Hosts who take the time to dig into the earnings calls from Airbnb, Vrbo (Expedia), and Booking.com gain a real advantage. These transcripts reveal hidden signals about traveler demand, evolving guest behavior, and platform trends that can help you make smarter, more profitable decisions.
By looking at all 3 of the major OTA platforms side by side, patterns start to emerge. For hosts and property managers, it’s a chance to zoom out, validate your gut instincts with hard data, and spot shifts before they hit your bottom line.
Here are the 5 themes that stood out across the board:
1. Travelers Are Value-Conscious and Booking Later
The booking window is shrinking. Price sensitivity is rising.
- Guests, especially in the U.S., are waiting longer to commit. Shorter booking windows are the norm now across all three platforms.
- High-income travelers are still booking, particularly on Airbnb, but the average guest is hunting for value.
- Booking and Expedia both noted a shift toward non-refundable rate plans and more discounting by hosts.
2. U.S. Travel Was Weak & Global Demand Was Strong
Domestic travel in the U.S. underperformed across all platforms.
- Airbnb: North America was the slowest-growing region. Canadians booked Mexico instead of the U.S., and Europeans stayed within Europe or headed to Asia.
- Booking: U.S. room nights only grew low single digits, while the length of stay decreased .
- Expedia: Described the U.S. market as "soft" due to weaker consumer sentiment. Inbound U.S. travel was down 7%, with Canadian inbound traffic down 30%.
But global demand was a different story:
- Airbnb: Latin America led with low-20% growth, followed by mid-teens in Asia Pacific. Europe grew mid-single digits.
- Expedia: Strong international growth in APAC (30%) and Europe (mid-single digits). Their B2B segment, with higher international exposure, outperformed overall.
- Booking: High-single-digit growth in Europe and Asia; low double-digit growth in Rest of World.
3. AI Is Officially Live
Each company is rolling out AI in a major way:
- Booking: AI-powered onboarding, guest messaging, and pricing tools.
- Airbnb: 50% of customer service inquiries are being handled by AI agents.
- Expedia: AI-driven merchandising, FAQ bots, and social-media integrations for demand generation.
4. The OTA’s are expanding bundled travel tools
All three are leaning into integrated travel to drive growth:
- Airbnb: Just rolled out a fully redesigned app that merges homes, experiences, and services.
- Booking: Highlighted its “Connected Trip” model—combining flights, stays, and experiences.
- Expedia: Bundling is being used to extend length of stay and reduce cancellations; also integrating with Instagram reels and AI-based itinerary builders.
5. Inventory Quality and Platform Trust Are Critical
Each platform is tightening its standards:
- Airbnb: Removed 450,000 listings to improve platform quality.
- Booking: Emphasized raising the bar for STR’s to match hotel standards.
- Expedia: Reworked Vrbo’s supply quality controls and booking filters.
Earnings calls aren’t just for Wall Street. They’re a lens into how traveler preferences are changing and how platforms are adapting. When you connect the dots across all three OTAs, the big picture becomes clearer—and it’s easier to position your business to win in the months ahead.
This analysis originally appeared in our weekly newsletter. Want more insights like this? Subscribe below to get one email a week with curated STR news and insights.
