Airbnb announced a major expansion of its offerings on Tuesday, introducing new features that allow travelers to book services and experiences alongside traditional home stays. Part of a significant app update, these options include bookings for personal services such as massages, haircuts, wellness treatments, catered meals by chefs, and activities like guided city tours or cooking classes. These services can be integrated seamlessly into hotel stays but are also available independently, meaning users won’t need to book accommodations through Airbnb in order to access them.
The company had previously explored similar ground with its Experiences program, which it first paused in 2023 to refocus on its core lodging business. The renewed initiative reflects Airbnb’s goal of engaging visitors beyond accommodation bookings. CEO Brian Chesky noted on a recent earnings call that Airbnb had been accessed by more than 1.5 billion devices within a year, yet many visitors never finalized a reservation. By enhancing its platform with these additions, Airbnb aims to capture more activity and increase revenues from existing traffic.
The expanded services place Airbnb directly in competition with established travel booking companies like Tripadvisor, Booking.com, Viator, and GetYourGuide. The launch initially covers 10 categories—such as catering, photography, personal training, spa and beauty services—in 100 cities spread across eight different countries. Meanwhile, the experience offerings will encompass 19 categories, ranging from cultural and museum tours to fitness sessions, outdoor adventures, and culinary workshops in over 1,000 cities worldwide.
A unique element being introduced is Airbnb Originals—exclusive experiences involving collaborations with celebrities and local experts. Users might participate in pastry-making classes at the renowned French Bastards bakery in Paris or compete in beach volleyball against Olympian Carol Solberg in Rio de Janeiro.
Judson Coplan, Vice President of Product Marketing at Airbnb, explained that these new offerings stem from the company’s broader vision of enabling travelers to explore a destination as locals might. Additionally, Coplan anticipates that these experiences could encourage people to venture elsewhere or rediscover their own hometowns through fresh perspectives.
The financial structure for hosts providing services and experiences was also revealed: Airbnb will earn a 15% commission from each service booking and a 20% cut from experiences. Customers will only see a single all-inclusive price during their booking processes, and hosts must undergo rigorous vetting, including checks on licenses, credentials, experience, and online reputation.
This latest update isn’t solely focused on expanding Airbnb’s services catalog—it also includes new interactive social elements within the mobile app, expected later this year. Planned social capabilities involve group chats specifically tailored for guests who have shared experiences, enabling them to continue their interaction after the activity ends, share content, or plan additional trips together. These social features follow last year’s redesign of Airbnb profiles, which encouraged richer personal introductions and prompted significant user adoption, driving completed profiles up by a factor of fifteen.
Additionally, the company shared its increasing integration of AI into customer service operations. A recently introduced AI-powered support assistant now provides quick, chat-based solutions rather than redirecting users to external support articles. Initially exclusive to English-speaking U.S. customers, Airbnb plans further enhancements to this AI concierge, including personalized trip advice and the ability to handle more complex tasks directly within the chat interface. Following U.S. deployment, Airbnb intends to roll out the technology globally across additional countries and languages later this year.
The comprehensive Airbnb update is available immediately, rolling out globally across the app’s iOS and Android platforms and the desktop website.
