Airbnb seems to be recovering post pandemic
Airbnb seems to be recovering post pandemic

Airbnb seems to be recovering post pandemic

Airbnb reported $55 million in net income, its first Q4 profit.
RE+D magazine
17.02.2022

More people are booking longer-term rental stays because of flexible working arrangements as a result of the pandemic, says Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.

He said Airbnb’s average daily rate has been increasing because people are shifting away from booking cheaper one- or two-bedroom homes.

Instead, more are now opting for larger homes in more expensive markets such as North America or Europe because they are travelling with their families.

Airbnb beat Wall Street estimates on earnings and revenue in its fourth quarter according to the results unveiled.

It is expected that first-quarter 2022 nights and experiences booked to significantly exceed Q1 2019 levels. It estimates revenue to fall between $1.41 billion and $1.48 billion in the first quarter of 2022, topping analyst estimates of $1.24 billion.

Meanwhile, the firm reported 73.4 million nights and experiences booked in the fourth quarter, down nearly 8% from the prior quarter and missing estimates. Analysts were expecting 74.96 million nights and experiences for the quarter, according to StreetAccount. Still, the figure is up 59% year-over-year, when the Covid-19 pandemic weighed heavily on the travel industry.

Airbnb said average trip length during the past two years increased by about 15%, with stays of more than seven days now representing nearly half of all gross nights booked. Meantime, long-term stays of 28 nights or more continued to be its fastest-growing category by trip length. Those extended stays accounted for 22% of gross nights booked in the fourth quarter, up 16% from Q4 2019.

According to CNBC, revenue for the fourth quarter came in at $1.5 billion, up 78% year over year. Airbnb reported $55 million in net income, its first Q4 profit. It’s a decrease from the prior quarter but a huge improvement from the $3.89 billion net loss it posted in Q4 2020.