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US: Airbnb shares rose by more than 13 per cent on Friday after the company released better-then-expected Q4 and full-year results, boosted by strong international travel demand.
Revenue increased 12 per cent from $2.22 billion during the same period last year. Airbnb reported net income of $461 million compared with a loss of $349 million last year.
In Q1 2025, Airbnb expects to report revenue between $2.23 billion and $2.27 billion. Adjusted profit for Q4 2024 was $765 million, up four per cent y-o-y and considerably higher than analysts’ estimates of $653.5 million.
The company reported 111 million nights and experiences booked, up 12 per cent from a year ago and above the 108.7 million expected by StreetAccount.
Airbnb now has more than five million hosts and eight million active listings around the world. Average daily rates increased one per cent from a year ago to $158 in Q4.
“Airbnb is a fundamentally stronger company today than it was several years ago,” the company said in a letter to shareholders. “We’re continuing to build on this momentum in 2025, executing a multi-year strategy to perfect the core service, accelerate growth in global markets, and launch and scale new offerings.”
The company trailed details of a new travel offering to be launched in May. It plans to invest $200 million to $250 million towards the new venture. Airbnb expects to launch one or two businesses every single year for the next five years, CEO Brian Chesky said on a post-earnings conference call.
A key Q4 trend identified in the results was a 25 per cent surge in nights booked by outbound Chinese tourists. Airbnb also saw a 30 per cent growth in nights booked for domestic travel in Latin America, led by Brazil. First-time bookers in the region grew by nearly 15 per cent.
Meanwhile, Joe Gebbia, a co-founder of Airbnb and reportedly a close friend of Elon Musk, is said to be joining the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, according to the New York Times.
Gebbia, who stepped back from his role at Airbnb in 2022 but remains on the company’s board, reportedly arrived at the Office of Personnel Management’s headquarters in Washington DC on Friday, to begin his job assisting Musk.
