Airbnb reported a 19% increase in revenue and a 21% rise in gross booking value in the third quarter of 2026, confirming the acceleration of its growth.
Two findings from the company’s results, however, offer particularly interesting insights into changes in the short-term rental market and its future strategy.
The first concerns Gen Z, which is now the fastest-growing age group among new users of the platform. The number of travellers making their first booking on Airbnb rose by 13% year on year, marking the strongest growth since early 2022. This suggests that the platform continues to attract new generations of travellers, expanding its customer base.
The second concerns Airbnb’s entry into the hotel market. According to the figures it released, approximately 35% of travellers whose first Airbnb booking is a hotel stay subsequently return to book a home. This indicates that its expansion into hotels serves both as an additional business activity and as a way to attract new customers to its core business: short-term rental homes.
Growth accelerates across all major markets
According to Airbnb’s announcement, revenue in the third quarter reached $4.9 billion, up 19% compared with the same period in 2025. Gross booking value totalled $27.7 billion, an increase of 21%, while nights and seats booked through the platform rose by 16%.
Net income amounted to $1.9 billion, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 22% to $2.5 billion.
The positive performance extended across all geographic regions in which the company operates, with nights booked recording double-digit growth. All five of Airbnb’s core markets — the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — also saw growth accelerate. In North America, nights booked increased at their fastest pace in four years.
The company attributes this performance to strong travel demand and the improvements it has made to the platform in recent years.
Thousands of hotels and new travel services
Expansion into the hotel market is a central part of Airbnb’s strategy to broaden its business. The platform now offers thousands of boutique and independent hotels in more than 60 popular destinations worldwide.
Although hotel bookings still account for a single-digit percentage of total nights booked, the company believes they help attract new users and strengthen its core business.
Airbnb is also expanding its range of travel services. New options include meal and grocery delivery, laundry services, baby equipment rentals and destination-specific services, such as ski equipment and boat rentals.
Car rentals, introduced over the summer, are also seeing growing demand and now rank among the company’s most popular services.
The partnership with American Express, announced on 22 October, forms part of the same strategy. Through this agreement, more than one million Airbnb properties will be available to eligible American Express customers through Amex Travel.
Artificial intelligence changes accommodation search
Artificial intelligence plays a significant role in Airbnb’s new strategy, with the company accelerating its integration into both the traveller experience and property management.
During the third quarter of 2026, it introduced more than 50 new products and features, almost 70% more than in the same period a year earlier.
New capabilities include searching for accommodation, experiences and services using natural language or voice commands. AI also suggests relevant search filters, generates summaries of property features and makes it easier to compare accommodation options.
For hosts, the company is introducing dynamic pricing tools, personalised recommendations to increase bookings and revenue, and the ability to create three-dimensional floor plans of their properties.
Airbnb is also developing a dedicated AI assistant to support travellers throughout the holiday planning and booking process. Its phased rollout is expected to begin in the first half of 2027.
Airbnb’s customer service assistant already operates in more than 50 languages. During the third quarter, approximately 40% of customer service issues were resolved without human intervention, compared with around 33% in the second quarter. This also helped reduce customer service costs per booking by more than 17% year on year.
Airbnb raises its full-year 2026 outlook
Airbnb’s strong third-quarter performance prompted the company to raise its outlook for the full year.
It now expects full-year revenue growth in the high teens, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 36%.
For the fourth quarter, revenue is forecast to range between $3.22 billion and $3.28 billion, representing growth of 16%–18% compared with the same quarter in 2025.
Management remains optimistic about continued growth, noting that global travel demand remains strong, despite ongoing uncertainty in some international markets.
The third-quarter results confirm that Airbnb is seeking to evolve from a short-term rental platform into a broader travel ecosystem, pursuing a greater share of the overall travel experience: from accommodation search and booking to transport and additional services at the destination.
