Summer vacations to Europe don’t have to mean sea and sand. Fresh water is equally as appealing, and the continent’s most beautiful lake regions are simply stunning year-round. Lake Como’s crystal clear water, dramatic scenery, picturesque villages, and five-star hotels — not to mention A-list celebrity visitors — have contributed to the region’s reputation for being the most romantic (and luxurious) lake in Europe. And while this is very true, Como is breathtaking, across the continent are other bodies of water that deserve attention. From the shores of Lough Corrib in Ireland, where you can stay in an ancient castle, to the limpid turquoise water of Lake Päijänne in Finland, where you can sleep overnight in a floating hotel made entirely of glass, these are the best lakes in Europe for a luxury vacation.
Airbnb’s Future: Not Just Short-Term Rentals, Not Just Travel
18.09.2024 - 23:21 / skift.com / Brian Chesky / Justin Dawes
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, said Wednesday that he hopes to eventually expand beyond just short-term rentals and even travel.
“Why would Airbnb just offer homes? Why couldn’t we offer significantly more things? And that’s the future of this company,” Chesky told Skift CEO Rafat Ali during the 2024 Skift Global Forum in New York City. “We’re going to take the Airbnb model, and we’re going to bring it to a lot of different categories.”
To get there, the company is aiming to consistently launch new lines of business.
“I anticipate, every year, we launch two to three things that could eventually generate a billion dollars a year annually in revenue.”
That doesn’t mean they’re all going be successful, he said, but now is the time to expand.
“We’re entering a new phase of the company,” Chesky said. “We left the phase of perfecting the core.”
Airbnb does product releases twice per year. The winter release, coming this October, will focus on a new business of matching hosts with property managers, he said. The summer release, coming in May 2025, will focus on expanding the Experiences business and “numerous” other things.
One of those future places for expansion will be longer term stays, Chesky said. About 17% of stays are 30 days or longer, a few percentage points over pre-pandemic levels.
“Stays of 30 to 90 days … I think that’s a huge growth opportunity for Airbnb, and I don’t think [online travel agencies] are going to do that,” Chesky said.
Expansions will start with travel, but he believes there’s potential in other areas. “Eventually we do think there’s a path here to be doing more than just travel,” he said.
Airbnb recently began accepting applications from providers of experiences after having paused the program for around a year-and-a half. The company admitted that the product wasn’t strong enough.
The company removed many experiences that did not meet its standards, and Chesky said the business has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
“What we’re focused on is the next generation of this product,” Chesky said.
Airbnb has been focused on staying local, not particularly mainstream. In Rome, there’s a Handmade pasta with grandma experience rather than the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with Basilica tour that you can book on GetYourGuide.
But there are ticketed experiences coming for some of those major attractions, like the Eiffel Tower — but with a “bit of a twist,” he said.
“I think we’re going to have a unique product. It’s going to be more local, a little more authentic than what you might consider mass tourism activities. But we are absolutely going to cater to people that want to see the iconic landmarks.”
11 Travel Tech Acquisitions in 3 Months — See the List
There have been dozens of travel tech acquisitions so far this year: That includes at least 11 deals over the past three months, which followed at least 15 earlier this year.
Tourists could be fined €750 for not following these etiquette rules in Malaga
Malaga is one of Spain’s most popular summer destinations, receiving around 14 million visitors in 2023.
What Leela's IPO Signals About the Future of Luxury Tourism in India
In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia and India Reporter Bulbul Dhawan dive into the top travel stories from India this month. They explore Leela Hotels’ move toward an IPO, South Africa’s new visa reforms, and Oyo’s acquisition of Motel 6. The discussion also covers key trends in Indian aviation and how Indian millennials are driving a surge in travel spending.
Short-Term Rental Hosts Confront Cleaning Fee Conundrum
A 2022 Airbnb policy change aimed to address a longtime complaint from critics: surprise and sometimes costly cleaning fees that aren’t included in the nightly rental rate.
I'm an Australian living in the US. I route all my flights home through Singapore just to explore Changi Airport.
As an Australian living in New Orleans, I travel home about four times a year, always seeking ways to make the long journey more enjoyable.
I live in Lithuania, supposedly the world's happiest place for Gen Z. Here's why I'm not convinced.
This as-told-to essay is based on an in-person interview with Goda Ponomariovaitė, a 22-year-old Lithuanian student living in Vilnius.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky: ‘I Never Called it Founder Mode’
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky believes that a lot of business leaders don’t understand their companies, and that’s a problem.
The State Department Just Released a New Batch of Passport Fairs Around the U.S. — Perfect for First Time International Travelers
Just as September or «National Passport Month is underway, the U.S. State Department has released additional dates for its ongoing passport fairs, making applying for a first time passport even easier. The agency published an updated schedule for September and October, which will take place in many states including California, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. For example, the Seattle Passport Agency will be open on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9am-2pm, where the office is regularly closed on weekends. Applicants should be advised that appointments are required, and can be booked on the office’s website. Other events include the Boston Passport Agency on Sept. 26, Atlanta Passport Agency on September 28, the University of Texas at Dallas on September 28, the Broward County Clerk in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on Oct. 12, and more.
What is Not Allowed in a Plane Carry-On Bag, From Magic 8 Balls to Baseball Bats
What is not allowed in a plane carry-on can sometimes be unclear for many travelers—especially in light of the recent back-and-forth on the 100ml liquid limit in the UK and EU.
Booking CEO: Competing with Airbnb, Growing Short-Term Rentals
Booking Holdings’ short-term rental business has been growing faster than Airbnb’s, and the company’s CEO plans to keep that momentum going.
Collette's Encompass Campaign: Empowering Travel Advisors for Success
Collette is ushering in a new era of business partnership with the launch of its groundbreaking Encompass Campaign.