Airbnb Thinks Its Edge Over Vrbo and Booking Is Individual Hosts

Short-term rental veterans for years have said "professionalization" is key to industry expansion. But Airbnb believes that its individual hosts — and not professional property managers — is one of its biggest advantages over Vrbo and Booking.com.

Speaking at a Bernstein conference Thursday, Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Ellie Mertz said she thinks "there is a presumption that professional hosts provide better quality than individual hosts. And it's not entirely proven out by the data."

Mertz said individual hosts on Airbnb have higher ratings on average than professional hosts. She added that there is often a misundersta