Articles tagged “listings”

Despite risks from regulation and competition, there is a huge opportunity for Airbnb to expand further around the world beyond its five core markets. It's a big world out there.

To verify 7.7 million listings, as untold numbers are constantly dropping off and new ones are added in more than 220 countries, is a daunting task. By its nature, this will be an imperfect process.

With fraud a substantial problem in online travel these days, Airbnb is undertaking the mammoth task of trying to verify listings. The process is easier for professional hosts.

Some hosts left Airbnb during the early part of the pandemic because they lost their incomes and were angry about refund policies. Airbnb's host and listing' numbers show it has turned a corner for now.

Booking.com and Airbnb are raiding each other's territories. With their different roots, Booking.com needs to grow short-term rentals in the U.S. while Airbnb seeks to expand in Europe and elsewhere internationally.

If all of these Airbnb features work as advertised, then they will benefit hosts and guests — and Airbnb.

Diluting its short-term rental business is one thing Airbnb won't need to worry about if it indeed increases its hotel offerings in New York City.

Some believe that hotels stand to gain from Airbnb's NYC woes. Properties that might see an upside include Sonders and traditional hotels using Airbnb to sell rooms, especially if Airbnb opts to lean into the proposition.

Airbnb, a household name brand that claims 90% of its platform traffic arrives without marketing, clearly has substantial advantages in international expansion over competitors.

How things change: Expedia said its sale of Egencia won't have a major impact on operations or financials, although in years' past the company touted Egencia as a rising star. In 2018, Egencia was its own Expedia reporting segment and accounted for 8 percent of gross bookings.