Airbnb Wants to Be the Amazon of Services: How to Build One

Last Updated on August 6, 2026

Brian Chesky didn’t call it a “pivot.” He called it inevitable.

During a recent CNBC interview, Airbnb’s CEO said the company could eventually support “dozens, possibly even hundreds of categories,” describing his vision of building “an Amazon for services” focused on traveling and living.

This isn’t just a future ambition. Airbnb has already expanded beyond home rentals by introducing independent hotels, car rentals, grocery delivery, and luggage storage. The company is backing this strategy with a $200–250 million investment in new products and services, signaling that its next phase of growth is already underway.

If you’re building a rental marketplace, booking platform, or any vertical marketplace, this strategy is worth paying attention to. The opportunity isn’t to compete with Airbnb’s scale. It’s to understand the playbook behind its expansion and apply the same principles to your own niche. By starting with one strong category and gradually adding complementary services, founders can create platforms that drive higher customer engagement, stronger retention, and multiple revenue streams.

Amazon’s Playbook, Applied to Travel

Brian Chesky has often pointed to Amazon as an example of long-term marketplace growth.

Amazon didn’t become the world’s largest online retailer overnight. It started with books, expanded into related product categories, and gradually became a platform where customers could buy almost anything. Airbnb is following a similar path.

Its core business is still home rentals, but instead of stopping there, the company is expanding into services that travelers already need. Independent hotels, transportation, grocery delivery, and luggage storage aren’t random additions. They’re logical extensions of the customer journey.

Amazon	Airbnb
Started with books	Started with home stays
Expanded into adjacent product categories	Expanded into adjacent service categories
Became a one-stop shopping destination	Becoming a one-stop travel platform
Built an ecosystem around customer needs	Building an ecosystem around travel and living

The strategy behind both companies is remarkably similar.

Start with one core offering. Build trust. Then expand into adjacent categories that solve additional customer needs.

Rather than asking users to switch between multiple apps, every new service gives them another reason to stay within the same platform.

For founders, that’s the biggest lesson. Marketplace growth isn’t always about acquiring more users. It’s often about creating more value for the users you already have.

Why This Strategy Matters for Founders

Most founders launch a marketplace with one clear objective: connect buyers and sellers around a specific product or service. The challenge comes after that first transaction.

If customers leave your platform to book transportation, hire equipment, schedule services, or purchase related products somewhere else, you’re missing valuable opportunities to increase revenue and strengthen customer relationships.

That’s exactly the problem Airbnb is trying to solve. Instead of becoming the best place to book accommodations, it wants to become the platform travelers rely on throughout their entire journey.

The same strategy can work for niche marketplaces. Imagine you’re building a vacation rental platform. A guest books a property through your website. They still need airport transportation, grocery delivery, luggage storage, and local experiences. If each of those services is booked through another app, both the revenue and customer engagement leave your platform.

Now imagine those services are available in one place. Instead of completing a single transaction, your marketplace becomes part of the customer’s entire experience.

This approach creates several advantages.

• Higher customer lifetime value because users spend more through one platform.
• More repeat visits since customers have multiple reasons to return.
• Additional revenue streams beyond booking commissions.
• Stronger customer loyalty through a seamless experience.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is trust.

When customers already trust your payment system, reviews, and booking process, they’re far more likely to use another service offered on the same platform. You don’t have to rebuild credibility every time you introduce a new category. This is why expanding into adjacent services often costs less than acquiring entirely new customers.

Where This Model Works Best

The beauty of Airbnb’s strategy is that it isn’t limited to travel. Almost every rental or booking marketplace has opportunities to expand into complementary services.

Core Marketplace	Adjacent Service	Why It Works
Equipment rentals	Delivery & installation	Adds convenience and increases order value.
Boat rentals	Captain or crew booking	Many customers need both the asset and an operator.
Event venues	Catering, photography & AV services	Event organizers typically book these together.
Co-living spaces	Cleaning & utility services	Creates recurring revenue from long-term residents.
Vacation rentals	Airport transfers, grocery delivery & local experiences	Extends the customer journey beyond the stay.
Vehicle rentals	Insurance, roadside assistance & chauffeur services	Improves the booking experience while creating new revenue opportunities.

