Airbnb tops revenue estimates, but Middle East cancellations rise due to Iran war
Airbnb topped Wall Street’s first-quarter revenue estimates but fell short of earnings expectations.
The travel enterprise mentioned it experienced “slightly elevated” cancellations across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions due to the Iran war.
Airbnb lifted its full-year revenue growth guidance and noted it plans to host its most guests on record for an event during this summer’s FIFA Globe Cup.
Airbnb reported mixed first-quarter results after the bell on Thursday and warned of regional weakness spurred by the war in Iran.
Here’s how the enterprise did versus the LSEG estimates:
Revenue: $2.68 billion vs. $2.62 billion expected
Revenue grew 18% during the quarter from $2.27 billion last year. Net income increased to $160 million, or 26 cents per share, from $154 million, or 24 cents per share, last year.
For the current quarter, Airbnb issued an upbeat forecast, calling for revenue between $3.54 billion and $3.60 billion. Analysts expected $3.46 billion in revenue. The firm lifted revenue guidance for the year to “low to mid teens” growth from a 12% forecast.
Like many travel and airline companies, Airbnb is feeling the pressure from the Iran war, which has spiked oil prices, cancelled flights, and fueled widespread regional uncertainty.
The organization expects a 100-basis-point headwind to nights and seats booked in the second quarter, and a deceleration relative to the first quarter, due to the war.
“We remain optimistic about our continued momentum, even as we face tougher comparisons in the back half of this year against the rollout of Reserve Now, Pay Later in 2025 and current headwinds from the Middle East conflict,” the corporation wrote in a letter to shareholders.
During the quarter, Airbnb remarked the Middle East conflict contributed to “slightly elevated” cancellations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. the homestay platform stated it’s seeing a “similar dynamic” to last year’s tariff threats, which led to “softness” between some North American regions but an uptick in travel elsewhere. This also touches on aspects of earnings report.
“We have millions of homes, everywhere in the planet, at every price point, and that’s something most travel companies can’t replicate,” Airbnb wrote. “It’s a core reason we’re able to deliver consistent results, even in challenging environments.” Furthermore, experts in portfolio note the continued relevance.
Gross booking value, which tracks host earnings, service fees, cleaning fees and taxes, increased , on the other hand19% to $29.2 billion, topping a $27.82 billion estimate from analysts.
Nights and seats booked grew 9% to 156.2 million, surpassing LSEG’s 155.77 million estimate. Airbnb also reported its highest first-time booker growth since 2022, spurred by recent expansion markets such as Brazil, Japan and India.
Airbnb is also gearing up for a busy summer season, with the upcoming FIFA International community Cup slated for 16 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.
The enterprise stated it plans to host the most guests it has ever hosted for an event and that over 100,000 properties have joined the platform since outreach began in October. In February, Airbnb launched a $750 incentive program for recent hosts to meet demand for the tournament.
Airbnb remarked the Milano Cortina Olympics and Paralympic Games earlier this year lured about 200,000 guests, and supply in the host industry rose by nearly a third.In adjusted EBITDA,
Airbnb reported $519 million, which surpassed a $485 million estimate from LSEG.