Airbnb has signed a distribution agreement with Lark to bring over 75 boutique hotels to the Airbnb platform.
Lou Zameryka, Airbnb’s global head of hotel enterprise and connectivity partnerships, and Rob Blood, Lark founder and chairman, announced the news in separate posts on LinkedIn.
Speaking with PhocusWire, Zameryka said Airbnb is focused on adding “unique, localized-feeling, hospitality-driven hotel partners.”
“This was one of those opportunities to bring two companies together and add up to 75 hotels from Lark, all through one centralized partnership,” Zameryka said.
On LinkedIn, Blood said Lark is “thrilled to partner with Airbnb.”
“This partnership gives our owners something rare: a diverse channel mix and direct access to guests who already love what we do,” Blood wrote.
“Airbnb travelers seek out unique, characterful stays, exactly the guests our hotels are built for. That's what Lark does best: helping distinctive independent spirited hotels stand out and reach the guests who value them most.”
Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Lark oversees five brands and a collection of nearly 100 independent hotels with fewer than 150 rooms across the U.S. and Mexico.
According to Zameryka, all of the U.S. Lark properties will be brought onto the Airbnb platform.
At Airbnb’s Summer release in May, CEO Brian Chesky said independent and boutique properties are a “little bit more on brand” for Airbnb.
Zameryka echoed this, noting that the first stage of the company’s hotel strategy is offering users options that “fit why they came to Airbnb in the first place.” This includes a localized feeling, a guest-host relationship and a more unique experience.
“Every now and then, we get the opportunity to do that with a group that has the same ethos in mind. So, whilst it’s not necessarily the ‘everything store’ that every online travel agency is nowadays, our focus is really on curation, especially because that’s what our customers are looking for,” he said.
“They’re not looking for us to bring in anything that they wouldn’t expect to see on the platform. They really want more of what they’ve come to Airbnb for. Now we’re able to deliver that with our hotel partners.”
Zameryka, a Booking.com veteran, joined Airbnb in January to build out the short-term rental giant's hotel strategy. In May, the company announced that another former Booking.com executive, Andrea D'Amico, would be joining as VP of hotels. D'Amico took over from Jesse Stein, who resumed his focus to his wider role leading Airbnb's real estate business.
The Phocuswright Conference 2026
Hear more from Lou Zameryka at The Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Nov. 17-19.