Airbnb is planning to add ‘thousands’ of boutique and independent hotels and luxury add-ons to its booking platform this summer, moving it beyond a peer-to-peer home rental site.
In an announcement on Wednesday (20 May), it said it will add ‘thousands’ of hotels in 20 destinations around the world, including London, New York, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Singapore.
It includes a price guarantee on selected properties, so if a customer finds the same hotel available at a lower price within 24 hours, they will receive the difference as Airbnb credit.
Featured boutique and independent hotels have been selected for their ‘neighbourhood location, design, and hospitality’, it said.
Already included on the site are New York’s Refinery Hotel, a 197-room luxury boutique property in the Garment District, and the luxe Portobello Hotel in London’s Notting Hill, where a weekend stay will set guests back around £700.
Also featured are the four-star Monsieur Aristide, located in Paris’ 18th arrondissement, which has just 25 rooms and suites, and the Villa SoPi Appart’Hotel by Patrick Hayat, also in Paris. In Rome, there is the Palazzo Dei Cardinali, set in a 16th century building.
Airbnb Services also offers grocery delivery, airport pickups, car hire and luggage storage. Experiences that enable users to explore a city with a local expert can also be booked, with AI tools set to be implemented ‘to aid user experience’.
CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said the addition of boutique hotels ‘that feel like Airbnb’ is part of the platform’s bid to provide ‘meaningful’ trips.
