Airbnb adds third-party private car pickups in latest services push

Airbnb is offering private car pickups in major markets outside the United States, the latest move in an ambitious plan to offer hotel-like services in addition to lodgings.

It is partnering with UK-based airport transfer company Welcome Pickups to offer the service to guests traveling to 125 cities across Asia, Europe and Latin America, including Paris, Bali and Mexico City, according to a statement on March 31. 

After booking an Airbnb stay in an eligible city, users will see the option to schedule a private car service to their lodging in the app. Customers can also opt for a meet-and-greet at their arrival location. 

The option for guests to book airport pickups is the latest addition to Airbnb’s relatively new Services offering, which lets travellers book a la carte services such as personally cooked meals, massages, fitness training, and hair, makeup and nail appointments. 

Chief executive officer Brian Chesky has said services, combined with a companion Experiences business for booking activities, will help add US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) or more in revenue a year. But he has cautioned that it may take years before the new product lines become a material part of Airbnb’s business.

While some Airbnb hosts have had their own arrangements with Welcome Pickups, which is registered as Welcome Travel Technologies Holdings, such as offering referral links or discounted rates for guests to arrange for the service themselves, Airbnb is formalising the partnership by letting customers make or modify such bookings directly within the Airbnb app.

Guests do not pay an Airbnb fee when using the service, the company said. Welcome Pickups will manage customer support for the service.

Ride prices will be fixed and determined by Welcome Pickups based on the vehicle type needed to accommodate passengers and bags, according to Welcome Pickups chief executive and co-founder Alexandros Trimis. 

Users will receive their driver’s contact information ahead of time in case they need to get in touch for questions or requests, he added. 

Airbnb said it ran a successful pilot of the pickup service earlier in 2026 with thousands of guests across Europe and Asia booking rides, and that it plans to introduce the offering in more cities throughout the year.

This is not the first service the company has rolled out with partners in 2026: It is currently testing a kitchen-stocking service with Instacart that lets Airbnb travellers at some US rentals order groceries through the home-sharing app ahead of and during their stay. BLOOMBERG