Airbnb Demand Increasingly Hitting Hotels, Not Online Travel Agencies

Use of Airbnb is growing faster than industry commentators predicted, with hotels the main losers in the new accommodation war.

A large survey and follow-up analysis by global financial services giant Morgan Stanley says that Airbnb penetration of the accommodation sector is hitting somewhere in the region of 18-19%, up from 12% last year.

This marked increase in the space of just 12 months is being felt in both leisure and corporate travel, with nearly a fifth of both types having being hosted by an Airbnb member.

Although growth is forecast to slow slightly over the course of the next year, penetration is likely to be at around 23-25%.

Driving this still-rapid increase in usage is a combination of high traveller awareness (75% of consumers) and even higher user satisfaction rates (93%), Morgan Stanley says.