Airbnb is pursuing a dual strategy: physically competing with hotels by offering comprehensive services and digitally leveraging AI and its network to assist with travel discovery.
During the fall product update, the company is introducing new app services launched last year, such as meal delivery, laundry, baby gear rental, ski and boat rentals in select areas, and is expanding its grocery delivery offering.
A major addition is AI search, where CEO Brian Chesky opted for a cautious rollout without a chatbot-like interface, though he teased the new property discovery feature earlier in the year.
Users can now activate a toggle to search via text or voice, revealing dynamic filters based on preferences; for example, typing "baby" automatically suggests filters for cribs, playgrounds, or children's toys.
The platform utilizes AI to highlight relevant property features and allows users to compare items in their wishlist through AI-generated summaries and reviews.
"We are finally making our first foray into AI search. And what you see is just the very beginning of something. And over the coming months, we’re going to really be iterating this very quickly. It’s not hard to create AI search; it’s hard to create AI search in e-commerce when you have $100 billion going through your platform," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told TechCrunch.
"Anyone can vibe-code a search function, but to do something that doesn't kill conversion rate, that's the hard part."
The company is doubling down on social features to encourage more trips and bookings for experiences like food tastings and workshops. Last year, the app enabled users to connect with fellow travelers and friends.
Travelers can now view a map based on friends' past or upcoming trips; tapping a trip shows where connections stayed and which experiences they pursued, with an optional privacy setting to hide trip sharing.
Airbnb is also developing neighborhood pages derived from guest reviews to assist travelers in discovering dining options and activities.
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