New kid-friendly add-ons
Traveling with toddlers just got lighter. Beginning in November, Airbnb will connect guests to BabyQuip so they can rent items like cribs, strollers, high chairs and toys, which will be brought straight to their stays across more than 60 US cities. Book those BabyQuip items through Airbnb and the price is trimmed by 10%.
Laundry and local services expand
Airbnb is widening its services menu in the US and Europe. In some US cities, it will link users to Rinse for scheduled laundry pickup and drop-off, with a rapid next-day option available. Across Europe, the company is introducing ways to order from restaurants and grocery stores. Looking ahead, the company intends to offer ski and snowboard equipment in the French Alps and arrange boat options in South Florida, working with yet-to-be-named local partners.
Why the company is pushing beyond stays
Airbnb has been building a services layer to grow beyond short-term home rentals. Over the past year it has added boutique hotels and more on-the-ground tours and activities, aiming to meet still-strong travel demand. That demand helped Airbnb lift its annual revenue outlook twice this year. The services category launched last year, and in August the company said it was seeing "real momentum" in bookings as it pitches solutions to common trip hassles. CEO Brian Chesky has said he sees these new offerings eventually contributing $1 billion or more in revenue each year, while noting it could take years before they represent a meaningful slice of the business.
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Smarter search and host tools
Alongside the service additions, Airbnb refreshed its app with AI features meant to speed up finding a place. The new search bar handles plain language and voice, listings include AI-written highlights of key features, and a comparison view lets you line up homes from your wish list and get AI summaries of what matters. For hosts, starting this fall the earnings dashboard will show AI summaries of performance and insight into what might be affecting results.
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