Could Airbnb's Next Big Move Be a Rewards Program?

There was once a time when Airbnb’s name was a fairly concise description of the service it provided. Looking to book a night on someone’s couch or spare room? Airbnb was your go-to service for such arrangements. It’s come a long way since then — adding high-profile experiential stays to its roster and seeking an influence on public policy. It’s a sign of how Airbnb has changed the hospitality game that we’re seeing things like Marriott partnering with Sonder, for instance.

If the hospitality industry is becoming more like Airbnb, does it stand to reason that Airbnb is becoming more like the hospitality industry? Maybe. In an interview with The Points Guy’s Tanner Saunders, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky hinted at changes to his company’s status quo. He provided more specifics on what type of program Airbnb wouldn’t implement than what it might put into place, however.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever do a traditional points program because a traditional-approach program is kind of like a subsidy,” Chesky told The Points Guy. He did suggest that he and his staff were exploring incentive programs in some form and that they were “kind of in the middle of development right now.”

“There’s a way to reward people [who] have used Airbnb, but without being like a ‘get 10 nights, get one free’ kind of thing,” he told Saunders. Chesky also suggested that this could take the form of a premium program where subscribers receive some sort of perks for their participation.

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A rewards program isn’t the only change on the horizon for Airbnb. Earlier this week, WIRED published an in-depth feature by Steven Levy focusing on Chesky’s efforts to expand the scope of Airbnb’s offerings. Levy described this as “a panoply of more than 10,000 vendors peddling a swath of services in 260 cities in 30 countries,” as well as a boost to the company’s experiential offerings. Among those services, Levy writes, could be things like “plumbing, cleaning, car repair, guitar lessons, and tutoring.”

Chesky mentioned Amazon Prime in his interview with The Points Guy, and that comparison invites some speculation about how a membership program would fit in with the planned expansion of Airbnb’s services. If you’re someone who travels a few times a year, paying extra for an enhanced Airbnb experience might not be that appealing.

Such a program could be a lot more appealing if Airbnb is a presence in your life whether or not you’re on the road. Of course, the company has yet to announce anything yet, but the day when it does seems to be drawing closer.