Brandwave

Airbnb vs Hotels.com:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Airbnb had more branded searches than Hotels.com among online travel agencies worldwide. Airbnb had about 37.2 million branded searches, while Hotels.com had 550,000. Airbnb made up 23.5% of all online travel agency searches we track, and Hotels.com accounted for 0.35%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about online travel agencies, Hotels.com appeared in two of the five answers and Airbnb in none.

Among online travel agencies worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Airbnb, about 68 searches for every 1 for Hotels.com

Airbnb 37.2M searchesHotels.com 550K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hotels.com, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Airbnb in 0

Hotels.com in 2 of 5Airbnb in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hotels.com, the only one of the two named

Hotels.com first in 2Airbnb never named

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Top online travel agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hotels.com was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Airbnb did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Expedia1st
  2. Booking.com2nd
  3. Priceline3rd
  4. Hotels.com4th
  5. Google Flights5th
  6. Kayak6th
  7. Agoda7th
  8. Vrbo8th
  9. Trip.com9th
  10. +1 more
  11. Airbnb–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Expedia5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Booking.com5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Flights3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Priceline3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Agoda2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hotels.com2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kayak2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Skyscanner1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vrbo1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Airbnb0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about online travel agencies

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Airbnb or Hotels.com more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Airbnb and Hotels.com by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 online travel agencies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Airbnb and Hotels.com among online travel agencies worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Airbnb, Hotels.com. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle FlightsSkyscannerAirbnbExpediaBooking.comAgodaPricelineVrboTrip.comHotels.comKayak
Oct 202530%30%24.5%4.9%2.7%3.3%1.8%1.8%0.54%0.3%<0.01%
Nov 202530.1%30.1%24.6%4.9%2.8%3.3%1.8%1.8%0.44%0.24%<0.01%
Dec 202531.8%26%26%5.2%2.9%3.5%1.9%1.9%0.47%0.26%<0.01%
Jan 202630%30%24.6%4.9%2.7%3.3%1.5%2.2%0.44%0.24%<0.01%
Feb 202629.3%29.3%23.9%5.9%3.3%3.2%1.8%2.6%0.43%0.29%<0.01%
Mar 202631.7%26%26%5.2%3.5%2.9%1.6%2.3%0.57%0.26%<0.01%
Apr 202627.7%27.7%27.7%5.6%3.8%3%1.7%2%0.5%0.27%<0.01%
May 202627.5%27.5%27.5%5.5%3.7%3.7%1.7%2%0.5%0.33%<0.01%
Jun 202627.6%27.6%27.6%5.5%3.8%3%1.7%2.5%0.5%0.33%<0.01%
Jul 202625.7%25.7%31.4%5.2%4.3%2.8%1.5%2.3%0.57%0.38%<0.01%
Aug 202626.9%26.9%26.9%5.4%5.5%3.6%1.6%2%0.72%0.4%<0.01%
Sep 202628.7%28.7%23.5%5.8%4.7%3.9%1.7%1.7%0.95%0.35%<0.01%

How has the Airbnb and Hotels.com comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Airbnb was ahead of Hotels.com in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Airbnb’s share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide moved from 24.5% to 23.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 37.2M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hotels.com’s share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide moved from 0.3% to 0.35%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 550K.

How did search popularity change for online travel agencies worldwide in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Skyscanner overtook Airbnb to rank 2nd among online travel agencies worldwide, with 28.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Airbnb lost share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide, from 26.9% to 23.5%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Hotels.com worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 550K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Airbnb’s and Hotels.com’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Airbnb

1 branded search term

  • airbnb

Hotels.com

1 branded search term

  • hotels com

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among online travel agencies

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