Airbnb continues to build out its Experiences and Services business lines alongside app updates as it strives to provide more to users—and in a personalized way.
The platform announced on Wednesday additional services, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered enhancements and functionality to encourage sharing as part of its Summer release.
In isolation the releases may not seem huge but they are the latest steps in Airbnb’s wider vision to become an ecosystem offering products and services beyond travel.
The moves also aim to drive more users to the platform as part of a strategy “to shift from a marketplace for vacation rentals to a global community where you can travel and live anywhere.”
These were Chesky’s words during the Communacopia & Technology Conference in 2025. He said it was something that would happen over the next decade, adding that Airbnb is interested in creating “a social network in the real world.”
“To do that, we'd have to build one of the most definitive profiles on the internet, a really robust profile,” he said at the time.
“We have 200 million verified identities. I think that's more than the U.S. passports in circulation at this moment, by the way. And we're going to build out this really rich community.”
Chesky's comments made during the Summer release echoed the community concept with words and phrases including "together", "closer" and "social network" peppered throughout.
Summer release
App updates in the works are driving towards more personalization. Users will soon be able to see where friends and family have been and their future Airbnb trips through a travel map by adding them as connections. The move hints at social graph creation, which also fits well with the community vision.
AI review highlights enabling users to filter reviews on property listings by the elements most important to them are also part of this latest release. An 'ask about this home' feature has also been added bringing relevant reviews, images and maps to users according to their questions.
Later this year Airbnb plans to enable users to save homes to a wishlist and compare them through an AI-generated summary providing context around location, amenities and other elements.
In addition to driving personalization, the update will likely provide Airbnb with useful behavioral data around intent and conversion and, when combined with search and booking data from Services and Experiences, insights on the whole purchase path.
The company’s personalization ambitions took up a portion of its first quarter 2026 earnings earlier this month. During an analysts’ call Chesky spoke about moving towards “deep personalization, understanding every user, every member.”
“In the age of AI, we know about you, we know your intent and we give you exactly what you are looking for,” Chesky said on the call.
However, despite all the recent talk of personalization and members, any mention of a loyalty program was absent from the Summer release. Various executives from the platform have spoken about a potential loyalty program in the past, stopping short of what it might look like or offer.
Chesky did however give a nod to hosts during the event. He said Airbnb is making it easier for them to list their properties and described the current process as "still pretty manual."
Further app enhancements include making group planning easier through a map showing reservations alongside restaurants and things to do. Users can add places directly to a shared itinerary.
Any ecosystem needs users on one side and products and services on the other, and Airbnb continues to add services beyond what it announced in May 2025. For example, it plans to add in-app car rentals. The platform will show users vehicles near their accommodation listing as well as recommendations around appropriate rentals for party size.
This follows previously announced services, including grocery delivery through Instacart and airport pickups in partnership with Welcome Pickups. The company is also adding luggage storage via a tie-up with Bounce. Services to be added later this year include in-home pet services and day passes for leisure pursuits.
Announcements around Experiences hinted at exclusivity, a strategy that is likely to drive more users and one that Airbnb has pursued before with its Icons launch two years ago. This time around it's cooking with a Michelin-starred chef, a watch party with football stars for the forthcoming World Cup and a training session with a former Inter Milan manager.
Hotel inventory is also part of the company's wider ecosystem play as it attempts to shift to a more guest-centric and member-focused ethos. During its Q1 2026 earnings call Airbnb said hotel bookings were growing faster than the broader platform as it brings boutique and independent hotel pilots to additional markets.
The company announced last September that it was adding hotel as a property type to its app. In Q4 2026 earnings, it confirmed pilots with boutique and independent hotels in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Madrid.
*Reporter's travel to the Summer release event was supported by Airbnb.