Airbnb (ABNB-4.46%) is launching new features that allow users to book personal services and experiences on its redesigned app, as it tries to expand its market and offerings.
The new products are divided into the “service” and “experience” categories, which include private chefs, massages, personal training, hair and makeup, photography, and more. The services can be booked while renting an Airbnb or separately.
“Seventeen years ago, we changed the way people travel,” Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, said in a press release. “With the launch of services and experiences, we’re changing travel again. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb.”
Airbnb is launching with 10 categories in 260 cities and will continue to offer more services in more cities as it expands. The company said it will be vetting vendors and the ones they have selected already have an average of a decade of experience.
“People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,” added Chesky. “Now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds—amazing homes with services that make them even more special.”
William Blair analysts wrote in a note that these new features are “incrementally positive for the company.” The news doesn’t come as a particular shock since Airbnb had already said it was investing up to a quarter billion dollars in 2025 to launch and scale new business. William Blair called the new product categories “natural fits”
“These new products could soften some of the cyclicality of the core travel business as users of the new products do not have to travel to use them,” analysts said.
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