Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Airbnb Inc is expanding its ambitions beyond vacation rentals as it seeks to become the “Amazon for travel services,” with plans to bring independent hotels onto its platform and deepen its presence in India, Chief Executive Brian Chesky said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.
The San Francisco-based company, which built a travel empire by leveraging people’s homes, spare bedrooms and holiday properties, is now focusing on becoming a one-stop shop for global travel. Chesky said Airbnb aims to capture a larger share of the travel services economy, which he believes could eventually rival the retail sector in scale.
To start listing hotels; broaden inventory, expand experiences
India, one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets, is central to that vision. Chesky said the country is a “big bet” for Airbnb and could soon become its largest market, as rising disposable incomes and digital adoption drive a new generation of travellers toward online booking platforms. The company plans to onboard independent hotels to broaden its inventory and appeal to a wider audience.
Despite a recovery in global travel demand, Chesky acknowledged he is not fully satisfied with Airbnb’s current growth rate. He said the company’s “Experiences” segment – which offers local tours, activities, and workshops – is growing faster than its core home-rental business and will play a bigger role in its future strategy.
Chesky also weighed in on the growing influence of artificial intelligence, saying that its long-term impact on technology and travel remains underappreciated. He described AI valuations as “frothy” and warned that technology companies that ignore AI risk being left behind.
Reflecting on the changing nature of the tech landscape, Chesky said Silicon Valley has evolved over the past decade and a half into a more “political, divided and mature” ecosystem.