Airbnb adds private car pickup service in 125 cities

On Tuesday, Airbnb announced the expansion of its services feature with a new category for private car pickups across 125 cities around the world. To provide these private car services, the travel company is partnering with transportation company Welcome Pickups. The partnership allows users to book rides in cities such as Paris, Bali, and Mexico City. Once a guest books a stay in an eligible city, the option to schedule a private cab appears in the Trips tab—a specific section within the Airbnb mobile application. Users can view their reservation details and make changes directly inside the app.

This rollout follows a pilot program run this year in Europe and Asia, where thousands of guests used the service and gave it an average rating of 4.96. “Airbnb Services are designed to enhance a guest’s stay, and our partnership with Welcome Pickups delivers that from the moment they arrive,” said Dave Stephenson, chief business officer at Airbnb. The company plans to expand the car pickup service to more cities and locations throughout the year.

This expansion represents Airbnb’s broader move toward a full stack of service offerings—the company’s strategic goal to provide comprehensive services beyond just lodging. The services category originally launched last summer alongside an expansion into experiences. At that time, it offered 10 categories of services allowing users to book chefs, catering, prepared meals, photography, massages, spa treatment, personal training, hair, nails, and makeup across eight countries.

In November, the company announced a partnership with Instacart to allow guests to order groceries before and during their stay in select cities in the U.S. Beyond services, Airbnb has also been experimenting with letting users book hotel rooms. During its Q4 2025 earnings call, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said that the opportunity in hotels is massive, and it will allow the platform to become a part of a user’s trip, regardless of the specific type of stay a guest is looking for.

Why it matters

This launch signals Airbnb’s strategic pivot from a simple lodging marketplace to a full-stack travel provider, aiming to capture more of the guest’s journey beyond just the stay.