Airbnb deepens hotel push with Booking.com veteran hire
The leadership change signals Airbnb’s growing ambition to compete more directly in the global hotel distribution market, especially among boutique and independent properties.
Airbnb has appointed Andrea D’Amico as its new VP of Hotels, replacing Jesse Stein in a broader restructuring of its hotel leadership team. D’Amico joins from WeRoad and brings nearly two decades of hotel experience from Booking.com, where he helped scale hotel partnerships across EMEA. Airbnb said the move reflects the need for deeper hotel expertise as it seeks to expand its hotel supply and strengthen global partnerships. The company also indicated that boutique and independent hotels remain the best strategic fit for Airbnb’s positioning around local, design-led, and experience-driven travel.
Key takeaways
- Experienced hotel leadership: Andrea D’Amico’s appointment brings extensive OTA and hotel supply experience to Airbnb, particularly from his long tenure at Booking.com managing hotel partnerships and regional operations.
- Stronger hotel ambitions: Airbnb executives said the company needs to improve its “supply engine” and compete more aggressively in the hotel category against long-established incumbents.
- Focus on independent hotels: CEO Brian Chesky reiterated that boutique and independent hotels align more naturally with Airbnb’s brand identity than large hotel chains.
- Distribution competition intensifies: The hire highlights how online travel platforms are increasingly competing for hotel inventory, especially among lifestyle and independent properties seeking broader digital distribution.
- Hotel leadership restructuring: Jesse Stein will now focus solely on Airbnb’s real estate initiatives, while hotel executive Ron Sandel is leaving the company as part of the reorganization.
- Design and experience remain central: Airbnb emphasized that unique design, local character, and personalized stays remain important differentiators in how the company evaluates hotel partnerships.
Source: Skift
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