EDITOR'S COMMENT
• November is usually the time we start to gaze into our crystal balls for what we can expect in travel, hospitality and real estate over the next 12 months, and it will be fascinating to see what Airbnb unveils in its Winter Release this Wednesday. The release is all the more interesting as CEO Brian Chesky hinted in this week's earnings results that he is looking to perfect and expand beyond the company's core service, as well as make hosting more mainstream and accessible for all.
It is not exactly a fresh revelation that Airbnb is looking to diversify its service but its earnings results do paint a clearer picture when it comes to deciphering upcoming trends, as the company reported a "record travel season" for Q3 but predicted market "volatility" in Q4.
Airbnb has clearly spotted an opportunity to increase its experiences and nights booked in high-growth and high-supply markets such as Germany, Korea and Latin America, while APAC is on the recovery to pre-pandemic levels after the removal of Covid restrictions. The firm is still cautious for the next quarter, though, with macroeconomic trends and geopolitical conflicts likely to have an impact on travel demand.
So what can we expect from Airbnb's Winter Release? Almost certainly there will be something around more reliable customer service and enhanced platform verification, while anything around AI and "hyper personalisation" will inevitably drive attention too.
• Don't forget to book your no-cost virtual seat for our next webinar tomorrow at 4pm GMT as we host our first 'Rising STRz round table' for five emerging entrepreneurs in the space. I'll be joined by Jeff Iloulian [HostGPO], Derrick Barker and Brittany Mosely [Nectar], Sjeel Koster [HolidayHero] and Samella Watson [BLCK] and you can join us too by registering here.
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