How we’re using data to make travel more open for all

Airbnb got its start in 2007 as a way for our co-founders to make rent. Since then, over 5 million people have become Airbnb hosts, who have opened their doors to over 2 billion guests in nearly every country in the world. One billion of those guest arrivals took place in just the last three years.

We’re focused on making our platform better for everyone, and making it easier for guests to book a listing is an important part of this work. Over the last three years, we have taken a design-driven approach to improve the end-to-end experience on Airbnb and have made more than 535 updates to our service.

Among these updates are data-informed changes we’ve made to make travel more open to all. In 2020, we began using a tool called Project Lighthouse, which was developed in partnership with leading civil rights and privacy organizations, to help us uncover and address potential disparities in how users of different perceived races may experience Airbnb.¹ We shared the first data from Project Lighthouse in 2022.

We are pleased to share that, thanks in part to changes informed by Project Lighthouse, booking success rates have improved for all perceived racial groups, reducing disparities between these groups, and supporting hundreds of thousands of bookings in the United States over the last two years.

Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-founder and CEO, said “We want to make it easier for everyone to book an Airbnb, and this latest update shows that our data-driven approach is working. While the work continues, we are thankful for the guidance and feedback from our community and partners who have helped inform this important progress.”

Laura W. Murphy, President of Laura Murphy & Associates, said, “Airbnb has presented a powerful example of how to design products and build a community that is more welcoming for everyone. It’s the right thing to do and it’s good for business.”

Leaders of civil rights and data organizations weighed in on the release of the report. 

“We commend Airbnb’s unwavering commitment to making travel more accessible and open for all and the 2024 Project Lighthouse update is a significant step forward. We are proud to support initiatives like Project Lighthouse, which leverage data and collaboration to create meaningful change, foster belonging, and build a future where every traveler can feel welcomed, valued, and empowered.” – John Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC

“For years, Airbnb’s Project Lighthouse has used data-informed insights to help ensure the platform is working fairly for all users. CDT is proud to partner with Airbnb and other civil society experts in this effort, which should be a model across the field.” – Alexandra Reeve Givens, President & CEO, Center for Democracy and Technology

“Airbnb’s Project Lighthouse is a case study of what a responsible business should do to identify bias, prevent harm, and ensure fairness. When businesses treat every customer fairly, no matter their race, it’s good for everyone and their corporate bottom line. We look forward to continuing to engage with companies like Airbnb interested in committing to protect all users.” – Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

“I am thrilled to see Airbnb turn promises into progress and continue to follow through on their commitment to fight discrimination on their platform. The positive data shows that it’s easier for everyone to book a listing  and reflects the deep commitment from Airbnb to being an inclusive and accessible platform for everyone. ” – Juan Proaño, LULAC CEO 

“The NAACP has and continues to pursue equitable experiences for all travelers and we’re proud to see our longstanding partner, Airbnb, illuminate the path forward through initiatives like Project Lighthouse. As a multinational corporation, Airbnb has fully embraced what it means to build and sustain a global community that eliminates any intentional or unintentional barriers for individuals to fully participate and we look forward to seeing the progress that this, and similar partnerships can accomplish.” – Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO 

“Since 2016, Airbnb has taken steps to address inequities in the travel industry, focusing on combating discrimination and ensuring fair treatment for all users. Through Project Lighthouse, Airbnb has responsibly utilized data to uncover and address disparities, particularly impacting people of color on their platform.” – Ebonie Riley, SVP, Policy & Strategic Partnerships, for National Action Network

Improving the booking success rate for everyone

Two years ago, we released the first data from Project Lighthouse, measuring the rate at which guests in the US from different perceived racial groups have their reservations confirmed after they click “Reserve.” We call this the booking success rate.² This data showed that booking success rates differed between guests perceived to be from communities of color and guests perceived to be white. 

We used Project Lighthouse to better understand the potential factors driving these disparities and implemented a series of platform and product interventions designed to help improve the booking success rates for everyone. Thanks in part to the changes outlined in our recent update, the booking success rate has improved for guests from all perceived racial groups, leading to more bookings for all:

• In 2023, all guests had a booking success rate above 94 percent, an increase for all groups since 2021.   
• All groups now have a higher Booking Success Rate than the highest rate in 2021 and disparities between all groups were meaningfully reduced.
• The largest disparity in 2021, between guests perceived to be Black and guests perceived to be white, was cut almost in half—narrowing from 2.7 percentage points to 1.4 percentage points. 
• This work has supported hundreds of thousands of bookings in the United States over two years.

These booking success rate improvements are the result of a number of factors, including initiatives to help make Instant Book accessible to more people and updates to help hosts respond to booking requests in a timely manner.

We will continue working to improve booking success rates for all users and to foster a community where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences can be successful and feel welcome. In addition to Project Lighthouse, we have a number of products, policies and programs designed to help us fight discrimination in all forms. This work includes strengthening our Nondiscrimination Policy and updates to make it easier for guests to receive reviews and build a positive reputation on Airbnb, among others. 

More information on these initiatives, as well as our ongoing work to help make travel more open to all, is available in our 2024 Project Lighthouse Update at this link.