Airbnb Is Opening An Office In NZ. WTF Is it Though?!

Airbnb has doubled the number of private accommodation places it has listed in New Zealand during the past year and is opening an office here to help service rapid growth.

Head of Airbnb NZ Sam McDonagh said establishing a base here was a vote of confidence in the market.

"When we go in to plant the flag it's a really important decision for us and that's really recognition by the group of the take-up by New Zealanders."

This has left many people asking the question, "WTF is Airbnb?!"

Well, Airbnb is a community marketplace where guests can book spaces from hosts, connecting people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay. Through their experiences on Airbnb, guests and hosts build real connections with real people from all over the globe.

Once a reservation is completed, both guest and host can review each other to build a reputation in the community. It's essentially half accommodation service, half social network.

The seven-year-old company had 1.2 million listings around the world. It has 6000 listings in New Zealand, double the number it had a year ago.

Founded in 2008, with headquarters in San Francisco, Airbnb has listings in more than 191 countries and 34,000 cities.

New Zealanders were among the highest users of Airbnb, booking half a million nights in the past year.