Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) are two of the most popular vacation rental platforms in the world. With over 220 countries on Airbnb and thousands of listings on VRBO, these platforms offer unique travel experiences for people who are looking for something different. But who owns these companies? In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the ownership of Airbnb and VRBO.
Airbnb: A Brief Overview
Founded in 2008, Airbnb began as a way to rent out air mattresses in San Francisco. Since then, it has grown to become a global travel giant that connects travelers with unique and affordable accommodations. As of 2021, Airbnb had over 4 million hosts and had facilitated over 1 billion guest arrivals.
Who Owns Airbnb?
Airbnb is a publicly traded company and is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol ABNB. The company went public in December 2020, and its IPO was one of the most highly anticipated of the year.
The co-founders of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia, are still involved in the company, with Chesky serving as the CEO. Other major shareholders in Airbnb include venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and General Atlantic.
VRBO: A Brief Overview
VRBO was founded in 1995 as a website where property owners could list their vacation homes for rent. In 2006, it was acquired by HomeAway, another vacation rental platform. HomeAway continued to operate VRBO as a separate brand, and in 2015, Expedia Group acquired HomeAway and all of its subsidiaries, including VRBO.
Who Owns VRBO?
VRBO is a subsidiary of Expedia Group, a publicly traded company that is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol EXPE. In addition to VRBO, Expedia Group also owns other travel brands like Hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity.
Conclusion
Airbnb and VRBO are two of the most popular vacation rental platforms in the world, offering travelers unique and personalized travel experiences. While Airbnb is publicly traded and owned by a variety of shareholders, including its co-founders and venture capital firms, VRBO is a subsidiary of Expedia Group, a publicly traded company that also owns other popular travel brands. Knowing who owns these platforms may not affect your decision to book a stay, but it’s always good to have a better understanding of the companies behind the experiences you enjoy.
Airbnb, Inc. (/ˌɛərˌbiːɛnˈbiː/ AIR-BEE-en-BEE) is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays and experiences in various countries and regions. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking.
is publicly traded and owned by a variety of shareholders, including its co-founders and venture capital firms, VRBO is a subsidiary of Expedia Group, a publicly traded company that also owns other popular travel brands.
Airbnb is owned by groups of shareholders. Brian Chesky, who is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, is the most influential shareholder of the company. The other co-cofounders of the company are Joseph Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk.
Airbnb and Vrbo operate as separate entities and platforms for vacation rentals. They do not have an official link or partnership that allows listings or bookings to be shared directly between the two platforms.
“Airbnb is huge in the space, and it's certainly dominant,” List said. Phocuswright said it had over 7.7 million listings in its 2024 spring update, as compared with more than 2 million on Vrbo. The platform boasts greater brand awareness, too.
Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, BlackRock Inc., Fmr Llc, State Street Corp, Capital World Investors, Jennison Associates Llc, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, Edgewood Management Llc, Morgan Stanley, and AGTHX - GROWTH FUND OF AMERICA Class A .
While Airbnb is publicly traded and owned by a variety of shareholders, including its co-founders and venture capital firms, VRBO is a subsidiary of Expedia Group, a publicly traded company that also owns other popular travel brands.
Vrbo is commonly considered the biggest Airbnb competitor. It has over 2 million listings and vacation rentals in 190 countries. And because Vrbo is part of the parent brand Expedia Group, listing on Vrbo enables you to tap into this brand's 112+ million monthly unique visitors.
This one is really no contest. Airbnb boasts 7.7 million active listings as of May 2024 compared to Vrbo's over 2 million properties listed as of 2023. Searching in the same region with both platforms quickly reveals this disparity.
Airbnb attracts diverse travelers seeking unique stays, while Vrbo is preferred by families and groups wanting larger accommodations. Airbnb's interface is more user-friendly and community-driven, with more flexible cancellation policies and higher booking volume than Vrbo.
Our humble beginnings as the first online holiday rental company have blossomed into a global network helping millions of families around the world reconnect every year.
There's also the online vacation rental service Vrbo. Vrbo was actually founded considerably earlier than Airbnb — in 1995, to be exact — but it's never had the same popularity or name recognition.
And for guests, Airbnb can provide a homey place to stay, perhaps with a kitchen to save on dining out, often at a lower price than hotels charge. Airbnb is a contraction of "Airbed and Breakfast," an earlier name that reflected the company's origins.
Miami and San Diego are the most profitable cities for Airbnb hosts. The combination of warm weather and (relatively) affordable housing make these two cities a better bet for full-apartment listings than popular but expensive destinations like New York and San Francisco.
Although both VRBO and Airbnb take precautions to guarantee the protection of their visitors, Airbnb poses more potential dangers for guests simply because it allows visitors to remain in shared spaces.
Brian Joseph Chesky (born August 29, 1981) is an American businessman and industrial designer and the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Chesky is the 355th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $7.8 billion, mostly due to his ownership of 67 million shares of Airbnb. Niskayuna, New York, U.S.
Is Airbnb Cheaper Than Hotels? Depending on the type of Airbnb apartment and the hotel, Airbnb can be cheaper than hotels but can also be more expensive. In general, Airbnb is cheaper than hotels because Airbnb does not have to pay for the overhead costs of a hotel or the general management of such a large operation.
No, Airbnb is not owned by Expedia. These are two separate and independent companies in the vacation rental and travel industry. Airbnb was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, and it has grown to become one of the largest and most recognized vacation rental platforms in the world.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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