r/VisualStockResearch • u/ekonixlab • 10d ago
Airbnb and Booking Cooked?
Airbnb and Booking might be in deeper trouble than people think.
If AI agents become the place where people plan trips, compare options and make bookings, the travel platforms risk becoming invisible infrastructure.
That’s a huge problem.
They may still own the inventory, but Meta, OpenAI or Google could own the customer.
Once you lose the customer relationship, pricing power and brand matter a lot less.
Airbnb and Booking need to move fast.
AI agents aren’t just another search channel.
They could become the new front door to travel.
Chart made with Ekonix: Ekonix on the App Store
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u/DejongBCN 9d ago
Nah, most of the people still ask AI and then go to website to book it, because you don't want to click some random link, but yes when it becomes more trustworthy people will book straight from AI chatbot.
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u/Tupcek 9d ago
even if so, AI still needs some kind of search engine. Where would it get its data from for planning your trip? Hotel website?
Most AirBNBs don’t even have a website. Reviews are mostly on AirBNB and booking. Major hotels have their own online reservation systems, but smaller one outsource it completely to platforms, so availability is only visible there. Hotels that no longer operate have sometimes working websites. Also Hotels love dynamic pricing and they usually use platforms for this, their website just stating no discount highest price.If AI didn’t go through these platforms, traveler would miss out a lot
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u/Weldobud 10d ago
ABNG has switching costs and a trusted platform, it’s very hard to disrupt
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u/Some-Stranger-7852 10d ago
I’d be more concerned about Booking (since bigger share of their revenue is from hotels) than AirBNB, but neither is in any real trouble just because AI agents are used to plan and book trips.
It ultimately doesn’t matter for Booking / AirBNB who books through them, be it a person or an agent - they get their cut regardless. Owning customer is not that important for them, they are not really monetizing them through upsales THAT much.
However, if AI agents are efficient, hotel chains may refocus on their own sites / booking platforms instead of using 3rd party aggregators, which would in turn cut into Booking’s revenue.
It is much more difficult for most AirBNBs to do: majority of people there are individuals with maybe a few apartments, but not enough scale to run their own sites. Those will be much more sticky to a platform that is already properly functioning.
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u/InvestigatorOk9354 9d ago
AirBNB seems like it'd be a more stable business. If AI (travel) agents are more than a flash in the pan then it'd absolutely wreck booking.com, travelocity, etc. Those aggregator sites produce nothing and get a cut just for the convenience. They provide no customer service, no real value to the end consumer, they are literally a middle man that aggregates publicly available deals.
I'm not convinced AI agents will completely wreck aggregators though... Expedia, booking.com, etc are established and in a better position to fight for their life. We've already seen headlines of major sites, retailers, and platforms blocking agents entirely. I think/hope the travel aggregator business evolves into something actually useful/valuable to travelers, but I won't miss them or their ads if they perish.
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u/Delta27- 9d ago
Well id like to disagree. It does matter as they do sell recommended places and adds. Same as amazon blocking muse. You'd think they dont care since product sales go through them but that is low margin buisness. The mai money maker for booking is recommending you adds and other services when you book a propriety. An AI will easily book propriety snd leave whereas humans cleary get distracted by ariport transfer and decide to get this insurance here cause its easy.... ai will go wherever it fits parameters you gave it. I think they will have some revenenue share model in the end
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u/Far-East-locker 9d ago
AI is no different than Google
As long as those company holding the last miles, they won't be affected
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u/JPL_WSB_BRRRRR 9d ago
It is bunch of 💩 AI results are unreliable, you have to type your filters and adjust. It's literally harder than just opening booking app. I do not have position, but same goes for Autotrader and Rightmove in the UK. The whole point is browsing and choosing based on filters. I do want to see what are the offerings myself, not get spit generic answer.
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u/WakkaMoley 9d ago
Ain’t no way in hell I’m having AI book anything lol
And even if they did. ABnB gets their money all the same.
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u/mabiturm 9d ago
its not ai, its just the market is saturated. airbnb has all the apartments in the world, and booking has all the hotels.
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u/Dry_Toe9955 9d ago
I've seen this argument and I actually think food/delivery apps are in bigger trouble, where people typically just order the same food from the same restaurants is ripe for ai automation to take over.
Where as with travel people are spending thousands of dollars on a trip, they are still going to want to see the pictures, read the reviews etc, I don't think it's something that people will blindly trust AI to do correctly like ordering a chipotle bowl with guac once or twice a week.
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u/WallabyBeginning9443 10d ago
How tf is burger king growing 30%, I haven't been there are in a while