Airbnb Appoints New Leaders to Drive Hotel Expansion

Airbnb has promoted Jesse Stein, the company’s global head of real estate, to take charge of its global hotels business, a move that clearly formalizes the company’s growing commitment to the new strategy.

Alongside this promotion, Airbnb has appointed Lou Zameryka, Booking.com's vet and co-founder of Ventures Hospitality, as global head of hotel enterprise and connectivity partnerships, strengthening the company’s efforts around hotel distribution, integrations, and partner relationships.

What Stein and Zameryka will focus on next

Jesse Stein brings experience from both real estate and the hospitality sector, a combination Airbnb is now using to pull hotels closer to the center of its operations and long-term strategy. Having joined Airbnb in 2020 as global head of real estate, Stein will now hold a dual mandate, continuing to oversee real estate while also leading the hotels business.

In this expanded role, Stein will be responsible for developing and managing relationships with hotel operators, building and scaling a dedicated hotels organization, and reshaping how hotel stays are surfaced, merchandised, and booked across the Airbnb platform.

Lou Zameryka adds deep knowledge of hotel distribution and connectivity, pointing to a stronger emphasis on integrations with hotel technology providers, central reservation systems, and partner platforms. His appointment suggests Airbnb intends to invest in the infrastructure required to work with professional hotel partners.

Taken together, these leadership changes show that Airbnb aims to position hotels as a core part of its accommodation mix, rather than treating them as a supplemental option alongside vacation rentals.

Airbnb’s broader move into hotels

Airbnb is increasingly focused on expanding its presence among licensed boutique hotels, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts, property types that align more naturally with Airbnb’s brand identity than large-scale hotel groups.

By focusing on these segments, Airbnb can differentiate itself from traditional OTAs while also increasing supply in highly regulated markets, where short-term rentals face growing restrictions or simply do not meet demand.

Read our explainer on Airbnb’s hotel strategy to learn more about the company’s new business model.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash