Airbnb's new head of business reveals his top priorities for both hosts and travelers.

• According to CEO Brian Chesky, Airbnb is currently at a turning point, with a focus on expanding both its existing and new businesses.
• As the new chief business officer, Dave Stephenson, who was previously the CFO, is leading the charge.
• Stephenson believes that international expansion will be the main factors that will drive growth, and this could involve enhancing both the guest and host experience, such as introducing new check-in procedures, linen service, fully stocked fridges, and traveler transportation.

As the newly appointed chief business officer at Airbnb, Dave Stephenson is instrumental in shaping the company's future growth strategies.

He is also performing a vital function as an Airbnb host in addition to his role in promoting growth.

Stephenson, who has been Airbnb's CFO since 2018 and has hosted a mountain cabin outside of Seattle, Washington, for the last several years, has a vision for the company that is reflected in his approach.

Stephenson, an avid skier and hiker, enjoys sharing details of the best trails with his guests. He also provides a pizza oven in the cabin and shares his pizza dough recipe, along with coffee shop recommendations and anything else the guests need.

"He said, "I appreciate the opportunity to share my favorite place with others and feel good as a guest knowing that they value my local knowledge and care.""

At the beginning of the year, Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky informed employees in a memo that Stephenson's transition into the new CBO role represented an "inflection point" for the company, with a focus on growth in both existing and new businesses.

Chesky wrote in a memo that as the company expands beyond its core, it is crucial to have an executive dedicated to long-term growth plans, and Dave is the best person for this role.

Stephenson's long-term growth plans involve three main areas: expanding internationally, increasing the number of hosts on the platform, and developing more experiences and services.

Stephenson is a key figure in Airbnb's international expansion, spending much of his time on the road to facilitate it. He ensures that all functions are working together to deliver the expected results, whether it's resonating with the country-specific marketing plan or tweaking local aspects for success. For instance, in Germany, Stephenson ensured that Airbnb received the local accreditation that makes consumers feel more comfortable. Additionally, the company made the Weissenstein Palace, an 18th-century castle in Bavaria featured in the Netflix series "The Empress," available for exclusive stays on Airbnb.

He emphasized the importance of being cautious when presenting ourselves in a foreign country.

Stephenson helped guests in Washington have a reason to return not only to that property but to Airbnb. He stated, "We will continue to focus on enhancing the guest experience through unique offerings."

Airbnb aims to simplify the hosting and guesting experience by offering additional services. These services may include facilitating check-ins for hosts and providing guests with transportation to airports or a fully stocked fridge.

"By fostering deeper relationships with guests and hosts, we can better understand their needs and provide a better match, resulting in a more satisfying experience for both parties. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of the host staying on Airbnb and the guest returning to try Airbnb in a different location."

Connecting finance with business results

As Airbnb's CFO, Stephenson aimed to establish a more disciplined finance team when he joined from Amazon in 2018.

As CFOs, we focus on financial metrics, customer metrics, and revenue metrics, but it's equally important to consider how we manage the business operations.

Stephenson at Airbnb took on more responsibilities as CFO and head of employee experience in 2021, overseeing finance, operations, supply chain, cybersecurity, talent and leadership development, recruiting, and compensation.

At the beginning of the year, Stephenson assumed the new CBO role, while Ellie Mertz, Airbnb's former vice president of finance, began transitioning to replace him as CFO after the company's quarterly earnings call in February.

"Stephenson stated that finance functions similarly to Switzerland, and the chief business officer acts as an extension of that neutral role, ensuring all functions work effectively together and operate optimally."