Airbnb Reports Most Profitable Q2 Ever and Validates AirDNA’s Data Accuracy

The numbers are officially in, and Airbnb reported record profitability during the second quarter of 2022, with an all-time quarterly high of 103.7 million nights booked.

In terms of growth, quarterly nights booked were up 25% year over year and 24% versus the same pre-pandemic period in 2019.

This is another sign that, despite economic uncertainty in the United States and abroad, demand remains strong for short-term rentals (STRs). (We thoroughly explored this topic in our recent Market Reviews for the U.S. and Europe.)

Another highlight: AirDNA’s own estimates were closely aligned with Airbnb’s final earnings—within 2% of actual performance for three consecutive quarters—and an updated historical analysis shows that we exceeded our slim margin-of-error average for the quarter.

Below, we highlight more key learnings and comparisons from the quarter.

Booking resiliency was the theme of Q2 2022

“The second quarter of 2022 demonstrates we have achieved growth and profitability at scale,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in the report. “Over the last year, we generated $2.9 billion in free cash flow, and our Q2 revenue is up more than 70 percent since Q2-2019. Our strength this quarter is the result of our ability to stay focused and disciplined while continuing to relentlessly innovate.”

• Airbnb reported 2.1 billion in quarterly revenue, compared to AirDNA’s estimate of 2.14 billion. Revenue was 73% higher than in 2019 but down slightly from Q1 2022 (80% growth versus 2019).
  
• Average daily rates (ADRs) grew 1.7% year over year to $164 and were driven primarily by price appreciation. (They also grew 40% compared to the same period in 2019.) This gain helped push gross booking value to $17 billion in Q2 2022. Rate growth relative to 2021 was expected to be flat as urban destinations and lower ADR markets have rebounded. AirDNA showed ADRs 2% above Q2 2021 and 39.4% higher than Q2 2019. 
  
• Airbnb reported that guests booked earlier in Q2 2022 as compared to Q2 2021, which is in line with our findings on guest booking behavior. The global lead time for reservations was an average of 56 days prior to check-in versus 40 days prior in Q1 2021.
  
• Tough comparisons led to declining year-over-year growth rates in 2022, as AirDNA reported throughout Q2 2022. However, in July, growth rates began to re-accelerate as we enter peak travel season.
  
• Steady demand caused the number of active listings for non-urban destinations to grow by nearly 50% versus Q2 2019. Meanwhile, total active listings grew 23% versus 2019. (This compares to a 26% increase reported by AirDNA. We show active listings reached 6.2 million in Q2 2022.)
  
• Large cities and urban markets in the U.S. continued to lag relative to 2019 (-4%), although an uptick in gross nights booked YOY has fueled a surge in urban occupancy. Urban markets saw listing growth climb to 18% in Q2 2021 YOY, but this was the slowest growth rate among all U.S. market types. 
  
• Airbnb reported that nights booked in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) were again above pre-pandemic levels (up by 11% compared to Q1 2022 and 26% compared to Q2 2019). AirDNA observed the same incremental growth and has seen demand exceed 2019 levels, as noted in our latest European Market Review.

Nights booked in Q2 2022

Airbnb report: $103.7 million

AirDNA estimate: $107.8 million (3.9% difference)

Wall Street estimate: $106.4 million (2.6% difference)

Gross booking value in Q2 2022

Airbnb report: $17 billion

AirDNA estimate: $17.2 billion (-1% difference)

Wall Street estimate: $17.1 billion (0.7% difference)

Total revenue in Q2 2022

Airbnb report: $2.10 billion

AirDNA estimate: $2.14 billion (+1.9% difference)

Wall Street estimate: $2.10 billion (0% difference)