Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release: What the Everything App Means for Hosts

“Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb,” said Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, at the keynote address held in Los Angeles this month as he announced the relaunch of the platform as an “everything app.”

Less than two decades ago, Airbnb disrupted the hospitality industry when it allowed anyone anywhere to rent out a place to sleep. Over two billion guest arrivals later, it’s 2025 Summer Release marks one of the most ambitious overhauls in the platform’s history. No longer just a home-sharing site, Airbnb is redefining its role in the travel ecosystem with a full-fledged pivot into what it calls an "everything app." By layering hospitality services, authentic experiences and AI-powered personalization on top of traditional stays, Airbnb is expanding its identity — from a booking platform to a travel and lifestyle ecosystem.

For Airbnb hosts, vacation rental property managers and homeowners, this evolution is both promising and disruptive. In this article, we explore the core updates and examine what they mean for guests, hosts and the short-term rental industry.

From Accommodation to Ecosystem — What’s New in Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release

The 2025 Summer Release isn’t just a feature update — it’s a reimagining of the Airbnb platform as a super app for travel, hospitality and lifestyle. Or, as Chesky puts it, “What if we could do what Amazon did, but for services?”

The relaunch taps into Airbnb’s early ambition: To become a one-stop-shop for organizing your entire trip. It also places the company firmly in Silicon Valley founders’ current race to become an everything app akin to Tencent’s WeChat.

Here’s a breakdown of the most impactful changes of Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release for guests and hosts:

1. Hospitality on demand with Airbnb Services

One of the two biggest game-changers in the release is the launch of Airbnb Services, a suite of bookable offerings that can be scheduled directly through the app, even if the user isn’t staying at an Airbnb.

Services are available across ten categories and in 260 countries, at launch, and Airbnb claims many of the services have an entry offering below $50. Service providers have also been vetted for quality, having completed identity verification, submitted relevant licenses and certifications and averaging 10 years of experience.

Service hosts have their own listing pages showcasing their qualifications, offerings and pricing and users can book and pay on the platform, as well as leave reviews after they experience the service.

This shift positions Airbnb as more than a lodging platform. It’s now a gateway to a curated, local service ecosystem, integrated with its booking workflow.

2. Airbnb Experiences gets bigger, better and social

While Airbnb Experiences has existed since November 2016, the 2025 update transforms it from a complementary add-on to a core offering.

The new Airbnb Experiences harks back to Airbnb’s belief that guests book an Airbnb in order to live like a local and offers experiences in 650 cities across the world in categories including culture, food, outdoor adventure, the arts and recharging the body & mind. Similar to Services, Experiences have been vetted for expertise, reputation and authenticity with hosts assessed across multiple areas. People can book an Experience whether they are traveling somewhere or not, positioning it as a local lifestyle platform.

The company is also introducing Airbnb Originals, a category for “extraordinary experiences hosted by the world’s most interesting people.” These are celebrity-led and professionally produced experiences, a la Netflix meets masterclass, with celebrities and renowned personalities presenting exclusive activities like spending a Sunday with Patrick Mahomes or playing beach volleyball with Olympian Carol Solberg.

And that brings us to the other biggest change: Social networking. Guest and host profiles will now show their travel history and shared connections. Later in the year, guests will also be able to see who else is going to an experience before they book and stay in touch afterwards — on the app itself.

Chesky sees the feature as harking back to when social media used to be social networking, when it was about connection rather than performing and following, and he sees the real-world experience of an Airbnb Experience as a great way to set that up.

The changes reinforce Airbnb’s push to own the full trip — beyond just where you sleep.

3. App redesign for guests and hosts

The Airbnb app itself has undergone a significant redesign to support the “everything” vision — for both guests and hosts.

New app design for guests

With the launch of Services and relaunch of Experiences, the new Airbnb app allows users to easily book everything in one place. It will also suggest complementary services and experiences based on where you are going and who you are going with.

The Trips tab will provide guests with a detailed visual itinerary of all their bookings, from check-in to check-out.

This streamlining boosts stickiness. With everything in one place, users have fewer reasons to leave the app and can even rely on recommendations to fill the gaps during travel rather than have to search Google.

