Brian Chesky Airbnb co-founder and CEO, set the tone for Airbnb’s business transformation during the Skift 2024 Global Forum in New York.
In an interview with the head of US website Skift, Brian Chesky said that the Airbnb platform plans to expand beyond short-term rentals – even beyond the travel industry.
“Why should Airbnb just offer homes? Why can’t we offer significantly more? And that’s the future of this company. We’re going to take the Airbnb model and bring it to many different categories,” Brian Chesky Airbnb CEO and co-founder told Skift CEO Rafat Ali.
To get there, the company aims to consistently launch new business areas.
“I foresee, every year, launching two to three things that could eventually generate a billion dollars a year in revenue,” the Airbnb CEO said, adding: “That doesn’t mean everything will be successful, but now is the time to expand, we are entering a new phase of the company.”
We will get a glimpse of the changes in the two annual product launches announced by the company.
Brian Chesky’s Airbnb updates
The winter edition, coming this month (October) will focus on a new business that matches hosts with property managers. The summer edition, in May 2025, will focus on expanding Experiences’ activities and “many” other things.
One of the future releases will be long-term stays. As Chesky said about 17% of stays are 30 days or more. “I think it’s a huge growth opportunity for Airbnb to do 30- to 90-day stays, which I don’t think online travel agencies can do.”
According to the CEO, the expansion of business will start with travel and continue into other business areas. In terms of Experiences, Airbnb will focus on authentic local experiences.
Chesky used Rome as an example, and the idea of experiencing making pasta with a grandmother using her family recipe. He went on to say Airbnb want to promote experiences including the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and Basilica that anyone can book on GetYourGuide.
“I think we will have a unique product. It will be more local, a little more authentic than what you might consider mass tourism activities. But we will definitely cater to people who want to see the iconic landmarks.”
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