Airbnb and Uber Want to Own More of Your Trip: History Says It Will Be Tough

Key Points

• Airbnb, Uber, and TikTok are all attempting to expand beyond their core services to capture a larger share of travel bookings, but history shows this is difficult due to entrenched consumer habits.
• Airbnb's efforts to grow its Experiences and Services offerings have yielded limited results, with fragmented suppliers and low booking sizes making meaningful revenue growth elusive.
• Uber's ambition to become a travel superapp faces hurdles due to a lack of content and discovery features, and previous attempts by similar platforms have struggled to convert user attention into actual bookings.

Summary

Airbnb, Uber, and TikTok are all seeking to expand from their core offerings into broader travel bookings, aiming to become more comprehensive platforms for travelers. However, the article highlights the persistent challenge these companies face: consumer habits and booking behaviors are deeply entrenched, making it difficult to shift users to new services or platforms. Previous attempts by metasearch sites and social media platforms to convert user attention into travel bookings have largely failed, and both Airbnb and Uber face significant hurdles in scaling up their newer ventures beyond accommodations and rides, respectively.