Airbnb is outpacing hotel booking websites like Booking.com and Expedia thanks to its undeniable appeal to American millennial travelers, according to new data from ecommerce analytics firm Slice Intelligence. Last week, the firm revealed that Airbnb's revenue jumped 89 percent in July 2016 compared to the same period last year, while other booking sites experienced an average growth of just 19 percent over that same period.
According to a recent study by mobile app analytics company 7Park Data, the company has about 2.3 million worldwide listings on its home-sharing platform compared to just 3,000 in 2009. That shows a compound annual growth rate of 153 percent. U.S. bookings grew 45 percent in the first quarter of 2016 compared to 2015, and the use of the company's mobile app doubled between 2014 and 2016.
Like that little bottle of lotion in your hotel bathroom? Go ahead and take it–that’s exactly what the hotel is hoping you’ll do. The process of selecting hotel room amenities–items guests can pick up and touch–is extensive and can take months to complete. Teams are assigned to research, test and produce everything from shampoo to bedding. When guests take their toiletries home with them it’s a signal to the hotel team that they’ve done a good job picking the right products. They’re also hoping you’ll think of your hotel stay when you end up using that bottle of lotion later on.
People don’t like change. Just ask anyone who has ever redesigned a logo or website (HNN included). The immediacy of the resulting critical clamor is enough to cause whiplash. I hope the execs at peer-to-peer-travel-website-that-must-not-be-named—OK fine, it’s Airbnb—have plenty of neck braces to pass around. The site on Wednesday rolled out a new logo and online experience. The resulting tumult was palpable in the Twitterverse. First came the news: “Airbnb rolls out new website and logo.” Then came the initial reaction: “Airbnb’s new logo is … interesting.” Then folks started having some good ol’ fashioned fun: “Airbnb’s logo looks like [fill in the blank].”