Airbnb is testing a new feature that plans to solve one big hassle of guests staying at its properties
Airbnb has partnered with Instacart to test a new service. This new feature will allow guests at select US rental properties to order groceries through the home-sharing app, either before or during their stay. This feature aims to address one of the biggest inconveniences Airbnb hosts face: having to stock kitchens upon guests’ arrival. The new service, called “kitchen stocking,” is set to begin as a three-month pilot program on January 5, 2026. The program involves hosts receiving guests’ pre-orders and putting them away before check-in. During the pilot, Airbnb is paying participating hosts $25 for every completed order and a $100 bonus for their first order. The pilot is open to select hosts with available listings in Phoenix, Orlando and Los Angeles.
What Airbnb and Instacart said about the new service
In a statement to Bloomberg, an Instacart spokesperson said guests can place an order in the Airbnb app up to 3 weeks before their scheduled arrival. Meanwhile, in an emailed statement, an Airbnb spokesperson said that the company is “regularly testing new product updates, categories and initiatives, in order to provide the best possible experience for our community.”The new grocery-ordering feature is the latest addition to Airbnb’s Services offering. Launched in May, it allows guests to book individual hotel-style services such as home-cooked meals, massages, fitness sessions, and hair, makeup, or nail appointments. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has said Experiences and Services could add $1 billion or more in revenue each year. However, last week, he noted that it may take years before these lines become a significant part of Airbnb’s business.The integration with Airbnb is also the latest “embedded partnership” Instacart has introduced in recent weeks, as it works to grow orders and strengthen customer loyalty amid increasing competition from DoorDash and Uber.Last month, Instacart added its ordering interface to the Grubhub app. Ryan Hamburger, Instacart’s VP of commercial partnerships, said at the time that the company aims to form similar partnerships over the next six to 12 months so it can “meet customers where they already are.”For Airbnb, the new service highlights Chesky’s effort to define the company as more than a platform for vacation stays. During an earnings call last week, he told analysts that the services category is helping bring new users to the platform, including locals.He also said the company remains on track to launch at least one new business each year, adding that Airbnb may test multiple pilots simultaneously before choosing one to expand. The company recently began testing stays at boutique and independent hotels in Los Angeles, New York, and Madrid, markets where short-term rentals are falling short of customer demand.
