Booking and Airbnb Are Now in a Homesharing Dead Heat
Photo Credit: Booking Holdings said 40 percent of its active customers booking an alternative accommodation over the last 12 months. Booking.com
Skift Take
Airbnb has dominated the discussion of alternative accommodations, but it appears as though Booking Holdings' apartment-rental business may be in a dead heat with its competitor. Airbnb's perceived lead may not be as great as many observers believe.
Which is the biggest, baddest company offering alternative accommodations?
It has been hard to tell because Airbnb is a private company and its largest competitor, Booking Holdings, didn't break out its sales from vacation home and apartment rentals — until now.
Booking Holdings made a series of first-ever disclosures about its alternative accommodations business in tandem with the release of its fourth quarter and full-year 2018 earnings Wednesday. Among them, Booking reported that in the third quarter, it notched "over $1 billion" in revenue from its homesharing business, including vacation homes, apartments, and unique properties that aren't hotels.
By comparison, Airbnb disclosed in November that its own third
