Airbnb’s Icons, group travel features haves contributed to 1.7 million new profiles since May
Airbnb Continues to Expand and Experiment
Airbnb’s Icon program, launched last May, has been making waves in the travel industry, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Since its launch, Icons has brought in 1.7 million new profiles and generated 60 million site visits and 1 billion social media impressions.
Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, has shared his vision for the future of the company, focusing on expansion into new markets and new verticals. In an earnings call, Chesky mentioned that Icons and other new features will contribute to the company’s ongoing growth.
Growing Beyond the Core Business
Airbnb is looking to expand beyond its core business, with a focus on new experiences and offerings. Chesky mentioned that Icons is just the beginning, and that the company has a lot more in store for users.
The Future of Experiences
Airbnb’s Experiences program has been reopened and is set to be reimagined in May. Chesky sees this as an opportunity to drive usage and make Airbnb a more frequent part of users’ daily lives. He believes that Experiences could make Airbnb go from an annual app to a monthly or even weekly usage app.
AI Integration
Airbnb is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence in customer service. Chesky mentioned that the company is seeing great progress in AI-powered customer service, and that it plans to roll out a chatbot to improve the customer experience.
Financial Results
Airbnb saw $3.7 billion in revenue in Q3 2024, a 10% increase compared to Q3 2023. The company also increased its marketing spend year-over-year, spending $43 million in Q3 this year compared to $33 million in 2023.