Air BnB seems to be ready to add 360 degree tours and augmented reality features. I think it would be great if they utilized Google Street View images and 360 tours as part of their content. I also think it would be great for them to add freelance content creators.
https://press.atairbnb.com/developing-the-next-realities-for-travel/
AirBNB starting to use 360panos would be brilliant, if nothing else, simply because AirBNB hosts tend to “be with the program” and pile on the documentation required to rent frequently. I have a bunch of AirBNB host friends and would be busy for a while shooting their locations.
Also a major site like AirBNB would lend further legitimacy to our work with spherical panoramas.
DOWNSIDE. the technology hinted at from the pictures is the MatterPort system, which create kinda a 3D model of the place, definitely a cool walk-though, but its a $3000 camera, not counting per click processing. AirBNB hosts would be fleesed by MatterPort tour providers who run rates significantly higher than a typical DSLR real-estate tour guy that typically do a budget package at say 150-250. personally I would prefer seeing AirBNB adopt a simpler tour system, permitting hosts to tap into the countless real-estate budget tour providers rather than top tier systems.
*** Before flaming the messenger… I have shot a lot of top tier commercial jobs, however the pricing and quality required for top end hotels simply are not relevant for AirBNB rooms share in an apartment. (not saying they may not benefit from better shots, we all know great shots sell)
Bo
I agree and I am trying to offer clients a couple alternatives in tours with different cameras and tour layouts including Google Street View based 360 tours.
I saw saw the same Matterport look in the provided images. I have been told by a couple Realtors that they had been locked into an exclusive contract with a 360 image provider that they rarely ended up using because of the cost.
there is a new site called Cupix that lets you do a walkthrough tour and creates a 3d model like Matterport but it is free and you can use any spherical camera from a Ricoh Theta right on up.
Yeah the cost factor tend to be the slow-down with MatterPort, and also most of the MatterPort contractors feels the service should be fairly pricy, im not entirely disagreeing with them, the system automated create a very cool walk-through experience… definitely top shelf.
The Cupix site looks pretty interesting.
iStaging is releasing a similar 3D model tool.
and their smartphone based 360 rotating kit is fairly inexpensive and create surprisingly clean spheres as well.
https://www.istaging.com/en/livetour-gallery
Personally I think most AirBNB hosts would do a $150-250 kinda deal. But would not discount the bigger operators happily spending much more. I run a handful AirBNB’s and see sales north of 100k annually. Several of my friends are fulltimers with significant larger sales, all of them will be creating the best possible tours they can within days of AirBNB releasing the feature.
More accurately, I will be shooting the tours for them, if and when AirBNB release a virtual tour option 
What im trying to say is, there are a gazillion low-budget AirBNB operators who would frown at anything over $150, but maybe as much as 10% would not flinch, and when you look at the number of AirBNB hosts in the US alone, I would guess such a move by AirBNB would release a avalanche of work for guys like us who happens to be good at this. problem with avalanches naturally is, there are a lot of it in a short period while everybody get tours… then it become a day to day maintenance low volume (lower price point) for new hosts starting. and naturally a number of the hosts will simply buy a Theta or similar.
AirBNB demanding MatterPort would be bad but not a disaster as I would order on the same day to be a provider, but AirBNB opening for traditional sphere based imagery and/or tours would be huge for the industry and shooters at all levels… I would rather see the latter.
Bo
Thanks for the link to the Cupix-like site. I got a rotator from The VRKit with the 180 clip on lens they supply and it puts out some nice pictures. http://www.thevrkit.com/ I am waiting for a second 360 lens before I do a product review as I dropped the first one on a concrete floor and cracked it while testing.
Mike
For what its worth, I think Cupix is way ahead of iStaging, I did a series of shots with couple meters between them and did not really get anything good, so redid it with 0.5m spacing in the room using the Theta, that looks to have done the trick in terms of creating the 3D model. still playing with it.
For what its worth. Cupix says they are in beta and offer unlimited access during beta, im thinking once they finish beta this will end up being a per-click model as there is a LOT of processing and data involved. I did 3 rooms and ended up north of 150megs with Theta shots.
Bo
@MichaelJohnston wrote:
Air BnB seems to be ready to add 360 degree tours and augmented reality features. I think it would be great if they utilized Google Street View images and 360 tours as part of their content…
Hi @MichaelJohnston , as far as I know, Air BnB is a sort of business (accommodation) that is not allowed on Google Maps - i.e. they could not use SV tours. Maybe best to ask @Flash as (if I remember correctly), he was the one who posted it (or the opposite, as an exception?).
Yes, that is correct, AirBnB listings do not qualify to be on the map. This of course does not include places that are on AirBnB but would otherwise qualify, such as normal hotels and licensed B&Bs.
I’m not sure what the rules might be for shooting one tour but submitting it to both AirBnb and Street View separately; it would need a good read to see if either TOS requires exclusive content. That might be solved, however, by offering a package that is say 1.5 times the price of a normal tour and captures twice the imagery, half for Street View and half for another service.
There are another significant issue with AirBNB using outright StreetView images.
The listings are anonymous until booked and paid for. and only show the general area of the listing.
Im 200% sure AirBNB would not want to change that as one of their big things is to avoid guests booking directly (which is stupid as they then loose insurance but thats another issue) and secondly from my perspective as a host, I really don’t want local vandals shopping houses for the best TV’s etc ha ha.
Bo
Hi @BoLorentzen ,
Those should not be concerns since the only AirBnb facilities that can also be on the map (and thus have Street View) are the commercial venues I already mentioned (hotels and proper B&Bs).
@Flash Correct, except, most AirBNB’s are not POI’s (private homes and even room sharing in flats) and AirBNB in general remove pictures with location or contact reference. Being StreetView by default is at a location, that would break AirBNB’s desire to have no accurate location attached to a listing. so for general AirBNB listings, they would need to use a private hosted solution that don’t attach location data. (at least not until after the guest make a booking)
Bo
I think you might have missed my point; such places cannot be placed on Google Maps and thus never could have a Street View tour made for them. There is thus no danger of a violating Street View.
@Flash you are naturally right. I did miss your point, I was mostly looking at the concept of AirBNB contemplating SV.
I was looking at it like air bnb could embed 360 tours of properties that already have them.
Of course they are going to just use Matterport and host the tours themselves.
I was looking at it like airbnb could embed 360 tours of properties that already have them.
Of course they are going to just use Matter port and host the tours themselves.