Airbnb, which grew out of a couch-surfing exchange into one of the world’s few companies whose name has become a verb, has even wider ambitions, with its CEO and founder saying it plans to be an “Amazon for services, at least for traveling and living.”
The company, which has millions of fans and legions of detractors who accuse it of contributing to housing crises in many cities, has long since ceased to be the ‘spare room solution’ it started as; aside from the short-term rental business, it has for several years offered ‘experiences,’ largely tours and activities or chef-prepared meals in cities offered to people who rent housing through the site. As with its constant search for hosts, the company is advertising for providers to sign up as well.
More recently, it has been offering to book airport pickups for arriving guests and to arrange grocery delivery for them, but a hint about its bigger ambitions comes in recent interviews with Chesky on CNBC and with Skift. He told CNBC that “I imagine one day we’ll have dozens, possibly even hundreds of categories, just like Amazon. I think we can build a little bit, like an Amazon for services, at least for traveling and living.”
Two new moves last week are clearly headed in that direction. Airbnb has added luggage storage and car rentals to its site, and is adding links to reserve at boutique and independent hotels as well as its usual assortment of rooms and apartments. How serious is Airbnb about the hotel business? Very, apparently—it’s created a new position as Vice President for Hotels, and hired Andrea D’Amico, an 18-year veteran of the hotel business at Booking.com. Ironically, one of Booking’s recent expansions has been the listing of increasing numbers of apartments as well as hotels.
It’s not clear yet how Airbnb will do in its new fields; increasingly as it expands from its core business, it will be treading on many toes, especially if it makes a rumored move into booking transportation as well. The large online travel agencies, including Booking, Expedia, TripAdvisor and their affiliates will be watching closely to see where partnership pays, and where competition.
