Airbnb Is Building a Wallet. The Distribution Game Just Changed.

On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane break down three stories about how the STR discovery and booking funnel is being rebuilt from scratch.

The conversation opens with Airbnb's next big move: tickets and a native wallet that would let guests store credits and spend across the entire Airbnb ecosystem. The crew digs into what a more financially sticky Airbnb means for hosts who built their businesses on the platform.

From there, they get into Expedia Group's acquisition of AI trip planner Layla AI Travel Agent, which had already helped plan more than 135 million trips, and what it means for STR operators when the platform that distributes your listings now owns the AI layer that recommends where guests go. They close with Google's Q2 earnings and what AI Overviews appearing in more than 50% of travel queries means for how vacation rentals get discovered before anyone opens a booking platform.

This episode is presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠StayFi⁠⁠⁠.

If you're leaving direct bookings on the table, StayFi turns your wifi into a guest relationship engine. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stayfi.com/goodmorninghospitality/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠to learn more about their special offer of 50% off for GMH listeners!