What it's like to work at Airbnb, yo.

On Tuesday mornings my phone vibrates at 8:50am on my desk, and everyone at the office snags the last bagels from the toasters, fills up with coffee, and piles into our open area on the third floor for the weekly meeting. For any other workplace, this is probably a mundane, pain-in-the-ass gathering..but not at Airbnb.

Lots of people have asked me about what it's like to work at Airbnb. The way they ask, you'd think I worked at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. And I suppose, from what they've read online, magazine covers and the experiences they've had traveling with us, it's understandable. Airbnb is unlike any other company in the world. 

First off, I love working here because of the people. I don't know how they did it, but I could sit through an international flight with anyone in my office. Everyone has a story, we are all passionate, with a heart of gold. The people I work with every day have been hostel owners, baristas, magazine editors, non-profit founders, boutique owners, and any other profession you can think of that demands intelligence, resilience, hard work, and a love for people. Dreamers AND doers. We have our own unique hobbies and expertise outside of work that we share with each other, like fine beer tasting, button making, coffee roasting, marathon training, safety lanyard making, painting with Bob Ross, etc. Most of us love to host or attend fun, local events (like once I almost got killed in paintball), which makes living in Portland so much more interesting. We have a Happy Hour every Thursday, which means an open bar at super hipster venues and we all share coconut water with each other the next day. Well, not like SHARE..but we have loads at work and we drink it. Since most of us have lived in Portland for a fair amount of time, my colleagues are also a wealth of Portland knowledge. It's really easy to belong at Airbnb because we're so diverse that you're bound to find someone with the same quirks. We've also got each other's backs. If I'm ever in need of a pick-up truck or want brunch buddies, I know I can send out an office email and be taken care of. Many of us are Airbnb hosts in Portland, and ALL of us have traveled and stayed at Airbnbs. We are fans. I think if you want a spectacular company, you need to start with spectacular people. Airbnb knows this, and the people that continue to join us are just, so cool. 

Second, our work. When I started in our office in Portland, we only had about 40 people. Now we have over 220 people, and we're still going to be growing into next year. That's just the Portland office, the headquarters are still in San Francisco. We are a start-up, but becoming one of the largest start-ups in the tech world. We are making history in live time, because we are changing how people travel. The mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, and where there will be no more strangers. Far fetched? I think not. On my last trip, almost every stranger I encountered became a friend. Love and friendship is an international language. In every new city I visited, I booked Airbnbs and so I had someone there waiting for me, to welcome me, to highlight the best places to go, and we left as good friends. No joke, we're Facebook friends and everything. I felt like an Airbnb commercial. Most of us in the Portland office are Trip Experience Specialists. I talk on the phone every day with users, both hosts and guests from all over the world. They tell me everything, from the good to the bad, but one thing is apparent to me: everyone just wants a unique accommodation experience and to connect with others when they're traveling. And we do that. One of my favorite things is that if a guest is having an unexpected experience, since I've had plenty of my own traveling mishaps, I can genuinely emphasize...and I can save them. You have to have been through it in order to understand it, and luckily my colleagues are also explorers, travelers, and determined free spirits with a deep concern for others. The great thing about Airbnb is that if something goes wrong, we will do everything within reason to save the day, whereas other companies won't. I feel good about the morals of our company and the choices I get to make, and I would not say the same of every company I've worked for in the past. There's definitely a feeling of being a part of something bigger, and it's so exciting. 

Third, the perks. I know this is what everyone is curious about. Yes, it's all true, and I don't take any of it for granted. Airbnb takes very good care of their employees. We are, after all, Airbnb Family. If you follow my Instagram (missw0ng, #airbnb #airbnbpdx #airfam), you know we have amazing, organic and local catered breakfasts and lunches every day. We have an espresso machine but also a selection of freshly brewed, gourmet coffee available. We get lots of vacation days, reasonably flexible schedules, beers on tap, impressive health care benefits, and travel credit with Airbnb. We get office picnics, team getaways, Bluestar/Voodoo/Wafflewindow deliveries, and the building is even dog-friendly. The pay is not bad either, and with the company growing so quickly there are lots of opportunities for upward mobility or to get involved with the community through Citizenship or designing office space. Oh, this week we finally revealed our office space to the public. Our office space might be the envy of all of downtown offices, with our yurt, tree house, hammocks and beautiful living room nooks. It's really nifty, and coworkers come in even on days off to hang out. We even have 'landing zones', which are like standing desks with cubbies so we have a place to store our stuff, but in an innovative, non-desk like way. We don't have assigned seats, and the views out the window make me fall in love with Portland all over again. We all have MacAirs, and tons of Airbnb swag. I could probably go a whole week just wearing Airbnb clothes. Gotta rep that RAUSCH bélo. 

I love Airbnb as a host, a guest, and an employee. It's been undoubtedly one of the best things that have ever happened to me, and every day I feel like the luckiest girl alive. There's magic where I work, and it's probably even better than Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. 

PS. We are allowed to bring guests in for tours or even for lunch! If you would like to come by let me know in advance. 

Here's a nice little thing about us on OregonLive. 

One of my favorite rooms

It feels like...a home. 

Doggies are a big part of our family. 

Even when it's raining outside, it looks so pretty from the inside. 

Our treehouse!