Facing Strict Regulations, Airbnb Adds Hotel Booking and Grocery Delivery Services

(CNA San Francisco, 21st, Comprehensive Foreign Report) As governments worldwide impose increasingly strict regulations on short-term rentals, accommodation booking company Airbnb announced today that it is gradually launching services such as boutique hotel bookings, car rentals, and grocery delivery within its application, aiming to build a one-stop travel shopping platform. According to Agence France-Presse, this is Airbnb's latest policy to expand its travel consumption business opportunities, with the goal of capturing more customers from competitors like the well-known booking sites Booking.com and Expedia. Founded in San Francisco in 2008, Airbnb has introduced this response as regulations on short-term leases have progressively tightened in various countries. Last December, the Spanish government fined Airbnb €65 million (approximately NT$2.2 billion) for over 65,000 illegal listings on its platform and decided not to renew existing tourist rental licenses after they expire in 2028. New York has almost completely banned private short-term rentals since 2023, and Paris will expand its crackdown on illegal listings in 2026. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky stated in a release: "Travel should not only be convenient, but also meaningful. The best journeys allow you to explore, learn, and return home a little different from when you left." The updated application not only offers fresh grocery delivery in over 25 US cities but also provides airport and train station transfers and luggage storage in more than 160 cities worldwide. Car rental services will also be offered in the future, though partners have not yet been announced. Additionally, the new app version adds several artificial intelligence (AI) features, including a virtual customer service assistant that supports 11 languages. Airbnb's first-quarter revenue this year was $2.68 billion (approximately NT$84.7 billion), an 18% increase from the same period last year.