What is Airbnb?

Airbnb, Inc. (originally “AirBed & Breakfast”) is an online marketplace founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk—the original idea was to host air mattresses in their own homes (according to [turn0search17]). Airbnb quickly became popular worldwide.

Today, Airbnb has:

Over 8 million listings (as of 2024)

275 million users (as of 2024)—a nearly 175% increase over the past eight years

491 million nights booked and experiences in 2024

730 million nights spent in 2023

Revenue in 2023 was $9.9 billion, net profit $4.8 billion

Radical Storage GoSummer WIRED

Airbnb is a total mess—it’s suddenly become an unexpected giant.

2. What do people use Airbnb for every day? A. Accommodation/Overnight Stays

Airbnb users use accommodations as an alternative to hotels—more affordable, independent, and with the comforts of home (included in [turn0search5]).

Users find Airbnb’s specialized listings for short-term vacations, business trips, or longer stays. The average stay per booking is 3.7–4.3 nights ([turn0search2]).

B. Unique and distinctive experiences

Airbnb has introduced a category called “Experiences”—hosted by locals, such as cooking classes, hiking, arts and culture activities, and more. 40,000+ unique experiences are available around the world, giving people a chance to experience the “local” way of life (from [turn0search1]).

C. The rise of long-term stays

Stays of 28 days or longer are becoming popular on Airbnb—especially for tired workers, travelers, and students. This type of booking has become a 17–18% share of the business, up from 13–14% previously ([turn0search2]).

D. Dealing with repeaters or babysitting

In the experience or service category—such as celebrity-linked cooking classes, photographers, personal trainers—Airbnb is now transforming from just accommodation to a lifestyle service ([turn0news12], [turn0news11], [turn0news13]).

D. Combining accommodation + experiences

The Airbnb app is now being designed so that when users book accommodation, people can find nearby experiences (experiences) based on the listing and book them from the same app ([turn0news12], [turn0news11]).

A. Social Connection and Kind Hosting

A case in point: Airbnb hosts in Montenegro—two brothers, Aleksa and Vike, who are dentists—provided free dental consultations and treatments during a friendly ride with a couple, making hosting a lot more humane ([turn0news10]).

3. Why is Airbnb so popular? A. More place-based experiences

Airbnb is competing with hotels—especially because of its local and unique experiences—like wooden houses, connecting with local life on the go ([turn0search1], [turn0search3]).

B. Economical, meaning it’s profitable for both users and hosts

In many places, Airbnb is much more affordable than hotels—for example, hotels in Austin, Texas, have had to cut prices to compete with Airbnb ([turn0search19]).

Hosts can earn an average of $6,000 a year ([turn0search1]).

C. Amazingly widespread

Airbnb is now present in 200+ countries and territories, with 100,000+ cities active ([turn0search0], [turn0search2]).

5-10 guests check in to Airbnb every second—which is shared by only one person ([turn0search3]).

D. Globalization of demand and interest

448+ million nights and experiences booked on Airbnb in 2023—a 14% increase from 2022;

Airbnb’s holdings surpass those of many hotel chains (Hilton, Wyndham) ([turn0search4], [turn0reddit18]).

E. Taxpayer incentives and social welfare connections

Airbnb is expected to generate $10+ billion in taxes for the government in 2023—$2.2 billion in the US, with Florida leading the way ([turn0search4]).

Airbnb Community Fund has been created to invest $100 million to support local communities ([turn0search4]).

F. Brand Restructuring and Evolution into a Super App

Airbnb is now transforming from a place to stay—Chef, Personal Trainer, Spa, Photography—to a lifestyle platform with services and cultural experiences. CEO Brian Chesky continues to push the idea of ‘Airbnb Everything’ ([turn0news11], [turn0news12], [turn0news13]).

Conclusion

Airbnb is not just a place to stay—it is a platform focused on happiness, human connection, and experiences, which:

provides unique, distinctive, and place-based experiences for users,

a platform for income growth for hosts,

activates the local economy,

has adapted to the latest lifestyle demands,

and the way it is expanding—services, experiences, AI-based personalization—Airbnb seems to be changing the way we think about travel.