Airbnb Hires Booking.com Alum to Oversee Commercial Strategy

Airbnb has appointed Pepijn Rijvers, a former Booking.com executive and Viator president, as its new chief business officer. Rijvers brings extensive experience in hotel partnerships, marketing, and tours and activities. His appointment aligns with Airbnb's push to expand its boutique hotel offerings across major cities.

Rijvers brings a dual background spanning accommodations and experiences. His twelve-year tenure at Booking.com included leadership of the company's hotel and short-term rental divisions, along with roughly five years as chief marketing officer. He also launched Booking.com's China operations. More recently, he served as president of Viator, Tripadvisor's tours and activities platform.

His appointment follows Airbnb's August announcement that it had added thousands of boutique hotels across 20 major cities, including New York, Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, and Singapore. Rijvers succeeds Dave Stephenson in the chief business officer role.