Airbnb Expands Services & Experiences - New Features Announced

Airbnb Expands Offerings to Include Services and Experiences

Airbnb has recently unveiled a new feature as part of a larger application update. This addition enables travelers to reserve a variety of services and experiences, encompassing options like massages, haircuts, chef-prepared meals, and participation in diverse activities.

These new options can be integrated with existing accommodation bookings. Alternatively, they are available for independent reservation, according to Airbnb.

Previous Attempts and Current Strategy

This isn't Airbnb's initial foray into this market segment. A prior iteration of experiences was temporarily suspended in 2023 to facilitate improvements to the platform’s primary accommodation offerings.

The company is now refocusing on encouraging customers to broaden their travel planning beyond simply securing lodging.

Leveraging Existing Traffic

This strategic move aims to capitalize on the substantial traffic already directed to Airbnb’s website. During the Q1 2025 earnings call, CEO Brian Chesky highlighted that the service was accessed by over 1.5 billion devices in the past year.

He also noted that a significant number of visitors browse the site without ultimately making a booking for a place to stay.

Increased Competition

The expansion positions Airbnb in more direct competition with established travel companies. These include Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Viator, and GetYourGuide, as well as service providers like Yelp.

Initial Service and Experience Categories

Initially, users will have the ability to book services within 10 distinct categories. These include chefs, catering, pre-made meals, photography, massages, spa treatments, personal training, hair styling, nail services, and makeup application.

These services will be available in 260 cities globally, spanning eight countries.

Generally, while services can be utilized in conjunction with accommodation, users will typically need to travel to a designated location for the experience itself.

Experiences will initially encompass cultural and museum tours, outdoor adventures, watersports, wildlife encounters, food tours, cooking classes, art workshops, shopping experiences, and wellness-focused activities.

The company is launching these experiences in 19 categories across 650 cities worldwide.

Airbnb Originals and Celebrity Partnerships

Airbnb is also introducing Airbnb Originals, a collection of exclusive experiences featuring collaborations with celebrities.

Examples include pastry-making classes at French Bastards bakery led by chef Raphaelle Elbaz, and beach volleyball sessions with Olympian Carolina Solberg on Rio’s Leblon Beach.

Company Perspective

“These experiences and services offer a way to immerse oneself in a city as a local resident,” stated Judson Coplan, VP of Product Marketing at Airbnb, in a conversation with TechCrunch.

“Airbnb’s strength lies in providing unique accommodations unavailable elsewhere, and we view our new offerings in the same light.”

Potential Impact

Coplan suggests that Airbnb Experiences could inspire travel and encourage trips that individuals might not have previously considered.

Furthermore, he believes these new offerings could lead to the discovery of novel activities within one’s own community.

Commission Structure and Host Verification

Airbnb will retain a 15% commission on services and a 20% commission on experiences. However, users will only be presented with a single, all-inclusive price during the search and booking process.

Hosts offering these services and experiences will undergo a rigorous verification process. This includes assessments of their experience, online reputation, educational background, and any required professional licenses.

Airbnb Enhances App with Social and Experiential Features

A significant update to the Airbnb application is being implemented, introducing new functionalities centered around services and experiences. This broader app overhaul will affect both the guest and host applications, integrating these new categories alongside other improvements.

Users, as guests, will now have the ability to browse and reserve options within three distinct categories: Stays, Services, and Experiences. Furthermore, the app will proactively suggest relevant experiences or services to travelers who have already confirmed an upcoming trip.

Hosts will benefit from enhanced calendar and listing management tools designed to streamline booking processes and the presentation of their offerings.

Upcoming Social Features

Airbnb is also preparing to introduce a suite of social features later in the year.

Currently, the app provides a group messaging function for trip organization. However, plans are underway to add a dedicated group chat for individuals who have jointly participated in an experience.

This new chat will facilitate post-experience discussions, photo and video sharing, and recommendations for future travel adventures.

Airbnb anticipates that these features will encourage increased travel and platform usage.

The company is prioritizing user safety by concurrently developing privacy controls to accompany these social connections.

These social enhancements build upon last year’s redesign of user profile pages. The updated profiles allowed users to provide more detailed information about themselves, including their location, linguistic abilities, and personal interests.

According to Coplan, the release of the updated profiles resulted in a fifteenfold increase in completed profiles on the platform.

“We observed a substantial surge in users wanting to share more personal details,” Coplan stated. “This indicated to us that travel is fundamentally about forging connections.”

He further explained, “Whether it’s with your host, fellow travelers, or people encountered during your journey, there’s a strong desire, particularly in the current climate, to connect with others.”

• The app update introduces Stay, Services, and Experiences categories.
• Hosts will receive improved management tools.
• New social features are planned for later this year.

Airbnb is focused on building a more connected travel community.

Enhancing Customer Support Through Artificial Intelligence

Echoing the observations of Brian Chesky, Coplan highlighted Airbnb’s implementation of AI to bolster its customer service capabilities.

He further explained that, with continued development, Airbnb envisions its AI assistant evolving into a comprehensive concierge, capable of assisting with both trip planning and providing travel inspiration.

Introducing Airbnb's AI-Driven Support Agent

Just recently, Chesky unveiled Airbnb’s new customer service agent powered by artificial intelligence.

A significant improvement over the previous iteration, which simply directed users to help articles, this assistant now delivers direct responses within the chat interface.

Initially, the AI bot is accessible to users in the United States who communicate in English.

Complete deployment within this market is scheduled for the end of the current month, as Coplan communicated to TechCrunch.

Future Developments and Global Expansion

Airbnb intends to integrate additional functionalities into its AI assistant over time.

These enhancements will include customized responses based on individual trip details and bookings.

Furthermore, users will benefit from integrated action buttons, enabling swift execution of tasks like booking cancellations.

The latest updates to the Airbnb website, as well as the iOS and Android applications, are currently being distributed to all users worldwide, beginning today.

Editorial Update

This article has been revised to accurately reflect the number of cities where Airbnb services and experiences are offered.