App update for hosts

The revamp for hosts is mostly geared towards entrants to Services and Experiences, and those managing a single accommodation listing.

• Easier listing creation and management for hosts of Services and Experiences

• Revamped messaging that allows hosts to share photos and videos

• A new reservations management tab where hosts of stays can view upcoming reservations with details

• A redesigned Calendar that includes a daily view feature showcases an hourly schedule. The Airbnb calendar will now also sync with the Google calendar in real-time.

What Airbnb Summer Release 2025 Means for the Short-Term Rental Industry

If increased app usage is the goal (and it always is) then Airbnb’s redesign is designed to provide that, not only by bringing in new users trying to get an appointment at a spa but also existing ones who want a richer experience during their trips. Not to mention the commission fee Airbnb will earn from each new offering. This comes in the wake of Airbnb’s recent ultimatum to hosts — include all mandatory fees in the nightly rate or disappear from being seen — allowing Airbnb’s 15% commission to also apply to all fees. Optional services remain non-commissioned but that too could change in the future.

The social networking features, if they take off, would be a huge differentiator for the platform, but just how likely people are to continue to using Airbnb to communicate rather than switch to an app they already use like WhatsApp remains to be seen. How Airbnb handles guest privacy and safety concerns as social features begin to be used more will also be an important factor for continued use.

Guests booking Services like a chef or manicurist to come over to their Airbnb and perform a service may also be a legal grey area in some places. Certain short-term regulations may prohibit such third-party services being provided in a vacation rental or require some form of licensing. And since hosts of the stay are not notified of the guest’s plans to do so, many may decide to opt out of allowing Services at their rental properties altogether.

Insurance is another factor that will have to be worked out as it is unlikely for current vacation rental insurance policies to cover a host for damages or liability caused by a third-party service provider.

Expect AI to push new services to guests, through cross-recommendations across the Services and Experiences categories with social networking features helping the algorithm learn more and guess better what guests may prefer. This can also be a way for Airbnb to pre-emptively protect itself from the increasing power of AI-powered LLMs like ChatGPT being used to search, recommend and plan trips and activities.

What Airbnb Summer Release 2025 Means for Hosts

Accommodation hosts excited by the possibility of offering their own Services and Experiences and allowing guests to book the whole package directly from them will have to wait — until Airbnb allows hosts to do so from within their listings. If and when Airbnb does permit it, it would not only allow hosts who already upsell to open their offering to more than just their guests but push the creation of bundle offers combining accommodation, experience and services as a way to attract guests. For now though, hosts will have to create separate listings for each grouping and are only allowed to recommend an additional service via message or a referral link. This would leave them competing against the long list of other Service and Experience providers with a singular focus listed on the platform.

Airbnb hosts will also have to see how guests having Services being delivered at their vacation rental property works out. What if a hairstylist leaves a hot tool that burns through the linoleum or a massage therapist assaults the guest who hired them? It may be better to opt out of allowing Services from an unknown party in one’s property until insurance coverage and any legal grey zones are cleared up.

As Airbnb pushes for a richer experience for guests as a full-service platform, guest expectations are also likely to rise to expect hotel-level amenities, variety and instant fulfilment, forcing hosts to up the ante with what they offer and how they offer them.

Lastly, as Airbnb becomes more centralized and expands control over the hospitality ecosystem and the guest journey, more Airbnb property managers will realize the importance of investing in a direct booking website and/or prioritizing their direct booking offering. Building a brand and guest community outside Airbnb will only grow in importance for long-term autonomy and profitability.

Adapt and Stay Ahead

Airbnb’s 2025 Summer Release marks a bold shift towards the booking platform transforming into a fully-fledged ecosystem. For hosts, it holds the possibility of exciting opportunities like bundling Experiences and Services into their accommodation offerings. It also brings complexities — tighter platform control, higher commissions and liability risks.

To stay competitive and in control, hosts need more than just a listing — they need a strategy. Hostaway is not only an Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner but the leading all-in-one vacation rental software, helping professional hosts and property managers thrive in this changing landscape by enabling direct bookings, automating operations and integrating across booking platforms. As Airbnb evolves, Hostaway ensures you keep your flexibility, grow your brand and build a business that’s future-ready — on your terms.