Airbnb testing standalone app for planning your trips

PanARMENIAN.Net - Airbnb Inc. is pressing ahead with plans to expand into new travel services including restaurant reservations and city tours, transforming the company from a single-minded home-rental service to a multipurpose trip planner. The company is testing a standalone mobile app for finding and organizing travel plans, highlighting the importance of the initiative to the company, Bloomberg reports.

A test version of the software is called Airbnb Trips, according to an Android app listing on the Google Play Store. The app offers access to personal itineraries with information about upcoming Airbnb rentals, city guidebooks, dining and happy hour events. A person familiar with the matter said the app’s name and features could change before its release.

Offering local services could help Airbnb differentiate itself from HomeAway, VRBO and other room-booking websites, Bloomberg says. Airbnb hopes to provide a more personalized touch akin to a hotel concierge—or, at least, the rack of brochures by the counter. Bloomberg reported in March that Airbnb has referred internally to the initiative, including plans to sell add-on services, as “magical trips” and that it’s one of the company’s top priorities for 2016.

Airbnb released a new version of its main app in April that added neighborhood travel guides. The San Francisco company began running a national advertising campaign this year suggesting it will help customers feel more at home while traveling. The slogan: “Don’t Go There. Live There.”