Hidden style in the city: An analysis of Geolocated Airbnb rental images in Ten Major Cities

In this article, we analyze geolocated Airbnb rental images in ten major cities. Airbnb is a hallmark institution in the sharing economy, allowing anyone with a bed and shelter to act like a micro-hotel, i.e. a bed-and-breakfast for other travelers. Travelers often spend less on Airbnb rentals than hotels and get a residential experience in a new place. Since hosts advertise their rentals on Airbnb, the site has a wealth of residential interior images from all over the world: From rural Africa to downtown Manhattan. As part of an ongoing project, we have downloaded over 200,000 images posted on Airbnb to ask: How do people decorate their homes in different locales? Do they use certain colors, or have a certain ornate or simple style? Here, we test ten major metropolitan areas using image rating responses from Mechanical Turk as well as automated image color predominance routines to investigate geographical differences in interior styles. We find overarching indicators of globalization and a lack of local culture in the case of color, but that different neighborhoods within cities have different levels or ornateness when decorating their properties. The results of this research can also help to identify the kinds of interiors that are more pleasant in the eyes of customers.