Dive Brief:
- Airbnb has signed an agreement with boutique hotel management and development company Lark Hotels to offer more than 75 Lark properties on the short-term rental platform, Lou Zameryka, global head of hotel enterprise and connectivity partnerships at Airbnb, announced on LinkedIn Tuesday.
- Lark’s portfolio includes design-forward boutique hotels across U.S. leisure destinations including Stowe, Vermont; Asheville, North Carolina; Kennebunkport, Maine; Nantucket, Massachusetts; and the Hamptons in New York.
- The agreement builds on Airbnb’s strategy to scale its boutique and independent hotel offerings to meet shifting traveler demand, Zameryka told Hotel Dive.
Dive Insight:
The partnership represents “a strong step forward in our mission to help guests discover properties with soul, personality, and a real sense of place,” Zameryka wrote on LinkedIn.
Zameryka confirmed to Hotel Dive that the partnership includes the entirety of Lark’s portfolio, which spans AWOL Stowe, Blind Tiger Asheville, the Kennebunkport Captains Collection and dozens more hotels. In late 2024, Lark formed a joint venture with hotel brand and operator Life House, creating a combined lifestyle portfolio of roughly 100 hotels.
“Lark has built a reputation for thoughtfully designed properties that break the mold and reflect the character of their locations,” Zameryka wrote. “That's exactly the kind of unique, hospitality-driven experience we're focused on as we grow our Hotels business.”
Airbnb is scaling its hotel offerings to provide both existing and new customers, who have a variety of needs and travel purposes, more accommodation options, Zameryka said. The move comes as more travelers seek “the character, the sense of place and genuine hospitality” that boutique and independent hotels can provide, he added.
Airbnb is focused on adding “distinctive” hotels with a “localized look and feel” that are operated with “a great level of hospitality,” Zameryka said, noting the company is open to additional hotel brand partnerships that align with this strategy. Airbnb announced in May that it plans to bring thousands of boutique and independent hotels to the platform this summer.
On the hotel side, partnering with Airbnb can unlock visibility and distribution benefits, Zameryka said. Rob Blood, founder of Lark Hotels, wrote in a separate Tuesday LinkedIn post that the new partnership “gives our owners something rare: a diverse channel mix and direct access to guests who already love what we do.”
