Airbnb’s Chinese name is 爱彼迎 (Àibǐyíng). The company announced it in March 2017 as part of a push into mainland China, explaining the name as meaning roughly “welcome each other with love”. The reaction on Chinese social media was loud and largely unkind: many users found the name awkward to say and mocked it. Airbnb kept it.
For a hotel, resort or travel brand naming itself for Chinese guests, the lesson is simple: a name is judged by sound first, in public and quickly, and the brand’s explanation of its meaning arrives second.
IPPWORLD has never worked with Airbnb. This article draws only on what was publicly reported at the time.
Key Takeaways
- 爱彼迎 tries to do two things at once: echo the sound of “Airbnb” and carry a warm meaning built from 爱 (love), 彼 (each other) and 迎 (welcome).
- The public reaction focused on how the name sounds and feels to say, not on its meaning. Sound is the first test a Chinese name faces.
- A travel brand naming itself for Chinese guests should test candidates aloud with real readers before launch, then commit and use one name everywhere.
What the name means
爱彼迎 is a hybrid name: it approximates the sound of the English and builds a meaning from the characters. Each of the three characters is chosen to say something about hosting and being hosted.
| Character | Pinyin | Common meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爱 | ài | love |
| 彼 | bǐ | that, the other; in 彼此, “each other” |
| 迎 | yíng | welcome, greet |
Read together, the characters point to the idea Airbnb gave when it launched the name: people welcoming each other with love. That is a sensible message for a business built on hosts and guests. On paper, the name does what a hybrid name is meant to do.
How the name was received
The criticism was about sound and feel, and it arrived quickly after the announcement. Coverage at the time described a wave of mockery on Chinese social media. Many users said the name was awkward or hard to pronounce, and that it did not sound like a brand they wanted to say aloud.
Airbnb did not change the name. It has remained the brand’s name in Chinese. In 2022 Airbnb withdrew its domestic listings in mainland China, a widely reported business decision that had nothing to do with the name, while continuing to serve travellers from China going abroad.
A Chinese name is heard before it is understood. The meaning is the brand’s explanation; the sound is the guest’s first impression.
Why sound comes first
Most people meet a brand name by saying it, hearing it or typing it in pinyin, so the way it sounds shapes the verdict before anyone looks at the characters. A name that is slightly awkward to say gets less word of mouth. A name that sounds like something else gets jokes. Neither problem shows up when a team reads the characters on a slide and admires their meaning.
This is the tension in every hybrid name: the closer the characters stay to the English sound, the fewer choices there are for meaning. And a name that sits well in Mandarin can sound different in Cantonese. Our guide on how to name your hotel or brand in Chinese sets out the three approaches and the checks every candidate should pass.
What travel and lodging brands can take from it
Airbnb’s experience is useful precisely because it is a travel and lodging brand naming itself for Chinese travellers, which is the decision many hotel groups, resorts and serviced residences face. Five practical lessons follow.
- Test aloud, with real readers. Say each candidate the way a guest from the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia would, and listen for awkwardness or unwanted echoes. Do this before anyone becomes attached to a favourite.
- Expect the reaction to be public. A name announced to a market that already knows the brand will be discussed immediately on social platforms. Prepare a short, plain explanation of the name, written in Chinese for Chinese readers.
- Decide in advance whether you will hold your nerve. Airbnb kept its name through the criticism. Changing a name after launch means changing signage, listings and every piece of content, so decide before the announcement.
- Choose the written form for each market. The same name is written in Simplified characters for the mainland and in Traditional characters for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Check that it looks right in both. Our guide to Simplified vs Traditional Chinese for hotels explains which form each guest market expects.
- Use one name everywhere. Once chosen, the name should appear identically on the website, booking platforms, maps, loyalty communications and signage. A brand with several informal Chinese names across platforms confuses guests and search engines alike.
Naming is a brand-voice decision
A Chinese name is the shortest and most permanent piece of brand copy a hospitality brand will ever approve. It sits where language, culture and the brand’s tone of voice meet, and the same discipline that holds a tagline or a loyalty message steady across markets applies to it. Record the approved characters in both scripts in your glossary. Our article on keeping one brand voice across languages covers how those decisions are held over time.
At IPPWORLD, we are an award-winning transcreation agency that specialises in creative translation and marketing localisation for the hospitality, travel, lifestyle and retail sectors, named Best Hospitality Creative Translation & Localisation Agency 2019 at the LUXlife Hospitality Awards. We define transcreation as creative translation: a process that adapts the emotional expressions and contextual relevance of the source message, beyond the literal meaning of words. We work in Simplified Chinese for China, Singapore and Malaysia and Traditional Chinese for Taiwan and Hong Kong, among 30 languages.
Other public brand stories in this series: Coca-Cola’s Chinese name, McDonald’s and Golden Arches and Red Bull in China.
Conclusion
爱彼迎 is a carefully built name with a warm meaning that many Chinese speakers did not enjoy saying. That gap between meaning and sound is the risk every brand takes when it names itself for Chinese guests. Test the sound with real readers, prepare to explain the meaning, decide in advance whether you will stand by it, and use it the same way everywhere.
Next step
If your brand already has Chinese content, or a Chinese name, that is accurate but is not landing with the guests it targets, an audit is the sensible first step. Our guide to running a translation audit when your marketing feels off explains what to look at. When you are ready, get in touch with IPPWORLD to explore options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Airbnb’s Chinese name?
爱彼迎 (Àibǐyíng). Airbnb announced it in March 2017 and explained it as meaning roughly “welcome each other with love”, from 爱 (love), 彼 (each other) and 迎 (welcome).
Why was Airbnb’s Chinese name criticised?
Coverage at the time reported that many Chinese social media users found the name awkward and hard to pronounce, and mocked it. The criticism was about how the name sounds and feels to say rather than about its meaning.
Did Airbnb change its Chinese name?
No. Airbnb kept 爱彼迎 despite the criticism, and it has remained the brand’s Chinese name.
Did IPPWORLD work on Airbnb’s Chinese name?
No. IPPWORLD has never worked with Airbnb. The story is included because it is public and widely reported, and because it carries a clear lesson for hotel and travel brands.
What should a hotel brand check before launching a Chinese name?
How it sounds in Mandarin and Cantonese, what each character means and suggests, how it looks in Simplified and Traditional characters and on a sign, and whether it can be registered, which is a question for your legal advisers. Test candidates aloud with readers from each guest market before committing.