Two friends could not pay their rent, so they put three air beds on the floor. Today Airbnb is one of the biggest travel companies in the world — and many cities want to stop it.
Look at each word. Say what you think it means. Then tap the card.
Tap a card to see the meaning.
Write one word from the cards in each gap.
1. Please write a of the hotel so that other travellers can read it.
2. The met us at the door and showed us the kitchen.
3. I don’t people who tell lies.
4. In the library there is a : you must not talk loudly.
5. A man I didn’t know sat next to me on the train. He was a .
6. Many cities smoking in restaurants.
1. review · 2. host · 3. trust · 4. rule · 5. stranger · 6. ban
Read each part. Then answer the questions before you read the next part.
In October 2007, two friends, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, lived in a flat in San Francisco. They could not pay their rent.
That week a big design conference was in the city. All the hotels were full, and the prices were very high.
The friends had an idea. They had three air beds. They put them on the floor of the living room, made a simple website, and offered a bed and a breakfast.
Three guests came, and each one paid about $80. Chesky and Gebbia were the hosts, and they cooked breakfast every morning.
A friend, Nathan Blecharczyk, joined them to make the website better. In 2008 the company still needed money.
So they made cereal boxes! They called them “Obama O’s” and “Cap’n McCain’s”, because it was election time in the US. They sold the boxes for $40 each and made about $30,000.
In 2009 a programme for new companies, called Y Combinator, gave them money and advice. Then the company grew fast.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. The first guests slept on air beds.
2. The founders had a lot of money in 2007.
3. The cereal boxes helped to pay for the company.
Airbnb had one big problem. Would people trust a stranger? Would you sleep in a stranger’s home? Would you let a stranger sleep in yours?
Airbnb’s answer was reviews. After every stay, the guest writes a review of the home, and the host writes a review of the guest. Good reviews make people feel safe.
In 2011 a host in San Francisco came home and found that her flat was a mess. Her guests had broken and stolen things.
People were angry, and they said Airbnb was not safe. At first the company was slow to answer. Then it made a promise: if a guest damaged a host’s home, Airbnb would pay up to $1 million.
After that, Airbnb added more rules, checked guests’ names and started a help line that was open all day and all night.
By the 2020s there were millions of hosts around the world, and Airbnb had more rooms than the biggest hotel chains.
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Hosts and guests write reviews about each other.
2. Airbnb answered the 2011 problem at once.
3. Airbnb promised to pay money if a home was damaged.
In March 2020 the coronavirus stopped travel across the world. Airbnb’s bookings fell very fast.
In May 2020 the company had to lay off about 1,900 people — around a quarter of its workers. The boss said it was a very painful day for the company.
But people started to travel again. In December 2020 Airbnb sold shares on the stock market, and investors bought them so quickly that on the first day the company was worth about $100 billion.
Then came the second shock. In many cities, people said that Airbnb made life difficult for local families. Owners could earn more from tourists than from a family, so rents went up and neighbours left.
New York made new rules in 2023, and hosts now have to register. Barcelona said it wanted to ban tourist flats completely by 2028.
Airbnb says that hosts are ordinary people who need extra money, and that most of its rooms are in places without many hotels.
So here is the question. Is Airbnb good or bad for the towns where its guests stay?
True or false? Click your answer.
1. Airbnb laid off about a quarter of its workers in 2020.
2. Airbnb was worth about $100 billion on its first day on the stock market.
3. Barcelona wants more tourist flats.
In this story we read about the worst moment and the biggest hotel chains. We use a superlative to say that one thing is number one in a group.
Short words (one syllable): the + word + -est. big → the biggest · cheap → the cheapest · old → the oldest. If the word ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant: big → biggest, hot → hottest. If it ends in -e, add only -st: nice → nicest.
Words ending in -y: change y to i. easy → the easiest · busy → the busiest.
Long words (two or more syllables): the most + word. the most expensive · the most popular · the most beautiful.
Irregular words: good → the best · bad → the worst · far → the farthest.
Always use the. After the superlative, use in + a place (the biggest city in Spain) or of + a group (the cheapest of the three rooms). You can also say one of the + superlative + plural noun: Airbnb is one of the biggest companies in travel.
| Word | Superlative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cheap | the cheapest | This is the cheapest room in the hotel. |
| busy | the busiest | August is the busiest month in the town. |
| expensive | the most expensive | It was the most expensive flat on the street. |
| good | the best | She gave us the best advice. |
| bad | the worst | That was the worst film of the year. |
Write the superlative of the word in brackets. Remember the.
1. Airbnb is one of (big) companies in travel.
2. For the company, 2020 was (bad) year.
3. The cereal boxes were (expensive) cereal in the shop.
4. Which is (good) way to find a room: a hotel website or an app?
5. Many guests want (cheap) room near the centre.
6. A flat in the old town is (popular) of all.
1. the biggest · 2. the worst · 3. the most expensive · 4. the best · 5. the cheapest · 6. the most popular
Each sentence has one mistake. Say the correct sentence out loud, then check.
1. Paris is the most big city in France.
2. This is the better hotel in town.
3. She stayed in the most cheap room.
4. It is the most expensivest flat on the street.
5. Prague is one of the most beautiful city in Europe.
1. Paris is the biggest city in France. (short word = -est)
2. This is the best hotel in town. (good → best)
3. She stayed in the cheapest room. (cheap is short: -est)
4. It is the most expensive flat on the street. (never most + -est together)
5. Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. (one of the … + plural)
Take your time. Short sentences are fine.
Tell me the story in your own words. Six or seven sentences is enough.
Tell me about the best place you ever stayed and the worst place. Where were they? What made them the best and the worst?
Would you like to be an Airbnb host or an Airbnb guest? Say why. What is the biggest advantage? What is the biggest problem?
You work for a city council. Many tourists want to stay in people’s homes, but local people can’t find flats. You can choose one: a ban, a limit on nights, or no change.
Which do you choose? Why?