Airbnb's CEO says he wants to make the app the Amazon of travel.

[Michael Calvey]

Airbnb just dropped their Q4 numbers, and something caught my eye that hosts need to pay attention to: while they're raking in $2.5B in revenue (up 12%), they're dumping massive resources into platform "improvements" - 535 of them to be exact.

As someone who follows the hosting space closely, here's what's interesting: they're clearly betting big on AI and tech upgrades, but what does this mean for hosts' bottom lines? Are these changes going to help you get more bookings, or are they just making the platform more complex?

Veteran hosts - have you noticed any impact from these updates on your booking rates or revenue? And for those thinking about jumping into hosting in 2025, with Airbnb's stock jumping 14% pre-market, is this the signal you've been waiting for, or does all this platform tinkering make you nervous?

The growth numbers are impressive, but I'm more interested in hearing from the people actually powering this platform. How are these changes playing out in your day-to-day hosting operations? 🏠

P.S. If you want more insights in the STR Market make sure to get our newsletter to stay up to date: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcasts/short-term-rental

[Bruce Woodruff]

I would be more excited with my profit going up by 12% than theirs. They have proven to be a 'host nonfriendly' site to me. I don't believe they give a hoot about their hosts...