Hopper does it. Why not Airbnb? The home-sharing site is trying out a new feature in a dozen countries that enables guests to pay Airbnb a fee at the time of booking for the right to cancel the reservation more than 24 hours ahead for any reason.

Hopper has made a ton of money offering these sorts of fintech features. So much that it at times rivaled how much it was earning from the actual travel.

This could be a big new revenue stream for Airbnb. It’s surprising more OTAs aren’t doing it.

AI Is Eroding the OTA’s First-Click Advantage — Here’s How Hotels Can Win It Back

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New research finds many hotels are investing in AI, but few have built the foundations needed to stay visible as traveler discovery shifts to AI-powered search.

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EDITOR’S PICKS

Experience Pure Plays Are Winning, OTAs Are Still Catching Up

June 24, 2026

Every major OTA — and even most hotels — say experiences are core to their strategies. But 30 years after the first experiences middlemen appeared, it is still a very tough business with the specialists having an edge.

Amadeus Has an Answer for AI’s Infinite Search Problem

June 23, 2026

If airlines can't be seen by the machines, someone has to translate for them. Amadeus would very much like to be that someone.

Grab Says Its Travel Strategy Isn’t About Hotels or Flights, It’s About Knowing What You’ll Need Next

June 19, 2026

Grab says it isn't competing with the region’s travel platforms. But what it is building may be more disruptive than direct competition.

Airbnb Moves Into Fintech With a Cancel-for-Any-Reason Feature

June 18, 2026

Airbnb is selling peace of mind to guests, giving assurances to hosts, and potentially debuting a new fintech revenue stream that’s been so successful for Hopper. The issue is whether this will further alienate hosts, who deal with the logistical hassles of last-minute cancellations.

Why Chesky Is Building His AI Lab Outside Airbnb

June 17, 2026

The smartest read of Chesky’s AI lab is that he learned the exact lesson of Meta’s metaverse: if you’re going to make a bet the market will punish, don’t make it where the market can see it.

Why Amex Spent $700 Million on TheFork and What’s Next for Tripadvisor

June 16, 2026

Tripadvisor now has almost all its focus on experiences and may not see the need to sell Viator — a disappointment for some investors.

Amadeus’ New AI Tools Are Part of a Bigger Hotel Booking Plan — Exclusive

June 16, 2026

Amadeus will publicly introduce two hotel AI tools at HITEC, but its bigger play is infrastructure. As AI agents move closer to travel booking, the GDS wants to help define how hotels are found, priced, changed, and paid for.

Tripadvisor To Sell TheFork for $700 Million to Fuel Its Bet on Experiences

June 15, 2026

The sale gives Tripadvisor the cash to chase the $1 trillion experiences market through Viator.

Vrbo Is Launching Sponsored Listings — with Expedia.com Placements to Come

June 10, 2026

Vrbo and Expedia are seizing an obvious opportunity in vacation rental sponsored listings. Airbnb will get there eventually too.

Skyscanner CEO on Agentic Booking and the Future of Flight Metasearch

June 8, 2026

Given Skyscanner's leading global footprint in flights, it isn't hard to envision an LLM extracting it from Trip.com Group to accelerate building a travel vertical.

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Hotels spent the last decade trying to convince travelers to book directly.

Hilton's "Stop Clicking Around" campaign became one of the most recognizable direct-booking efforts in travel history, helping launch an industry-wide push to reduce dependence on online travel agencies. But ten years later, OTA market share has barely moved.

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How are public travel tech companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.

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Airbnb's New Revenue Stream