Airbnb wants to be a travel agent.
People who opened the apartment-sharing company’s mobile app in San Francisco on Thursday found something new: recommendations for rentals around Lake Tahoe and other nearby getaways.
Surabhi Gupta, an Airbnb software engineer, said the feature is part of an effort by the six-year-old company to play a bigger role in “discovery” – helping people plan vacations and find new destinations. She spoke at a conference at Airbnb’s San Francisco headquarters Thursday.
Until now, Airbnb has primarily connected residents willing to rent all or part of their homes or apartments to people seeking short-term lodging.
Gupta said Airbnb hopes the new recommendation engine will learn users’ preferred destinations and accommodations, and suggest places to stay. Gupta said the feature was being rolled out in San Francisco this week, and would be extended to other cities soon.
Until now, Airbnb has based recommendations on users who looked at the same or similar properties.
The new effort comes as Airbnb faces allegations by New York’s attorney general arguing that people are using the platform to illegally rent out their apartments.
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