Will I soon be able to book my hotel through Airbnb?

Whether it's a room in a private apartment, a tiny house, or a luxury vacation home, travelers can book a variety of accommodations on Airbnb in most destinations around the world. Large hotels are currently unavailable, but that could soon change.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently announced that he intends to include existing competitors in his offerings and thus drive his company's global expansion.

Since Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2007, the booking platform has shaped and changed the lives of travelers in many ways. Instead of booking established hotels, private accommodations and unusual vacation options suddenly became available. Despite the company's relentless growth, CEO Chesky has now announced ambitious plans, reports Skift .

In a conference call, the founder explained that growth in the core business, short-term rentals, has slowed noticeably. After growth of less than ten percent in 2024, the number of booked overnight stays and experiences increased by only eight percent in the first quarter of 2025. For a company that had been accustomed to double-digit growth rates for years, this is a wake-up call.

To correct the company's course, Chesky intends to focus not only on its core regions ( the USA , Canada, Great Britain, France, and Australia ) but also to accelerate expansion into Spain , Italy, Germany , Mexico , Brazil, China, India , South Korea, and Japan . He also intends to include hotels in his portfolio.

Travelers will soon be able to book hotels on Airbnb.

Source: IMAGO/Zoonar

The CEO explained that the company intends to intensify its collaboration with hotels again after having to put this project on hold during the pandemic. The platform "HotelTonight," acquired in 2019, will now be included again. Chesky is convinced that most hotels are very interested in using Airbnb as an additional sales channel.

Another strategy to further boost growth is to focus on Airbnb's "Experiences" segment. This allows travelers to book activities, workshops, and tours with locals, immersing themselves in the culture of their destination. Starting May 13, 2025, the range of experiences is expected to be significantly expanded.

When vacationers will actually be able to book hotels through Airbnb, or whether the ambitious plan will fail, remains to be seen. With his announcement, however, Chesky is definitely declaring war on one of his biggest competitors, the booking platform Booking.com.

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