Airbnb enters restaurant reservation business

[NEW YORK] Rent-a-room giant Airbnb is now in the restaurant reservation business, hoping to provide customers with a memorable meal before they drift off in their home away from home.

The travel accommodations startup that launched in 2008 has teamed up with Resy, which will be a minority shareholder in the new venture, to offer table reservations at 700 restaurants in 16 US cities.

"They make world class restaurant software, and we don't necessarily want to go in that business," Airbnb executive Joe Zadeh said.

"We don't want to put every single restaurant on our platform. We just want to put the ones that travelers should go to," he explained.

Asked about the deal's financial details, Mr Zadeh did not elaborate.

But Airbnb "is building a travel platform".

"We always want to be seen as a force for good in the community," he said, adding: "We have the opportunity to fill seats when they need business."

AFP