Photo: AIRBNB Against the backdrop of growing discussion about regulating the short-term apartment rental industry, the rental giant Airbnb is significantly expanding its scope of business, and will now also touch the car rental and delivery industries.
This summer (2026), the company is launching a series of new services. Among the most notable innovations is a new service for renting cars directly through the Airbnb app, a move that marks the company's significant entry into another field in the world of tourism.
According to the company, nearly a quarter of Airbnb users rent a car during their vacations, and now they can do so directly in the app. The new service will allow users to see available vehicles near their accommodation, receive recommendations on the type of vehicle that is right for their group, and make the reservation without having to go to an external platform.
Additionally, customers who rent a car for the first time through Airbnb will receive 20% credit back for future use on select accommodations, experiences, or services in the app.
Airbnb says this is part of a broader move designed to turn the app into a "full travel platform," not just a site for booking apartments.
In addition to car rentals, the company also launched grocery deliveries directly to the accommodation, an airport pickup service, luggage storage options, and thousands of boutique hotels and independent hotels were added in major destinations around the world.
Photo: AIRBNBThe company is also expanding its “experiences domain” with access to attractions, including special experiences around the 2026 World Cup, alongside culinary tours, visits to famous sites and meetings with local experts.
At the same time, Airbnb is upgrading the app with artificial intelligence-based capabilities, including smart review summarization, accommodation comparison, group trip planning, and customer support via an AI assistant.