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Airbnb has signed an agreement to acquire the hotel-booking service HotelTonight for an undisclosed sum.
HotelTonight is an online travel app for users to find last-minute discounted hotel accommodations throughout the Americas, Europe and Australia.
Airbnb has been expanding its product offerings beyond letting people rent private rooms and entire homes. The company says it is working on building “an end-to-end travel platform that serves everyone.”
Last year, Airbnb added 4 new property types to its platform – Vacation Home, Unique Space, B&B and Boutique – with the intent of making it easier for different property types to list on the platform.
Providing a subsection for hotels to list on the platform allows Airbnb to more effectively expand in markets with strict housing rules against short-term rentals. It also ties in with the company’s aim of making the platform for everyone – all types of travelers.
“We are making it easier for people who use Airbnb to find last-minute places to stay when Home hosts are often already booked. The availability of boutique hotels—in addition to private rooms and entire homes that are instantly bookable—helps ensure authentic, high-quality stays are available on-demand, especially at the last minute,” said Airbnb.
Airbnb says that the acquisition of HotelTonight will help the company meet the enormous demand from and for boutique hotels.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO and Head of Community, commented:
“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.”
Sam Shank, Co-founder & CEO of HotelTonight, said:
“We started HotelTonight because we knew people wanted a better way to book an amazing hotel room on-demand, and we are excited to join forces with Airbnb to bring this service to guests around the world.
“Together, HotelTonight and Airbnb can give guests more choices and the world’s best boutique and independent hotels a genuine partner to connect them with those guests.”