Our story begins with the "ah-ha!" moment

It all started way back in October of 2007. It was a good time in San Francisco. The sun was shining. The tourists were out. And a design conference was in the works--a big one. There was just one problem: all the hotels in the city were sold out.

That gave roomates Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky an idea. They decided to offer up their place, along with some tasty breakfast and some local hospitality, to a few friendly strangers attending the event. In exchange they'd make a little money, and maybe even a new friend or two. With a little help from their tech-savvy friend Nathan Blecharczyk, the three launched a website, found a few guests, and the first AirBed & Breakfast was born.

It turned out there were a lot of people out there looking for places to stay where the hospitality was genuine and the M&M's didn't cost $6. It also so happened that there were just as many people out there with spare bedrooms, sofa beds, futons, and (yes) air mattresses that were more than happy to take in a guest or two for a modest price.

It wasn't long before temporary bed and breakfasts were popping up in cities all around the world, inspiring a new way to travel.