Notice the pattern. None of these services require founders to reinvent their business model. They’re simply extending the customer journey by solving problems users already have.

That’s the same principle Airbnb is applying today. Rather than creating entirely new markets, it’s bringing existing services into one trusted ecosystem.

How This Business Model Makes Money

One of the biggest advantages of adding complementary services is that it creates multiple revenue opportunities from the same customer.

Most rental marketplaces start with a commission on every booking. As the platform grows, additional monetization options become available.

Revenue Stream	How It Works
Booking Commissions	Earn a percentage from every successful booking.
Platform Fees	Charge customers or providers for using the platform.
Featured Listings	Let providers pay for better visibility in search results.
Subscription Plans	Offer premium memberships or advanced business tools.
Insurance & Protection	Generate revenue through optional booking protection plans.
Partner Services	Earn from complementary services such as transportation, local experiences, or delivery.

Adding adjacent services also increases customer lifetime value. For example, someone booking a vacation home may also reserve airport transportation, purchase travel insurance, or book local experiences through the same platform. Instead of earning revenue from one transaction, you generate income from several related services while giving customers a more convenient experience. That creates a stronger business model without relying solely on acquiring new users.

Should You Build from Scratch or Launch Faster?

Building a marketplace from scratch gives you complete flexibility, but it also requires more time, budget, and technical expertise.

If speed is your priority, launching with a proven marketplace solution can help you validate your idea faster and improve the platform using real customer feedback.

Build from Scratch if You:

• Need highly customized workflows.
• Have the budget and technical team for custom development.
• Want full control over every feature.

Start with a Marketplace Solution if You:

• Want to launch quickly.
• Need core marketplace features from day one.
• Want to validate your business before investing heavily.

The right choice depends on your goals. If your marketplace has unique requirements, custom development may be the better option. If your focus is getting to market quickly, a prebuilt marketplace solution can save months of development time.

At OyeLabs, we help founders launch rental and booking marketplaces with essential features like booking management, payments, provider onboarding, reviews, and admin controls, so they can focus on growing their business instead of building marketplace infrastructure from scratch.

Conclusion

Airbnb’s vision of becoming the “Amazon of Services” reflects a much larger shift in the marketplace economy.

The most successful platforms of the next decade won’t simply connect buyers and sellers. They’ll build ecosystems that solve multiple customer needs through one trusted experience.

For founders, the takeaway is clear. You don’t need to build a marketplace with dozens of categories from day one. Start with one niche, create an outstanding user experience, and earn your customers’ trust. Once your marketplace gains traction, expand into services that naturally complement your core offering. That’s the strategy Airbnb is following today. It’s also a practical roadmap for founders building the next generation of rental and booking platforms.

FAQs

1. Can a small marketplace compete with Airbnb?

Yes. A niche marketplace can compete by solving one problem exceptionally well, building trust, and gradually adding complementary services instead of matching Airbnb’s full ecosystem.

2. How much does it cost to build a marketplace platform?

A basic marketplace typically costs under $5,000 using a prebuilt solution. Fully custom platforms with advanced workflows usually require a much larger budget.

3. What services should founders add after launching a marketplace?

Add services customers naturally need after the first booking, such as delivery, insurance, installation, transportation, or local experiences, to increase revenue and retention.

4. How do marketplaces keep customers returning?

Marketplaces improve retention by offering multiple related services, seamless payments, trusted reviews, personalized recommendations, and a convenient end-to-end customer experience.

5. What are the biggest mistakes when expanding a marketplace?

Launching too many unrelated categories, ignoring customer demand, poor service quality, and weak provider management often reduce trust and slow marketplace growth.