Brian Chesky believes travel AI needs a new interface.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online Airbnb CEO’s AI Side Hustle Brian Chesky believes travel AI needs a new interface. GOOD DAY, READERS. Skift CEO Rafat Ali breaks down why Brian Chesky is backing an outside AI lab rather than building within Airbnb. He's told Wall Street Airbnb would avoid the billions in AI capex spending that so many others are making, so the lab resolves four pressures at once: it keeps his investor promise intact, provides the AI growth narrative Airbnb's stock needs, pursues the travel interface he thinks frontier labs won't build, and preemptively spares Airbnb the P&L punishment that collapsed Meta's stock in 2022.     Skift Global Forum The fight over travel's new interface won't be settled in a single founder's side bet. It's the central question of this year’s Skift Global Travel, with the CEOs of Hilton, Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Accor in the room alongside OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor to work out who actually builds it. Flash sale ends tonight. REGISTER NOW         DON’T MISS THESE STORIES Why Chesky Is Building His AI Lab Outside Airbnb By Rafat Ali The smartest read of Chesky’s AI lab is that he learned the exact lesson of Meta’s metaverse: if you’re going to make a bet the market will punish, don’t make it where the market can see it. GET THE STORY AI Isn’t Ignoring Airlines. It Just Can’t Read Their Fares. By Adriana Lee Adobe says AI referrals are sending travel sites more engaged visitors. But the next advantage may belong to brands whose pages are easiest for machines to read. GET THE STORY How Marriott’s Design Hotels Landed an Independent That Once Said No By Luke Martin This is the trade independent hotels keep making: a major hotel group’s reach in exchange for a fee and a fight to stay distinctive. Palisociety thinks the math works. GET THE STORY         How Banks Can Take the Lead In the Next Era of Loyalty ALLIANZ PARTNERS + SKIFT The most important loyalty program in travel might not be a hotel's or an airline's. It might be your credit card's. A new report explains how banks have become travel's most powerful players. GET THE REPORT         For $7 a week, Skift gives you something the industry is missing – the full picture. Subscribe today for 25% off.         MORNING HEADLINES Europe’s New Rules Leave Airlines With the Same €8 Billion Problem GET THE STORY JetBlue Pushes Deeper Into Fort Lauderdale, Shrinks in Newark and LaGuardia GET THE STORY If Only America Could Get Out of Its Own Way…. GET THE STORY Air India Goes Budget With ‘Basic’ Fare Option GET THE STORY Cruises Carry July Fourth Travel to a Slim Record GET THE STORY         SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK World Cup Opening Night STR Data Is In and the Numbers Are Wild 30% of World Cup opening night bookings came in within the last week across LA, Mexico City, and Toronto. A revenue manager's worst nightmare on the biggest stage in sports. In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, Brandreth Canaley, Michael Goldin, and Jamie Lane break down the real STR numbers from opening night including Mexico City's 180% revenue surge, an 86% ADR jump, and what it all means for operators heading into the rest of the tournament. GET THE PODCAST         SKIFT TRAVEL 200 How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here. GET TODAY’S INDEX SCORE         See more essential travel news in your search results. ADD SKIFT ON GOOGLE         Thanks for reading. We are switching to a new email platform to improve delivery. What does this mean for you? During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States Terms of Service