means as international travel, international cultural exchange programs, and classroom-based information exchange. The Cultural Exchange Fund has no connection to CouchSurfing International, Inc.
of CouchSurfing is:
, Vienna
, New Zealand
, Rotterdam
, Thailand
, Alaska
, Costa Rica
and Istanbul
.
Hospitality service
The concept of hospitality exchange, also known as "accommodation sharing", "hospitality services" , and "home stay networks", "home hospitality" , refers to centrally organized social networks of individuals, generally travelers, who offer or seek accommodation without monetary exchange...
and social networking services. It is a for-profit private
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
corporation, planning to go public. With more than 3 million profiles in 246 countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
and territories, CouchSurfing has an Alexa
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
Traffic Rank of about 1,700. It recently suffered significant criticism from thousands of users after becoming a for-profit corporation when it had been a non-profit for years.
Etymology
Couchsurfing is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couchCouch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
Membership
Free to register, members have the option of providing information and pictures of themselves and of the sleeping accommodation they offer, if any. More information provided by a member, and other members, improves the chances that someone will find the member trustworthy enough to be his host or guest. Security is often measured in the reference established by networking. Volunteers may verify names and addresses. Members looking for accommodation can search for hosts using several parameters such as age, location, genderGender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
and activity level.
Homestay
Homestay
Homestay is a form of tourism and/or study abroad program that allows the visitor to rent a room from a local family to better learn the local lifestyle as well as improve their language ability. While homestays can occur in any destination worldwide, some countries do more to encourage homestay...
s are consensual between the host and guest, and the duration, nature, and terms of the guest's stay are generally worked out in advance. No monetary exchange
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
takes place except for compensation of incurred expenses (e.g. food).
CouchSurfing provides editable travel guides and forums where members may seek travel partners or advice. CouchSurfing's main focus is "social networking" and members organize activities such as camping trips, bar crawls, meetings, and sporting events.
The website features a searchable database of hundreds of upcoming events organised by CouchSurfing members, including the annual "Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Beach Camp" which draws over 1,000 attendees, the annual "WinterCamp," and a New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
party hosted in a different city in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
every year. Famous Couchsurfers include Julian Assange
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
and Daniel Bedingfield
Daniel Bedingfield
Daniel John Bedingfield is a British singer-songwriter. He is the brother of pop singers Natasha Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle.-Music career:...
.
Security verification
There are three methods designed to increase security and trust, which are all visible on member profiles for potential hosts and surfers:- Personal references, which hosts and surfers have the option to leave after having used the service.
- An optional credit cardCredit cardA credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
verification system, allowing members to "lock in" their name and address by making a credit card payment and entering a code that CouchSurfing mails to an address of their choice. This also allows CouchSurfing to recoup some costs by requiring a fee for verification. For fairness, the verification fee is based on a sliding scale, taking into account the Purchasing Power ParityPurchasing power parityIn economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
and Human Development IndexHuman Development IndexThe Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
of the country of residence. - A personal vouching system, whereby a member that had been vouched for three times — originally starting with the founders of the site — might in turn vouch for any number of other members he knew or had met through CouchSurfing, and trusts.
Ambassadors
Members who wished to volunteer for various tasks on the site and help spread the word about CouchSurfing in general were able to become ambassadorAmbassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s. Ambassadors must be role-models and actively promote the "CouchSurfing spirit" among members and to the public. In addition to promoting use of the site, they greet new members, help with questions and perform other administrative tasks, all on a volunteer basis.
Demographics
As of August 2011, there were over 3 million registered users at CouchSurfing.As of January 2011, couchsurfers represents more than 80,000 unique towns in 245 states and territories. Around 20% of the couchsurfers had registered their country as being the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with Germany, France, Canada and England also registering large numbers of participants. The city with the largest number of resident couchsurfers was Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
English was spoken by nearly 74% of registered Couchsurfers. French (20%), Spanish (17%) and German (16%) were also spoken.
The average age of participants was 28 years of age.
Casey Fenton
The CouchSurfing project was conceived by Casey Fenton in 1999. According to Fenton's account, the idea arose after finding an inexpensive flight from BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Fenton randomly e-mailed 1,500 students from the University of Iceland
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about...
asking if he could stay. He ultimately received more than 50 offers of accommodation. On the return flight to Boston, he began to develop the ideas that would underpin the CouchSurfing project.
Fenton developed the code intermittently over the next few years. The site was launched with the cooperation of Dan Hoffer, Sebastien Le Tuan, and Leonardo Silveira as a beta in January 2003, although none of these except Fenton was a member of the original board of directors. The project became a public website in January 2004.
Initial growth of the site was slow. By the end of 2004 the site had just over 6,000 members. In 2005, growth accelerated and by the end of the year, membership stood at just under 45,000. As of October 2011, CouchSurfing has over 3 million active and inactive members and is the most popular free accommodation site. As of October 2011, the site has an Alexa
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
Global Traffic Rank of 1,729.
On 1 September 2011 Daniel Hoffer was announced as the new President and Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of CouchSurfing. Dan was one of the original founders of the website and will be in charge of daily operations. Casey Fenton remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was self-appointed chairman of the board for life of the dissolved nonprofit CouchSurfing.
2006 database loss and relaunch
In June 2006, the project experienced a number of computer problems resulting in much of the databaseDatabase
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
being irrevocably lost. Due to the volume of critical data that had been lost, Casey Fenton was of the opinion that the project could not be resurrected. On 29 June 2006, he sent an e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
to all members: "It is with a heavy heart that I face the truth of this situation. CouchSurfing as we knew it doesn't exist anymore."
