Airbnb was founded in 2008, and is now one of the world leaders in accommodation and tourism. The platform has become one of the main competitors of all the hosting modes known in the world.
In this article, we will talk more about this platform, first giving the key figures. We will then analyze its marketing strategy, both worldwide but also in the United States, and we will end this study with a SWOT analysis, which will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of society as well as opportunities and threats.
The key figures of the Airbnb platform
Airbnb is available in the form of a platform that connects homeowners with tourists all year round. Tourists are thus housed, the system competing with hotels or campsites. Airbnb receives a commission for each transaction carried out on the platform.
In 2025, the group ensures a global presence in more than 200 countries and 100,000 different cities around the world. Founded in 2008, the platform is one of the main leaders in the tourist and/or business accommodation sector in the world. The number of active ads amounts to 8 million, for a total of about 6,800 direct employees internationally and more than one million positions indirectly. Since the creation of the platform, more than 2 billion arrivals have been recorded. Revenue in 2024 is $11.1 billion, an increase of 12% over the previous year.
Airbnb's marketing strategy
Globally, the Airbnb platform, a specialist in short-term rentals, is under strong pressure from the competition.
These competitors are named after Booking Holdings, with more than $23 billion generated in 2024 or Expedia Group, with nearly $14 billion in 2024 as well. Even if Airbnb's turnover is smaller, the group remains a strong company in terms of quality and value.
In terms of the American market, Airbnb is the leader in its segment. Very popular with consumers, the fact remains that the restrictions at the local level, in Boston in particular or in New York, have generated a loss of 2.4 billion dollars. In small towns and rural areas, Airbnb is positioning itself as a leader because these are areas that are very little covered by traditional hotels.
Airbnb focuses its strategy on excellent customer relations, with very high satisfaction rates over the last ten years, worldwide. Users are delighted with the security checks put in place, the assurances, and the transparency that exists on the site. Airbnb is not only a platform, but also a true global community.
AI is regularly used to personalize the customer experience, and detect potential fraud. New services are emerging in relation to local activities but also a management of shared ads. The group is trying to enter more atypical properties such as floating houses, yurts or huts into its portfolio, in order to best diversify its clientele.
SWOT analysis
Forces
As we said above, the Airbnb brand has a strong reputation in the world. Thanks to the security of transactions, the diversity of offers and the personalization of the customer experience, the platform is now among the first choices for consumers who want to stay in a city.
Airbnb is present in more than 220 countries and 100,000 cities as we said above, which gives it a certain notoriety, consumers have the choice. Since 2024, the platform has been redesigned and improved, in order to make it more fluid and more transparent on the terms and conditions. Airbnb offers a very wide range of housing, from traditional apartments and houses to more atypical products.
Today, Airbnb has become an icon in the tourism sector. Its financial stability is assured, allowing it to invest more in research and innovation and strengthen its community image.
Weaknesses
Airbnb is, despite its strengths, very dependent on tourism, whether it is traditional or business tourism. Thus, its success and development will strongly depend on global crises, such as Covid 19 in particular, or any other economic or geopolitical crisis.
We talked about it above, some cities are experiencing serious restrictions, such as New York or even Paris and Barcelona, and this restriction considerably reduces supply, impacting the company's turnover.
In some cities, Airbnb is accused of being for many in the rising housing prices, as well as the fact that there are fewer and fewer free housing for traditional year-round rentals. In the face of high and higher revenue competition, Airbnb has more limited bargaining power.
Opportunities
Demand is intensifying quite regularly, due to the diversity of offers, whether for leisure or work.
Little by little, the group seeks to expand to new markets, such as Asia or Africa, because the potential appears to be very high.
In addition, the fact that Airbnb is present on social networks allows it to maintain constant interaction with Internet users and to publicize both its activities and the services associated with it.
These services are constantly diversifying, such as insurance, concierge, etc.
Ecology is taking on an increasingly important place in society's marketing strategy, with the highlighting of more responsible tourism modes, as well as partnerships with certain cities so as not to overload attendance at certain time of the year. Consumers are indeed increasingly concerned with ecological data, which gives more weight to the group.
AI is used to secure payments, but also to respond to customers. Some cities around the world offer virtual reality tours.
Threats
The main threat is competition, with groups like Booking or Expedia. There are also locally installed actors to whom customers can sometimes be more loyal. In addition, the platform is subject to a series of regulatory pressures, the offer is limited in some places. Also beware of piracy and various frauds, which seriously harm the brand image.
Finally, consumer purchasing power remains down, fewer people are going on vacation and this is a significant threat to the group.
Conclusion
Airbnb is one of the most key players in the tourism, leisure and business sector. Innovations, diversity of offers, worldwide presence, the group has a stable financial situation that allows it to develop in a relevant way. However, the challenges remain numerous, and the company must constantly innovate to cope with competitive pressure.