New York, May 23, 2026, 13:04 (EDT)
- Airbnb shares ended Friday at $132.35, off 1.42% for the session, slipping roughly 0.4% this week.
- Nasdaq won’t open for trading this weekend, and markets will stay closed Monday because of Memorial Day.
- Now the focus is if investors keep supporting Airbnb as it pushes into hotels, car rentals, grocery delivery, and other trip offerings.
Airbnb Inc. shares slipped Friday ahead of the Memorial Day break, while the wider U.S. market moved higher. Investors pulled back after a midweek rally fueled by the company’s expansion into travel apps.
Airbnb shares ended Friday at $132.35, off 1.42%. The stock traded under its May 15 close of $132.85 as it slipped modestly over the week. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.2% Friday and was up 0.5% for the week, but Airbnb lagged the move.
Trading pauses for now since the U.S. regular session won’t open again until Tuesday. Nasdaq’s usual hours are Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, but the exchange shows Monday, May 25, as a holiday for Memorial Day.
Airbnb heads into the shortened week with the question of whether last Monday’s product update will push the stock further. Shares jumped 3.35% Wednesday to $135.55 but dropped over the next two days.
Airbnb is making a push to keep more of guests’ travel spending inside its app. The company said users will now be able to order grocery delivery with Instacart in over 25 U.S. cities, book airport pickups from Welcome Pickups in 160-plus cities, and arrange luggage storage via Bounce. Car rentals are on the way later this summer, along with a wider selection of boutique and independent hotels.
Chief Executive Brian Chesky said in the company’s release, “Travel shouldn’t just be convenient. It should be meaningful.” Airbnb Newsroom
Airbnb’s push into hotels and car rentals brings it further onto ground held by Booking Holdings and Expedia Group, which have long kept users inside their platforms with bundled travel offerings. Skift called Airbnb’s car-rental feature a direct play for Booking and Expedia’s turf.
Airbnb is looking for more independent hotels. CEO Brian Chesky told staff some trips are better with a hotel, adding, “That’s right, I said it.” Boutique and independent hotels, he said, need an ally to take on the big chains. The Edge Malaysia
Airbnb’s vice president of product marketing Jud Coplan told Fast Company the company’s approach to hotels had “come full circle.” “We’re not just trying to pipe in an API and get as many hotels on the platform as possible,” he said. Fast Company
Airbnb’s latest expansion follows a stretch of stronger results. First-quarter revenue climbed 18% to $2.7 billion, and gross booking value increased 19%. