Airbnb continues its strategy of expanding beyond traditional accommodations, focusing on new services and experiences that are gaining traction — even among users who have never booked through the platform before.
According to the company’s Q3 2025 results, nearly half of all Airbnb Experiences bookings were not tied to a stay on the platform. At the same time, around 10% of users who booked services had never used Airbnb before, as co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky noted during the earnings presentation.
“We believe these additions are bringing a new audience to Airbnb,” Chesky said. “Even if someone doesn’t intend to book a home, services and experiences can bring them back to the platform and eventually lead them to a stay.”
Growing local interest in “Airbnb Originals”
Although the new offerings were primarily designed for travelers, Airbnb is seeing growing interest from residents in the same cities.
“In Paris, 70% of Airbnb Originals — unique experiences offered exclusively through the platform — are booked by locals,” Chesky said. “We believe we’ve found a product that successfully appeals to people living in the same city.”
Despite the positive momentum, Chesky acknowledged that the “services” and “experiences” categories are still in their early stages:
“It will take three to five years before they become a meaningful part of our revenue, but I’m extremely optimistic.”
A cautious approach to Artificial Intelligence
The Airbnb CEO was also asked about the company’s relationship with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as Airbnb was not among the platform’s initial partners.
“We simply felt the integration wasn’t ready yet,” he explained. “We don’t want to appear as a ‘database’ behind another product.”
Chesky clarified that Airbnb remains open to future collaboration, provided that any integration would be “personalized and high-quality.”
At the same time, the company is investing internally in artificial intelligence, with “more than a dozen active AI projects” already underway, aiming to deliver a more personalized experience for both guests and hosts.
Pilot integration of hotels in restricted markets
Following September’s announcement introducing hotels as a new type of accommodation in the app, Airbnb is now piloting the model in Los Angeles, New York, and Madrid — cities where short-term rental regulations are particularly strict.
“Hotels are excited to participate,” Chesky said, emphasizing that this new segment complements the platform’s core model.
“We don’t see significant cannibalization between homes and hotels — they serve different needs and audiences. Hotels help us fill supply gaps in restricted markets.”
He also revealed that onboarding hotels has proven to be easier than adding new homes, while growth in this segment is considered more efficient and faster.
Q3 2025 Financial Results
Airbnb reported revenues of $4.1 billion, up 10% year-over-year, driven by increases in both nights booked and average daily rates.
Net income reached $1.4 billion, maintaining last year’s level with a 34% margin.
Adjusted EBITDA exceeded $2 billion — the highest in the company’s history — while sales and marketing expenses rose to $639 million, from $514 million a year earlier.
Nights and experiences booked increased by 9% year-over-year, reaching 133.6 million, while gross booking value climbed to $22.9 billion (+14%).
The new “Reserve Now, Pay Later” feature played a key role in boosting U.S. bookings and, according to Chesky, will roll out internationally in 2026.
