Airbnb started out as a platform that flew in defiance of traditional hotels, where they would offer up places for people to stay on vacation that could potentially be bigger, more convenient, and cheaper than your typical hotel. However it seems that the company could be looking to dip their toes into the hotel market.The company has recently announced their plans to acquire HotelTonight, which for those unfamiliar is a hotel booking website that specializes in last minute bookings. According to Airbnb, they explained some of the reasons behind the acquisition. One of those reasons is that they want to make it easier for users to find places to stay even at the last minute and if typical Airbnb homes are already booked.
They are also looking to encourage boutique hotels which they claim have taken inspiration from various homes provided by Airbnb hosts over the years. Airbnb also states that they hope that by acquiring HotelTonight, when guests come to their website they will also look through the various homes provided by their hosts, which in turn could encourage them to return for future bookings.
According to Airbnb’s co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky, “A big part of building an end-to-end travel platform is serving every guest, whether they plan their trip a year or a day in advance. Working with the incredible team at HotelTonight, we will offer guests an unparalleled last-minute travel experience that provides unique, memorable hospitality on every trip, on any schedule, at any time.”
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