Airbnb Jumps 10% on Fastest Revenue Growth in Over Three Years and Raised Outlook; Booking Holdings and Expedia Fall 2%

Fresh momentum is carrying Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB | ABNB Price Prediction) past its online travel rivals after a quarter of reaccelerating growth. Airbnb stock is at $186.67, up 10% in morning trading. That jump builds on a 38% gain year to date.

Q3 2026 results landed after the close on November 5, with Airbnb posting its fastest revenue growth in more than three years. Both of Airbnb’s largest online travel rivals are slipping after guiding to a slower fourth quarter.

Airbnb Tops Estimates as Revenue Growth Accelerates

Diluted earnings per share (EPS) at Airbnb came in at $3.16, ahead of the $2.85 that analysts cited by InvestorsHub had expected. Airbnb’s revenue of $4.87 billion exceeded the $4.75 billion consensus from analysts cited by InvestorsHub. The company’s revenue grew 19% year over year, up from 10% in the year-ago quarter.

Gross booking value at Airbnb climbed 21% to $27.7 billion, while nights and seats booked rose 16% to 155 million and the average daily rate increased 4% to $179. Net income at the company jumped 38% to $1.89 billion. The gain was helped by a lower tax provision against a year-ago quarter that carried a $213 million valuation allowance. Without that benefit, operating income still rose 24.4% to $2.02 billion.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) at Airbnb grew 22% to $2.51 billion. That lifted the company’s adjusted EBITDA margin to 52% from 50%.

Demand Signals Show Airbnb Gaining Ground

Airbnb’s North America nights booked grew at their fastest pace in four years. Growth accelerated across all five core markets: the U.S., France, the U.K., Canada and Australia.

First-time bookers on the platform increased 13%, the fastest rate since early 2022. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky declared that “Airbnb is back in growth mode.”

Airbnb Raises Its Outlook and Steps Up Buybacks

For Q4 2026, Airbnb guided its revenue to $3.22 billion to $3.28 billion, indicating growth of 16% to 18%. Full-year guidance now calls for revenue growth in the high teens, and Airbnb expects its adjusted EBITDA margin to reach 36%.

Airbnb’s board approved a new $12 billion repurchase authorization, and the company bought back $700 million of shares in Q3. On the cost side, an AI assistant resolved 40% of the company’s customer support issues without a human agent, helping cut support costs per booking by more than 17%. BTIG analyst Jake Fuller noted that Airbnb “delivered a clear earnings beat and raised its guidance at a time when competitors have been providing more cautious forecasts.”

Booking Holdings and Expedia Slip on Cautious Guidance

Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG) stock is at $165.15, down 2%. On November 3, the company guided its Q4 room nights growth to 1% to 3%, citing Middle East travel disruptions, elevated airfares and unrest in some European cities. Third-quarter revenue at Booking Holdings also absorbed a $900 million reduction tied to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) matter, the company disclosed.

Meanwhile, Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE) stock is at $267.93, down 2%. Expedia beat estimates and raised its full-year outlook on November 4, but its Q4 gross bookings guidance of 3.3% to 5.2% growth signals a sharp slowdown. Both drops run counter to the rally in Airbnb stock.

How Airbnb’s Model Differs From Its Rivals

Airbnb runs a marketplace built around homes and alternative accommodations, and it’s now adding boutique hotels, car rentals and other services, and Chesky has described the guest base as heavily Gen Z, which makes affordability especially important for the company.

Booking Holdings is predominantly a hotel booking platform heavily exposed to Europe and long-haul international travel, where its management noted weakness. Expedia pairs consumer brands such as Vrbo, Airbnb’s most direct rival in vacation rentals, with a growing business-to-business platform serving partners.

What’s Next for Airbnb’s Growth Run

The next test for Airbnb is whether demand holds through the holiday quarter as travel costs rise. A stronger-than-expected October jobs report, which showed the U.S. added 165,000 jobs, supports the consumer-spending background for travel. The bulls can point to accelerating bookings, a wider margin and a large new buyback.

Bears note that Airbnb’s management called Q3 the peak net impact from Reserve Now, Pay Later, a feature that has trimmed the implied take rate and lifted cancellation rates to 19% from 16%. The company also isn’t assuming a lasting hit from Middle East conflict or European unrest, the forces that lowered guidance at its rivals. It may be worth watching how holiday-quarter demand develops before drawing firm conclusions.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.