As Airbnb branches into hotels, new apps take up its mantle to keep the ‘travel sharing’ era going
Niche apps offering hosted homestays are growing in number as established accommodation websites like Airbnb expand into offering rooms at boutique and independent hotels
An online marketplace that allows anyone anywhere in the world to earn money by leasing a room in their home to travellers, Airbnb became a linchpin of the travel sharing economy alongside ride-hailing app Uber. However, the online travel agency’s unique peer-to-peer approach could be about to lose its edge.
While its new Experiences offering is all about giving its users access to walking tours, photography workshops, cooking classes and other location-specific activities, a more jarring development is Airbnb’s plan to allow hotels to offer their rooms on Airbnb.
It’s not going to stop offering homestays, flats and cottages (as well as the odd castle and tree house), but independent hotels look set to be included thanks to a deal between Airbnb and hotel distribution platform SiteMinder.
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Don’t expect to see global hotel brands on Airbnb, but it is likely that there will be fewer differences between Airbnb and the likes of Expedia and Booking.com. Either way, Airbnb is now as much about empty rental rooms as hosted homestays.