The 2025 Meituan Accommodation Ecosystem Partner Conference was recently held in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Meituan Travel released the first AI tool for hotel merchants in China — "Meituan Ji Bai". Wang Puzhong, CEO of Meituan Core Local Business, stated that Meituan is using cross-scene integration and ecosystem collaboration to stimulate new accommodation demands and help hotel merchants tap into a larger incremental market.
Data shows that over the past year, the number of overnight stays for intercity travel increased by 14%, with a surge of nearly 87% in cross-industry overnight demand for "accommodation + dining", a 99% increase in "accommodation + entertainment", and a 36% increase in "accommodation + flights". During this year's "May Day" holiday period, the year-over-year growth rate of overnight stays for the "hotel + flash purchase" cross-industry combination exceeded 40%, while orders for nighttime craft beer flash purchases rose by 176%.
It is reported that the name "Meituan Ji Bai" comes from the phrase "mutually reclining in a boat, unaware of the dawn ahead," symbolizing "technology bringing leisure and ease," aiming to assist hotel and accommodation merchants in improving efficiency and quality. Meituan also plans to release an AI travel assistant for users in June, providing intelligent travel planning services.
Data shows that 44% of users aged under 30 account for intercity travel scenarios, with a growth rate of over 15% in "mid-to-long distance" trips covering more than 300 kilometers. In Q1 of 2025, the year-on-year growth of tourism packages such as "hotel + Hanfu/flower ornament" reached 127%. Personalized consumption and the "immediate stay and immediate purchase" model have become new trends. Among the top 20 cities with the fastest growth in intercity travelers, 80% are "niche" destinations, with consumer demand quickly spreading to hidden gem small towns. Compared to the 65.8% online penetration rate in intercity scenarios, the local travel market still holds immense potential.
As an ecological network with 770 million users and nearly ten million cooperative merchants, Meituan is shifting its focus from business growth to ecological development, driving the accommodation industry to evolve from "a fleeting visit" to a "deep travel" model involving multi-sector collaboration.
