For centuries, the pineapple has been a universal symbol of hospitality; it represents openness and friendship. Traditionally, a pineapple would be given to a guest by their host.

The value of hospitality is at the core of Airbnb's host community -- people who demonstrate the importance of local understanding to create a feeling of belonging no matter where you travel.

Airbnb has had online travel recommendations and neighborhood guides for years. None of them brought the true beauty and richness of our hosts to life in a way that satisfied us. We knew that print -- beautifully written, stunningly photographed -- was the only medium that could to justice to our hosts.

With Pineapple, we were able to lift the Airbnb brand off the screen and put it directly into the hands of travelers for the first time ever. In total, over 100 members of the Airbnb community, in London, Seoul and San Francisco contributed to the inaugural issue. It has already been read by over 250,000 people, and has over 270 press hits.

What we have created is more than a useful guide for travelers, it is a document of culture and community today. It shows our readers how small the world can be, and invites us all to feel like we can Belong Anywhere.

Pineapple was produced in-house, both with our own Airbnb writers and designers and with our community of creative hosts.

The process has brought together people from different departments within Airbnb -- photo, video and design teams to those working on social policy. We then enlisted writers, photographers and illustrators, all local to each city and all part of the Airbnb community.

We launched primarily through press, as well as through targeted placements of Pineapple in retail locations.

We led with two exclusives, one with the New York Times, running in their national and international editions, with comments from an expert who said with the magazine Airbnb is "looking for travelers rather than tourists.” The other exclusive was with The Guardian in the UK which noted "the magazine promises to take a 'new and inspiring look at travel through the lens of the Airbnb community.'"

Fast Company called the magazine the part of Airbnb's plan to be "as omnipresent in the real world as it is online," and other US outlets included AdWeek Conde Nast Traveler, and Yahoo News.

Internationally, outlets in China, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands all covered the launch.

And design press were very positive about the magazine, with Cool Hunting calling out our "insightful interview" with London and Korean designers and It's Nice That who tied the magazine to our brand evolution saying "the longevity of their new aesthetic has become clearer. Despite the initial fuss it looks like they’re still going strong."

In total, over 100 members of the Airbnb community, in London, Seoul and San Francisco contributed to the inaugural issue. It has already been read by over 250,000 people, and has over 270 press hits.