Airbnb sets its own AI travel agent for the first half of 2027 as revenue grows 19 percent

Airbnb said Thursday it will begin rolling out its own AI travel agent to guests in the first half of 2027, its most specific timeline yet. The San Francisco company set out the plan in its third-quarter shareholder letter, alongside revenue that grew 19 percent to $4.87 billion, ahead of Wall Street estimates, and a raised forecast for 2026 revenue growth in the high teens rather than the mid-teens.

Instead of a text-heavy chatbot, Airbnb says the agent draws from a library of hundreds of travel-specific interface components, including maps, photos, comparisons, calendars and itineraries, and composes them in real time. It will also help during a trip, from changing a reservation or resolving a payment issue to refunds, rebooking and 24-hour safety support, which the company says outside agents cannot easily do. Over time Airbnb expects it to cover hotels, services and experiences as well as homes.

"Travel is aspirational. Discovering where to go and where to stay is part of the experience," CEO Brian Chesky told analysts, arguing that general-purpose agents such as Muse and Instinct are better suited to simple tasks like restaurant reservations. "Airbnb is back in growth mode," he said, calling the third quarter the company's fastest revenue growth in more than three years.