Airbnb, the leading home-stay community completed ten years globally.

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Started with 800 people hosting 80 guests during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, ten years later, Airbnb community now offers five million homes, hosting about 300 million guests.

Airbnb said, "When more than two million people are welcomed into other people’s homes on any given night, some amazing and even outlandish moments can happen."

Here are 10 interesting facts about Airbnb:

Airbnb, which commenced its operations in August 2008, now has 10,449 RVs, 2,194 yurts, 1,403 islands, 8,951 tiny houses, 9,000 boats, 2,194 treehouses, 183 igloos, 918 tipis, 155 windmills, 758 caves, across 81,000 cities in 191 countries.

In the coming weekend, Airbnb expects, what will be the biggest night in Airbnb’s history with more than 3.5 million guests checking into homes around the world.

In a small village in Gujarat, India, Airbnb partnered with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) to bring new livelihood to the women hosts in the region. Gauriben Brahman, a small time farmer, started earning more than what she was earning from her yearly harvest. She found a new economic lifeline, as she opened her doors to host guests from around the world to her thatched roof house with neatly lined cots, topped with hand embroidered sheets.

At the time of natural calamity, a host named Shell, offered her spare bedrooms in New York City, USA, to people who were affected by Hurricane Sandy for free of cost. Since 2012, more than 11,000 people from 52 countries have helped thousands of displaced individuals, first responders and refugees seeking transitional shelter through Aibnb's Open Homes program.

When Argentine writer, Hernán Casciari suffered from a heart attack, while vacationing in Montevideo, Uruguay, host Javier Artigas and his wife Alejandra, who worked for the Uruguayan senate were able to organise a police escort to the hospital under 12 minutes, which usually would take 40 minutes to reach. Apart from hosting him at their home, they managed to save his life and earn a five star rating and an excellent review.

During the Cold War, Berlin, Germany, was divided into two parts. As they say that war changes everything, a guest Jörg who served as a border guard for the West German police force, always thought people on the East Berlin were his enemy. His daughter Catherine tried to end the enmity by taking her father to an Airbnb apartment in Prenzlauer Berg in East Berlin and re-lived the history with their host, who also served as a border guard on the East Berlin side.

In 2014, Peter Kwan started one of the Home Sharing Clubs in San Francisco City, advocating for clear and fair regulations. Peter founded the Home Sharers of San Francisco, which inspired the Home Sharers Democratic Club. An initiative like this has allowed hosts with 250 Home Sharing clubs around the world to support local businesses, volunteering in their communities, and advocating for clear and fair rules for the home sharing community.

A mixed race couple, who met in Korea in 1960 understood the meaning of disparity and the challenges that came with it. They have been hosting guests at their Los Angeles home in California, which they say is a haven for acceptance “for both friend and the stranger.” James and Ja Yates have given away almost all of their Airbnb earnings to a scholarship foundation called Soul 2 Seoul, which gives money to students who promote racial unity.

Airbnb helped a guest and a host come together in a way nobody would think of. Ben Glass tried to book Noa Glass’ place in Tel Aviv, Israel for a vacation. However, Noa Glass forgot to make her apartment available, while she was away and Ben had to book somewhere else. Upon her return, she met with Ben before he left town as she was “feeling horrible about the mistake.” Over the next couple of years, the two met frequently, culminating romance and eventually getting married at Airbnb’s San Francisco office.

The credit for the unique home listing on Airbnb should partly go to hosts Kitty and Michael Mrache from Burlingame, California, who built a mushroom-shaped geodesic dome in their garden in Aptos, California. Another host hailing from Idaho, Frances Conklin and Dennis Sullivan, listed a giant beagle-shaped home. These are only the few crazy places that are listed on Airbnb and you need to book them in months advance.

First Published:Aug 14, 2018 3:59 PM IST