Airbnb Expands into Hotels, Boosts AI for Host Onboarding and Customer Support

["For years, Airbnb's core business has been letting users book a room or a whole property owned by someone else. However, the company is now shaking things up by introducing hotels to its platform, a move aimed at driving new revenue and offering more options for travelers to book stays. This expansion comes as Airbnb seeks to evolve beyond its roots as a short-term rental marketplace.", 'The company has been testing hotel listings for a few months and is officially adding a filter to search for them in its app.

Initially, Airbnb is partnering with boutique hotels in 20 cities, including New York, Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, and Singapore. Users will see a pop-up to look at hotels if they are searching for a stay for one or two nights in a city. They can also choose to see only hotels by applying a particular filter in the search.

To sweeten the deal, Airbnb is offering a price match guarantee and will refund the difference in app credits if users find the listing at a lower rate elsewhere.', "The expansion into hotels is just one part of Airbnb's strategy to become a one-stop-shop for travelers. The company is also doubling down on its experiences and services offerings, which were launched last year. In recent months, Airbnb has launched grocery delivery to properties and airport pickup services.

This summer, it will add luggage storage in over 15,000 locations and launch car rental services. Within experiences, the company is adding visits with local guides for 3,000 landmarks and more than 2,500 food experiences.", 'Airbnb is also leaning heavily into AI to enhance the user experience. The company is using AI to help hosts create listings more easily, allowing them to add their address and letting AI fill in details.

On the customer side, Airbnb is introducing category tags that let users skim through reviews related to specific amenities or features. The company is also applying AI to customer service, with a bot that handles 40% of queries in the US and is now expanding globally with support for 11 languages. Later this year, Airbnb will start using a voice-based AI assistant that users can talk to on a call.', "Jud Coplan, VP of marketing at Airbnb, explained that the company's approach to AI is focused on helping users find what they're looking for more effectively and efficiently.

'There are a few examples of the types of trips for which a hotel is probably better suited, such as last-minute bookings, one-night stays, and business trips,' Coplan said. 'What we've done in the Airbnb app is that when we can see you're searching for that kind of stay, we can recommend hotels without sending you to another part of the app or tapping on another tab.'", "As Airbnb continues to evolve, it's clear that the company is committed to using technology to enhance the travel experience. While there are no plans for an official loyalty program, Airbnb is offering credits for car rentals and hotel bookings, which could potentially lay the groundwork for a long-term loyalty program.