{"id":241933,"date":"2026-05-22T16:45:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/airbnb-launches-boutique-hotels-car-rentals-grocery-delivery-and-more-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T16:45:17","slug":"airbnb-launches-boutique-hotels-car-rentals-grocery-delivery-and-more-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/airbnb-launches-boutique-hotels-car-rentals-grocery-delivery-and-more-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbnb launches boutique hotels, car rentals, grocery delivery and more &#8211; The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Airbnb may have started as a simple homesharing platform, but it&#8217;s come a long way since then.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/airbnb-services-experiences-app-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Airbnb launched services<\/a><\/span> \u2014 such as spa treatments and photography sessions \u2014 and reimagined its Experiences platform to help travelers experience destinations in more authentic ways.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Airbnb has added some interesting new categories to these offerings. It&#8217;s also launched hotels \u2014 yes, actual hotels, not just vacation rentals.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The best trips help you explore, learn, and come home a little different than when you left. That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re building at Airbnb,&#8221; said Brian Chesky, the company&#8217;s co-founder and CEO, according to a <span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.airbnb.com\/airbnb-2026-summer-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release<\/a><\/span>. &#8220;And this summer, we&#8217;re giving people even more ways to do it\u2014from incredible places to stay and boutique hotels that feel like Airbnb, to unforgettable World Cup experiences and services that make your trip easier.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at what&#8217;s new.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/credit-cards\/best-credit-cards-airbnb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Renting an Airbnb this summer? Here are the best credit cards to use<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">New services to streamline your trip<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"jsx-3874346954 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-2453190082 full-width-auto-height-image\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-3874346954 figcaption\">DGLIMAGES\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One key update is the addition of new categories of services, specifically those intended to streamline the travel experience \u2014 along with savings and offers for Airbnb guests. These include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rental cars: You can now book a car right in the Airbnb app, which will show vehicles near your listing and suggest the right vehicle for your group. The first time you rent a car on Airbnb, you&#8217;ll get a 20% credit back toward your next stay, experience or select services.<\/li>\n<li>Grocery delivery: Through Airbnb&#8217;s partnership with Instacart, you can order groceries during your trip or have them waiting at your Airbnb when you arrive in over 25 U.S. cities. Plus, Airbnb guests get $0 delivery and $10 off an order of $50 or more.<\/li>\n<li>Airport pickups: Airbnb has also partnered with Welcome Pickups, a private car service in which a driver tracks your flight and meets you curbside after you land. The service is available in over 160 cities worldwide, and Airbnb guests can save 20% on every ride.<\/li>\n<li>Luggage storage: The Airbnb app will show you the nearest Bounce drop-off locations \u2014 over 15,000 locations in 175 cities \u2014 and Airbnb guests get 15% off.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to a press release from Airbnb, &#8220;This is just the beginning of new services guests can book on Airbnb this year,&#8221; so more categories may be on the way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_container__YVxAW tw-border tw-border-gray-2\"><picture class=\"tw-flex tw-items-center tw-justify-center tw-opacity-0\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-dt.svg\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_form__xvcP4\">\n<p>Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<form class=\"jsx-881693933 newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"jsx-881693933 EmailCapture_confirmation__AJ4nI EmailCapture_noCheckbox__2BHzb   &#10;          \">\n<p class=\"tw-text-xs-regular !tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5 tw-max-w-lg\">By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/terms-of-use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms of Use<\/a> <!-- -->and acknowledge the data practices in our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">More local experiences<\/h2>\n<p>Airbnb already offers a variety of tours, classes and other experiences that you can book during a trip or in your own backyard. The app will even recommend activities based on your group size.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-3874346954 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-2453190082 full-width-auto-height-image\"><img alt=\"Airbnb app Paris experiences good for solo travelers\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"2104\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;height:auto;width:100%\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 756px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-Paris-experiences.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-3874346954 figcaption\">AIRBNB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This summer, the platform is adding thousands more experiences led by local experts across its most popular categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Landmarks: See iconic attractions, from the Tower of London to the Taj Mahal, with a local guide.<\/li>\n<li>Food culture experiences: Through partnerships with Chef&#8217;s Table and Grand Central Market, you can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a place&#8217;s food and beverage culture, meet Michelin-starred chefs and more.<\/li>\n<li>FIFA World Cup 2026: You can&#8217;t get tickets through Airbnb, but you can book exclusive experiences, such as a USA vs. Australia watch party with World Cup champions Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While you can&#8217;t book these activities directly with points, as you can with some hotel platforms like <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/loyalty-programs\/world-of-hyatt-find-experiences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World of Hyatt&#8217;s Find<\/a><\/span> and <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/loyalty-programs\/hilton-honors-experiences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hilton Honors Experiences<\/a><\/span>, there are some unique options available only on Airbnb.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Boutique and independent hotels<\/h2>\n<p>Over the better part of two decades, Airbnb has shifted from simple homesharing to a huge variety of vacation rentals, from luxurious treehouses to cozy B&amp;Bs. The platform is taking this a step further with the introduction of boutique and <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/maximize-rewards-independent-hotels-vacation-rentals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">independent hotels<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>You can now book thousands of hotels through the platform, each handpicked for its location, design and hospitality to feel as homey as an Airbnb. These properties are currently available in 20 popular destinations around the world, such as <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/hotel\/best-hotels-in-nyc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/hotel\/best-hotels-in-london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">London<\/a><\/span> and Singapore, with plans to add more destinations throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p>Airbnb is also giving users more reasons to book boutique hotels through its platform. If you book a &#8220;featured hotel,&#8221; you can receive up to 15% credit toward your next Airbnb home. And with Airbnb&#8217;s price match guarantee, if you find a lower price for the same hotel anywhere else, you&#8217;ll get the difference as Airbnb credit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-3874346954 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-2453190082 full-width-auto-height-image\"><img alt=\"Airbnb featured hotel in Washington DC with 15% credit offer\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"2111\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;height:auto;width:100%\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 756px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2026\/05\/Airbnb-featured-hotel.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-3874346954 figcaption\">AIRBNB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With these features, the program seems to be trying to encourage users to stay within its ecosystem \u2014 possibly the closest Airbnb has ever come to loyalty program territory.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Bottom line<\/h2>\n<p>Since I book through Airbnb fairly often for its unique stays \u2014 most recently, an unforgettable <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.com\/trips\/v1\/reservation-details\/ro\/RESERVATION2_CHECKIN\/HMK2Y8DQF2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hobbit house<\/a><\/span> near Tennessee&#8217;s Great Smoky Mountains \u2014 I&#8217;m always glad to see the platform adding new features. Being able to book other trip elements like groceries and airport pickups all in one place is convenient, and Airbnb offers some unique local experiences that you won&#8217;t find anywhere else.<\/p>\n<p>However, you can often earn far more points by booking through <span><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/credit-cards\/amex-travel-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">credit card portals<\/a><\/span>, which generally offer independent hotels, rental cars, tours and activities similar to Airbnb. So \u2014 in case you&#8217;re reading this, Brian Chesky \u2014 this writer is still anxiously awaiting an Airbnb loyalty program or credit card.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/airbnb-boutique-hotels-car-rentals-app-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Airbnb may have started as a simple homesharing platform, but it&#8217;s come a long way since then. Last year, Airbnb launched services \u2014 such as spa treatments and photography sessions \u2014 and reimagined its Experiences platform to help travelers experience destinations in more authentic ways. Now, Airbnb has added some interesting new categories to these [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}