Booking Claims It Beats Airbnb With 5 Million Alternative Accommodations Listings
Skift Take
Booking.com may be marginally ahead of Airbnb in the listings race, but for practical purposes you can call it a draw. It's game on, though, pitting Booking.com's renowned demand aggregation and marketing resources versus Airbnb's brand advantages, and the resources it would gain by doing an IPO and becoming more comprehensive.
Booking Holdings has tallied and publicized its alternative accommodations listings for the first time, and claims its biggest brand, Booking.com, is the leader from a supply perspective with more than 5 million listings of homes, apartments, and other unique lodgings, topping Airbnb.
Thus the inventory arms race is on. An Airbnb source said the company now claims 4.85 million listings, up from the previously disclosed 4.5 million at the end of 2017, and the company expects to top 5 million listings by the end of June.
The compare and contrast game between publicly traded Booking Holdings and privately held Airbnb has been an apples to oranges contest until now because Booking had previously only released its property numbers while Airbnb cited its listings roster. But now, if both companies' numbers are to be believed, the tallies are easier to measure.
You can consider Booking.com ahead in the listings statistical race — more than 5 million for Booking versus 4.85 million
