Yes, you read that right, grammatical. This is a fun thought I had, that I thought might spice up your day. I ask you one not-so-simple question: Is Airbnb a proper noun?

Think about it… Well, of course it is, right? In part, yes. It’s the name of a company. But isn’t it also just a regular, old noun?

For example, if I went to go stay at an Airbnb in New York, even if I booked it on HomeAway, I would still tell my friend, “Hey I stayed in the best Airbnb last weekend!”. If I told my friend, “Hey, I stayed at the best FlipKey last weekend!”, they would stare blankly at me and ask, “what the flip is that?”

It’s like one of the great companies that have so clearly led and created an industry, that their name has had defined the brand itself: like band-aids, chaptstick, kleenex, swiffers, or coke in Texas.

Personally I like it, because vacation rental or short term rental just sounds too technical.

Airbnb rolls off the tongue way easier!