Airbnb launches redesigned app, new services business

Airbnb launched a redesigned app on Tuesday to showcase the corporate’s push to let vacationers e-book companies, like catering and private coaching, at their dwelling leases.

The brand new-look app marks a brand new chapter for Airbnb to develop past dwelling stays. The corporate has beforehand introduced plans to speculate $200 million to $250 million in a brand new enterprise that it mentioned it hopes will turn out to be a major driver of future income progress.

“We now feel like we have such a strong foundation that we are capable of building and expanding,” Dave Stephenson, Airbnb’s enterprise chief, informed CNBC.

The corporate has beforehand tried to push past dwelling leases, however dialed again these efforts in 2020 to give attention to its core enterprise because the Covid pandemic shuttered borders and pummeled the journey business.

Airbnb shares fell earlier this month after the corporate issued disappointing income steerage in its first-quarter earnings report, saying it noticed some “softness” in journey from Canada to the U.S. towards the tip of the quarter amid macroeconomic uncertainties.

“Until now, our app has really done one thing, which is it lets you book a home,” CEO Brian Chesky mentioned on Airbnb’s Might 1 earnings name. “We rebuilt the app from the ground up on a new technology stack. And now we can innovate faster and offer much more than homes.”

The app’s new companies tab presents 10 classes customers can choose and e-book throughout their rental. The choices embody companies corresponding to spa remedies, catered or ready meals, or private coaching periods. These service choices will debut in 260 cities worldwide. The corporate hopes this replace will put Airbnb on par with choices vacationers usually discover at resorts and resorts, Stephenson mentioned.

To make sure high quality, Airbnb has added to its vetting workforce, which incorporates authorized professionals, to evaluate certifications and licensing necessities, which differ from metropolis to metropolis, Stephenson mentioned. Providers distributors have 10 years of expertise on common, the corporate mentioned.

The app replace can even embody a homepage tab to emphasise Airbnb’s experiences enterprise. The brand new tab divides experiences into 19 classes, together with dwell performances, landmark excursions, structure excursions and exercises, which can be found in 650 cities. The corporate first launched experiences in 2016.

The expertise tab will embody actions and excursions designed by Airbnb, known as originals, corresponding to a tour of Notre Dame with a restoration architect in Paris. The corporate can be partnering to supply experiences and companies on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Stephenson mentioned.

Airbnb additionally mentioned it’s updating its social options, permitting customers to see different friends attending experiences. The brand new messages part can even allow photograph and video sharing and include up to date privateness options for interacting with co-travelers later this yr.