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Airbnb checks into hotels:" This doesn’t feel like innovation. It feels like inevitability"

ended 26. January 2026

AIRBNB has officially checked into hotels as it makes moves into the market with experts warning “this doesn’t feel like innovation, it feels like inevitability”.

Airbnb has made two key moves to build out its hotel business: elevating a former hotel executive and hiring a Booking.com veteran.

Airbnb’s global head of real estate, Jesse Stein, is taking on the newly created role of head of hotels, while continuing in his current post.

Lou Zameryka was also hired this month as global head of hotel enterprise and connectivity partnerships.

The company will be attempting to take on the sheer scale and muscle of Booking.com, Expedia and Trip.com.

Experts said that the move would have been unthinkable back when it was the poster child for spare rooms, local hosts and living like a local.

Kate Allen, Owner at Kingsbridge-based Finest Stays, said the move risks diluting the unique selling point (USP) of Airbnb.

She added: "Commercially, the pressure is obvious. The scale of Booking.com, Expedia and Trip.com would make any CEO twitchy. Brian Chesky needs growth, and at this level that usually means more inventory; even if it chips away at what once made Airbnb special. 

"The move seriously muddies Airbnb’s brand. Its USP was always homes, hosts and a genuine sense of place. By introducing hotels, Airbnb collapses very different products into one confused marketplace, blurring guest expectations. As property managers, we don’t want carefully curated homes lumped in with hotels; and given the number of soulless “aparthotels” already on the platform, this shift feels inevitable. 

"For independent, local agents like us, this actually strengthens our position. Guests who book with us get better value, clearer pricing and hands-on service. We know the homes and the owners, and if something goes wrong, we don’t hide behind a help centre, we fix it."

Beccy Dickson, Co-Founder at Branded Biophilia, said she was surprised that Airbnb was going in this direction.

She continued: “This doesn’t feel like innovation. It feels like inevitability. When Airbnb started, it wasn’t about scale. It was about ‘feel’ – homes, texture, arriving somewhere that let you settle rather than perform. 

"Hotels were never the issue. Sameness was. So would I book a hotel on Airbnb over Booking.com, Expedia or Trip.com? Honestly, no. If I want a hotel, I’ll use a platform built for hotels. If I want a home, I want atmosphere, not inventory. 

"The bigger question is the USP. Once you sell both homes and hotels, the signal blurs. In trying to be everything to everyone, Airbnb risks becoming efficient but emotionally flat. And right now, flat is exactly what people are trying to get away from.”

Laura Purkess, Personal Finance Expert at Investing Insiders, said she understands why Airbnb is broadening its scope.

She added: “Having a really unique USP is something that sounds nice on paper, but in the current economic climate isn't very sustainable. In a competitive market like tourism, diversifying your offering is key, and Airbnb has clearly realised that there will always be a high demand for hotel rooms over self-catering accommodation and cheap rooms in people's houses – and there's potentially more money to be made there too. 

"There's also the issue of scale and that supply needs to meet demand – Airbnb relies on there being enough hosts to meet accommodation demands. If there aren't, there's not much room to scale within the parameters Airbnb has given itself under the private hosting model. 

"By broadening out to hotels, Airbnb is opening up a huge new pool of accommodation it can advertise through its platform. Of course, by doing this Airbnb runs the risk of losing its identity and becoming just another Booking.com-type website, but it may be that's what it takes to survive.”

Kundan Bhaduri, Airbnb landlord at London-based The Kushman Group, said he feels betrayed by the company moving away from its original mission.

He continued: “As a developer and Airbnb landlord, this feels like a betrayal of the very supply base that built their empire. We spent years fighting planning battles and upgrading stock to meet their standards only to see them get into bed with the big hotel chains we were supposed to be disrupting. 

“If Airbnb is just another aggregator for corporate hotel rooms then it has zero unique selling point.”

6 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Kate Allen
Owner at Finest Stays
Commercially, the pressure is obvious. The scale of Booking.com, Expedia and Trip.com would make any CEO twitchy. Brian Chesky needs growth, and at this level that usually means more inventory; even if it chips away at what once made Airbnb special.

