RALEIGH — Raleigh is among 15 pilot cities where Airbnb is launching its new City Portal.

Billed as a “first-of-its-kind solution,” the platform is built exclusively for governments and tourism organizations and includes tools and locally-specific data to better understand the short-term rental market.

“The way we live and travel continues to change, with people dispersing to more places,” said Brian Chesky, CEO and co-founder of Airbnb.. The Airbnb City Portal will make it easier for cities of all sizes to work with us and benefit from our community.”

Added said Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin: “Raleigh takes pride in leading with data-informed decision making. We are very excited to have access to this database, which will provide insights that can inform Raleigh’s short-term rental policies. We look forward to using this information to expand the opportunities available to our residents. This pilot is one more example of Raleigh’s leadership and commitment to serving as a beta-testing city.”

Founded in 2008, Airbnb shook up the hotel and short-term real estate markets by allowing individuals to rent out rooms and homes to travelers. Since then, it’s grown into one of the most valuable private startups in the world, at one point reaching a valuation of $31 billion.

City Portal’s technology includes:

  • The City Portal’s dashboard, which includes local and global Airbnb data insights into short-term rental market characteristics and remitted tourist tax revenue in places where tax agreements have been established.
  • Industry-first compliance tools to help governments develop and manage fair short-term rental policies and regulations. Governments with applicable short-term rental laws will be able to utilize City Portal to view Airbnb listings within their registration systems.
  • Central location for resources such as the Airbnb Neighborhood Support hotline and Law Enforcement portal. An official who needs to reach our law enforcement support team because of a safety incident, can more easily find the applicable tool via the portal.
  • Direct access via City Portal to an Airbnb team member, providing one-to-one support with City Portal or issues that arise locally. If an official has a question about an Airbnb listing in their community or a broader inquiry about our rules against both parties and “party houses”, they can easily reach Airbnb policy staff.

Airbnb plans to go public, but how will investors react in midst of pandemic?