Airbnb expands app with hotel bookings, travel services, and AI for complete trip planning

Airbnb is broadening well beyond home rentals, unveiling one of its biggest app overhauls in years with new hotel bookings, more travel services, social features and a larger role for artificial intelligence across search, support and host tools. According to TechCrunch and Fast Company, the company is trying to turn its app into a more complete trip-planning platform, one that can handle everything from where travelers sleep to how they get around and what they do once they arrive.

The most notable change is the addition of boutique and independent hotels to Airbnb’s listings, marking a clear expansion into territory long dominated by traditional online travel agencies. Alongside that, Airbnb said users will soon be able to book add-on services such as airport pickups, grocery delivery, luggage storage and car rentals through the app, broadening the company’s reach beyond homes and experiences. Fast Company described the move as part of Airbnb’s effort to become an all-encompassing travel platform, while TechCrunch reported that luggage storage and car rental services are among the new offerings coming soon.

Airbnb is also pushing harder into the social side of travel. New features for Airbnb Experiences will let guests see who else is attending an activity, communicate with fellow travelers and stay in touch afterward. The company said this is meant to help users connect before, during and after an experience, rather than simply booking and leaving. That social layer could make group activities feel more personal, while also giving Airbnb another way to keep travelers engaged inside its app.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of that strategy. Airbnb is expanding AI-powered customer support and using AI more heavily in host onboarding and other behind-the-scenes tools. The company has been testing AI search in a limited way and is working toward more conversational search features, according to reporting cited in related coverage. It is also aiming to handle more customer service requests through AI agents, reducing wait times and helping guests and hosts with routine tasks more quickly. Airbnb has said the assistant will be able to provide more tailored responses and, in some cases, let users take actions directly in chat.

For hosts, the changes could mean faster setup, better pricing guidance and less time spent on repetitive support issues. For travelers, they point to a single app that increasingly tries to cover the whole trip, from planning and booking to local activities and post-booking coordination. The broader shift also shows Airbnb moving further away from being just a place to find a spare room or vacation home, and toward competing more directly with hotels, travel booking sites and other trip-planning services.