EDITOR'S COMMENT
• Some intriguing nuggets appeared in Airbnb's Q4 and year-end results which were released on Friday.
The biggest takeaway is a very positive one for the company and the broader STR sector - Airbnb recorded better than expected revenue and profits. In Q4 turnover 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.
The company 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.
There were some noticeable regional trends - a 25 per cent surge in nights booked by outbound Chinese tourists, and a 30 per cent growth in nights booked for domestic travel in Latin America, led by Brazil.
Away from the earnings call, Airbnb co-founder and board member Joe Gebbia has made something of a splash by joining Elon Musk's controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team.
Gebbia, who is a close friend of Musk and a Tesla board member, reportedly arrived at the Office of Personnel Management’s headquarters in Washington DC on Friday, to begin his job assisting Musk.
In a deeply polarised American political landscape, Gebbia has nailed his colours firmly to the mast, finalising his transition from Democrat to Republican. He has previously donated to the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden but says his politics have shifted towards the Republican Party over time. Earlier this year he praised Donald Trump's nomination of anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
• You have until Wednesday 19 February [23:59 GMT] to submit your last-minute entries across for the 2025 Shortyz awards.
Once again, there are 20 awards up for grabs and you can enter as many categories as you wish and are eligible for at no cost. This year's awards feature two new categories which are already proving popular - Guest experience award and Best interior design.
Submit your entries now at our dedicated awards platform here and check out all of the categories and their criteria here.
Tickets are now on sale for the Shortyz award ceremony on April 1st in London - book your places now at this link.
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