The move seriously muddies Airbnb’s brand. Its USP was always homes, hosts and a genuine sense of place. By introducing hotels, Airbnb collapses very different products into one confused marketplace, blurring guest expectations. As property managers, we don’t want carefully curated homes lumped in with hotels; and given the number of soulless “aparthotels” already on the platform, this shift feels inevitable.

For independent, local agents like us, this actually strengthens our position. Guests who book with us get better value, clearer pricing and hands-on service. We know the homes and the owners, and if something goes wrong, we don’t hide behind a help centre, we fix it.
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Editor
Samuel Mather-Holgate
Managing Director & IFA at Mather and Murray Financial
This is the beginning of the end for AirBNB. With companies like Booking.com and Hotels.com branding into private residence, AirBNB have considered the need to diversify. Whilst the move for the hotel aggregators is wise, AirBNB have a stronger, more cult like followed brand, and this is likely to weaken its position in the market.
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Editor
Laura Purkess
Personal Finance Expert at Investing Insiders
Having a really unique USP is something that sounds nice on paper, but in the current economic climate isn't very sustainable. In a competitive market like tourism, diversifying your offering is key, and Airbnb has clearly realised that there will always be a high demand for hotel rooms over self-catering accommodation and cheap rooms in people's houses - and there's potentially more money to be made there too. There's also the issue of scale and that supply needs to meet demand - Airbnb relies on there being enough hosts to meet accommodation demands. If there aren't, there's not much room to scale within the parameters Airbnb has given itself under the private hosting model. By broadening out to hotels, Airbnb is opening up a huge new pool of accommodation it can advertise through its platform. Of course, by doing this Airbnb runs the risk of losing its identity and becoming just another booking.com-type website, but it may be that's what it takes to survive.
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Kundan Bhaduri
Entrepreneur, Investor and Landlord at The Kushman Group
As a developer and Airbnb landlord, this feels like a betrayal of the very supply base that built their empire. We spent years fighting planning battles and upgrading stock to meet their standards only to see them get into bed with the big hotel chains we were supposed to be disrupting. If Airbnb is just another aggregator for corporate hotel rooms then it has zero unique selling point.

Airbnb has traded its identity for corporate safety and in doing so they have sent a clear message to every property entrepreneur that we are no longer their priority.

They are diluting their brand to chase volumes because they know the days of unregulated residential inventory are numbered.
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Rohit Parmar-Mistry
Founder at Pattrn Data
The irony of Airbnb listing hotels is palpable. We’ve reached a point where staying in an Airbnb often costs more than a hotel, yet comes with a laundry list of chores and zero concierge support. Now they want to sell us actual hotels? It begs the question: what is Airbnb actually for anymore?

Consumers aren’t stupid. They know that if they book a hotel via Booking.com or Expedia, they get loyalty points, instant confirmation, and standardised service. Airbnb is entering a crowded market with a confused product. They are trying to compete with the OTA giants on inventory without the infrastructure or trust to back it up.

This feels like a desperate grab for cash flow rather than a genuine service improvement. They’ve alienated their original community of hosts by favouring corporate property managers, and now diluting their brand further. It’s a race to the bottom, and the only loser is the guest who just wants a simple, transparent booking experience without the identity crisis
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Bex Hamilton
Co-Founder at Branded Biophilia
This doesn’t feel like innovation. It feels like inevitability.

When Airbnb started, it wasn’t about scale. It was about *feel* — homes, texture, arriving somewhere that let you settle rather than perform.

Hotels were never the issue. Sameness was.

So would I book a hotel on Airbnb over booking.com, Expedia or Trip.com? Honestly, no.

If I want a hotel, I’ll use a platform built for hotels.
If I want a home, I want atmosphere, not inventory.

The bigger question is the USP. Once you sell both homes and hotels, the signal blurs. In trying to be everything to everyone, Airbnb risks becoming efficient but emotionally flat.

And right now, flat is exactly what people are trying to get away from.