Airbnb Invests $13M In Restaurant Reservations App Resy To Help People Find ‘Incredible Local Restaurants’

Starting next month, Airbnb patrons will be able to book tables in restaurants via the company’s app. This is thanks to the firm’s investment in restaurant reservations app Resy.

On Monday, both Airbnb and Resy revealed details about the investment that would benefit the two of them. On one hand, Airbnb will be able to provide an extra service to its growing number of clients. On the other, Resy is getting a big boost that would allow it to rival OpenTable.

“Helping people find and book incredible local restaurants is a key part of us moving beyond just accommodation to focus on the whole trip,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said after it was revealed that the company has invested $13 million in Resy, as first reported by TechCrunch.

Resy is also getting investments from other companies, but the biggest comes from the online travel service firm. In return, Resy will be integrated into Airbnb’s app, so that users can book restaurant tables while planning their stay during vacations. The integration will be felt this February.

Other companies that are funding Airbnb include First Data, Lerer Hippeau, Slow Ventures, Ashton Kutcher’s A-Grade and Gary Vaynerchuk’s RSE Ventures. Speaking of the investment, Vaynerchuk said, “OpenTable was ripe for disruption. [Now Resy is] growing up and exploding.”

Comparing Resy with OpenTable, CEO Ben Leventhal said his service is very different because “pricing is all feature based and we don’t charge restaurants per cover. Every feature we ship is built in close consultation with the restaurants we work with.”

The restaurant reservations app has raised $2 million since its launch in 2014. Thus far, Resy has partnered with over 1,000 restaurants in 50 markets — quite a small number when compared to OpenTable’s 40,000 partners. However, Eater reports that the infusion of cash from investors will now help Resy expand its reach to more restaurants. Leventhal is already eyeing 20 additional markets this year.