Hotels are Making a Comeback: $HLT $H $MAR $ABNB

ABNB maintained an edge in the last ~year thanks to a unique model naturally limiting person-to-person interaction and offering long-term stayability for remote workers.

ABNB reported an increase in long-term stays on its 21Q1 report: "24% of nights booked in Q1 were for stays of 28 nights or longer. People are not just traveling in Airbnb, they're now living on Airbnb." This figure was 14% in 2019.

While Airbnb suffered less from the shifting travel trends, LikeFolio data suggests hotels are making up for lost time.

Hyatt (H), Hilton (HLT), and Marriott (MAR) are outperforming ABNB when it comes to consumer buzz growth on a YoY basis.

In addition, Airbnb Consumer Happiness has dropped the most vs. peers: -5 points lower vs. 2019, placing it at the very bottom of the pack in overall happiness.

ABNB Happiness: 60% positive, HLT (65% positive) MAR (69% positive) H (76% positive)

Rising costs are impacting Airbnb's sentiment. Many ABNB customers have reported that added fees exceed the actual booking cost (cleaning, administrative, etc.).

Looking ahead: ABNB benefited as consumers traveled to larger homes outside of cities. As cities open back up and remote workers return to the office, will this preference change?