Is Airbnb going out of business? The Airbnbs are unoccupied. It seemed so to some hosts, even though Airbnb claimed it was most profitable in November 2022. Weeks of speculation on social media have led some people to declare that the “Airbnbust draws near.” The discussion has spread to several social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit.
Their worries are valid. Even during the holiday season, some hosts of short-term rentals are experiencing a sharp fall in occupancy rates. However, this is not due to a lack of interest in travel. A lot of Airbnbs in the United States are vacant. This is because many wealthier people and investors posted short-term rentals on the website after a pandemic-driven spike.
In this article, let us view the Airbnb business and its problems.
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How is Airbnb doing?
Airbnb (ABNB) is an online marketplace. It brings together those seeking lodging in particular areas and those seeking to rent their houses. Airbnb has completely changed the hospitality sector. Before 2008, tourists would have reserved a room at a hotel before leaving for their trip. These same people are now choosing Airbnb in large numbers.
In September 2022, there were 1.38 million short-term rental listings in the United States. According to rental analytics company AirDNA, that represents an increase of 23.2% from the previous year. This indicates that hosts are suffering the effects of a competitive market. After months of rising hotel prices, customers can also obtain better discounts.
According to Jamie Lane, vice president of research at AirDNA, “2021 was a golden year for short-term rentals in the U.S.” It was partly because of demand after lockdowns, which boosted domestic travel significantly.
The majority of analysts predicted that during the epidemic, Airbnb would suffer. Instead, the business boomed as recently liberated travelers made the most of their newfound freedom. The company reported record-breaking sales for the fourth quarter of 2021. A record $834 million is being driven by it.
This is also because more rich homeowners have bought second homes since the pandemic began. White-collar employees rushed to purchase vacation homes over the past two years. It was encouraged by then-low mortgage rates, increased savings, and the opportunity to work from anywhere.
In several second-home locations, a significant increase in short-term rental bookings was seen in 2021 due to months of unsatisfied vacation demand. The number of short-term offerings increased as a result of these occupancy peaks. It’s a result of the previous long-term.
Landlords are switching to short-term rentals in search of better profits. Institutional investors also started buying many real estates to rent out on websites like Airbnb.
Between July and September 2021, occupancy rates decreased in 31 of the top 50 most significant U.S. short-term rental housing properties. This is according to AirDNA.Some hosts on Airbnb report reduced occupancy rates. The nation’s economy is uncertain, yet Airbnb has had a prosperous year.
According to Lane, demand is still growing each month, which is reflected in Airbnb’s rentals and earnings. Although hosts in some cities are seeing a downturn following a pandemic-driven boom, overall demand is still relatively high. Hence, the “Airbnb crisis” has not yet happened.
Even though there are many more options, people prefer to book Airbnbs. This has caused occupancy rates in some markets to decline, which has put some hosts under pressure.
Airbnb bankruptcies
According to the most recent financial report, there is a 24.0% chance that Airbnb Inc. may go bankrupt. This is much greater than the consumer discretionary industry and 42.01% less than the hotel, restaurant, and entertainment businesses.
In 2022, the market for hosts had become oversupplied with Airbnb rentals. Although rental rates grew by less than a percentage point from a year earlier, the number of available U.S. listings on Airbnb improved by 29 percent compared to September 2021.
What will be the future of Airbnb?
Unlike a hotel company, Airbnb’s portfolio can rapidly change in response to shifting demand. That occurred in 2020, and it is happening once more. Much of the world is experiencing a crisis related to the expense of living. Airbnb said single-family listings increased by 31% in the third quarter. It’s a result of people using Airbnb to make extra money worldwide.
That demonstrates how the home-sharing platform can adjust to variations in demand based on price, location, and other factors. Additionally, the increase in single-room listings might offer more fairly priced options for travelers. It’s for travelers on a limited budget in a crisis.
Additionally, the business needs to invest more in capital projects. The benefits of its platform business model are being proven. Its capital expenditures for the first three quarters of 2022 totaled just $16.6 million. However, it generated an operating cash flow of close to $3 billion, leaving it with a free cash flow of $2.95 billion.
That gives the business a free cash flow margin of more than 40% during the year’s first three quarters. This is off a base of $6.5 billion in revenue. The result shows the company’s capacity to turn income into cash despite the fourth quarter being it’s seasonally weakest for cash creation.
The home-sharing leader is distinct from most of its tech and growth stock competitors. Even if Airbnb’s stock has declined significantly this year, along with the rest of the IT sector,
After revenues soared this year, the stock trades at just 40 times earnings. This looks like an incredible bargain for a business that is expanding quickly. It also has an enormous potential market that it expects to be worth more than $1 trillion.
After a strong year in 2022, Airbnb’s growth rate will likely slow down in 2023. But the business is in an excellent position to increase its market share and profit margins that year. Investors should purchase this broad-based travel disruptor now. Because the stock is currently discounted.
At this time, there are no layoffs at the company. It is actually recruiting. However, that is due mainly to the company losing 25% of its workforce at the beginning of the pandemic as the tourism industry was destroyed and more workers via retention later.
To position itself at the center of that change, Airbnb is pushing extra hard. The 13-year-old business is increasing its dedication to allowing its own staff to work from any location by default. On the premise that remote work will continue to affect travel in the months and years to come, it is also adjusting its plan.
Conclusion
According to Lane, customers will likely continue to enjoy travel despite the current economic climate. He said, “Even if we enter a minor downturn, we don’t expect travel demand to fall in 2023.”
His team predicts that customers will spend less on “goods” like furniture and cars while still increasing their spending on “experiences.” However, Lane notes that because this demand is distributed among an increasing number of rentals, hosts must exercise caution to safeguard their companies.
