Airbnb Tests Teaming With Google's Vacation Rental Business in the U.S.
Skift Take
Airbnb has intensified its testing of Google's vacation rentals business. Does this mean Airbnb will fall down a rabbit hole of Google dependence? Not necessarily. Romances can be so fleeting.
The decision won't impact either Airbnb or Google's business for now. But, in three to five years? It might indeed.
After tossing its listings into Google's vacation rental product in Europe and Asia about a month ago, some of Airbnb's apartment and vacation home listings in the United States are now appearing in Google as well.
So if you do a Google search for Austin, Texas or New York City vacation rentals, you'll see an Airbnb listing for a six-bedroom villa, and a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, respectively.
Airbnb declined to comment about the development.
It's unclear how much inventory Airbnb is placing into Google's vacation rental product, and the initiative is clearly a test.
Google waded into its own vacation rental advertising business on its travel pages early in 2019, and in October began giving vacation rentals hotel-like treatment in Google search.
So when you do a Google search for "NYC vacation re
