Yahoo: Airbnb to expand its offerings and include luxury listings

Stock image by Stephen Leonardi

Feb. 16, 2017

Airbnb is going upscale. The short-term vacation rental site which has long positioned itself as the budget-friendly alternative to hotels is expanding its offerings to include luxury retreats that come with concierge services.

The news comes following the company's acquisition of Montreal-based vacation rental company Luxury Retreats, which lists 4,000 homes in 100 destinations around the world. 

Listings are upscale properties that may include a villa in Tuscany or a seaside retreat in the Turks and Caicos. 

While Airbnb's existing database includes everything from treehouse lodgings to boats and castles, the acquisition is meant to expand Airbnb's clientele from budget-conscious tourists to wealthier globetrotters for whom money is seldom an object.

Read more at https://www.yahoo.com/news/airbnb-expand-offerings-luxury-listings-163434242.html