Fenton's e-mail was met with vocal opposition to the termination of the project and considerable support for its recreation. A CouchSurfing Collective was underway in Montreal at the time and those in attendance committed to fully recreating the original site, with users to re-enter their profile data. "CouchSurfing 2.0" was announced early in July 2006, with the intent to be operational within 10 days. The initial implementation of CouchSurfing 2.0 actually launched after only four days with the current CouchSurfing slogan "Participate in Creating a Better World, One Couch At A Time". Since the site relaunch, the project has received international media coverage.
2009 Leeds Incident
On 5 March 2009 in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, UK, a man named Abdelali Nachet rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d a woman from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
who stayed at his place through the CouchSurfing project. Nachet was sentenced to 10 years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
.
2011 incorporation
CouchSurfing International Inc. used to be a non-profit corporationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
incorporated in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
In November 2007, they applied for the federal 501(c)(3) non-profit status, but that was never granted, what according to Casey Fenton, led him to seek "other options"
In August 2011, CouchSurfing announced that its certification as a for-profit B corporation. A $7.6 million million dollar investment was raised by Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm responsible for the early stage funding of some very successful startups. In 1997, the firm invested $6.7 million in eBay, which became worth more than $5 billion by the spring of 1999. Other high-profile investments include Ariba, Juniper Networks, Red...
. The site had previously been financially operated using revenue from the voluntary identity verification service.
The announcement that CouchSurfing had become a for-profit corporation created a backlash from core members and volunteers with the organisation. A protest group within CouchSurfing of more than 1,400 members was formed entitled "We are against CS becoming a corporation." as a response. The protesters see CouchSurfing's source code and user database as community created and say that they should not be used for profits.
In an interview with El País CEO Dan Hoffer stated that there's a plan to let the company grow much bigger and the final objective is to go public.
CouchSurfing Cultural Exchange Fund
In August 2011 CouchSurfing announced the CouchSurfing Cultural Exchange Fund which is administered by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (NHCF)New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation was established in 1962 as a community foundation and tax-exempt 501 public charity. It is one of the United States' largest community foundations and was formed to build social capital by making grants that advance charitable activities...
. The fund will award grants ranging between $30,000 and $50,000 annually to nonprofits and schools with compatible missions. The goal is to foster appreciation and understanding between different cultures — with an emphasis on youth and young adults — through such means as international travel, international cultural exchange programs, and classroom-based information exchange. The Cultural Exchange Fund has no connection to CouchSurfing International, Inc.
Mission
The mission statementMission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
of CouchSurfing is:
At CouchSurfing International, we envision a world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter. Building meaningful connections across cultures enables us to respond to diversity with curiosity, appreciation and respect. The appreciation of diversity spreads tolerance and creates a global community.
CouchSurfing Collectives
Since June 2006, development of the website has been run in large part by CouchSurfing Collectives: events which may last days or weeks, bringing groups of CouchSurfers together in a chosen city, to develop and improve CouchSurfing. Previous Collectives took place in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Other hospitality exchange networks
- TrippingTrippingTripping may refer to a psychedelic experience.Tripping may also refer to:*Tripping , a penalty infraction*Tripping , the act of running or pulling drill pipe into or out of a wellbore on a drilling rig...
- BeWelcomeBeWelcomeBeWelcome is a hospitality exchange service that is run by a non-profit organisation. The site was founded in February of 2007 by volunteers from another hospitality exchange website Hospitality Club. As of November 2011, the organisation has more than 15,000 members from all over the world who...
- Hospitality ClubHospitality ClubThe Hospitality Club is an international, Internet-based hospitality service of appr. 300,000 members in 226 countries Its members use the website HospitalityClub.org to coordinate accommodation and other services, such as guiding or regaling travelers....
- Pasporta ServoPasporta ServoThe Pasporta Servo is a hospitality service for Esperantists. The service publishes a directory of people from countries on every continent who are willing to host other Esperanto speakers in their homes for free...
- Servas Open DoorsServas Open DoorsServas Open Doors is an international, non-governmental, interracial hospitality association present in over 125 countries and run mostly by volunteers...
Related concepts
- Gift economyGift economyIn the social sciences, a gift economy is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards . Ideally, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within the community...
- SharingSharingSharing the joint use of a resource or space. In its narrow sense, it refers to joint or alternating use of an inherently finite good, such as a common pasture or a shared residence. It is also the process of dividing and distributing. Apart from obvious instances, which we can observe in human...
- Collaborative consumptionCollaborative consumptionThe term collaborative consumption is used to describe an economic model based on sharing, swapping, bartering, trading or renting access to products as opposed to ownership. Technology and peer communities are enabling these old market behaviours to be reinvented in ways and on a scale never...
- DaruDarDaruDarDaruDar is an international community where people give away things, their skills and time to each other for absolutely free requiring nothing in return....
- gift-giving community of things and skills - PostcrossingPostcrossingPostcrossing is an online project that allows its members to send and receive real postcards from all over the world. The project's tag line is "send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world!” Its members, also known as Postcrossers, send postcards to other...
- gift-giving community of postcards - BookCrossingBookCrossingBookCrossing is defined as "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise." The term is derived from bookcrossing.com, a free online book club which began in order to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."The...
- gift-giving community of books - The Freecycle NetworkThe Freecycle NetworkThe Freecycle Network is a non-profit organization registered in the state of Arizona, USA, and separately registered as a UK charity, that organizes a worldwide network of "gifting" groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfills...
- gift-giving community - HomeAwayHomeAwayHomeAway, Inc. is an online vacation rental marketplace. HomeAway connects homeowners and property managers who advertise their properties available for rent with travelers who choose these alternative accommodations instead of hotels....
- vacation rentals - AirbnbAirbnbAirbnb is an online service that matches people seeking vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations with those with rooms to rent, generally private parties that are not professional hoteliers. The site was founded in August 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. In July 2011, the company...
- alternative short-term rentals, user-driven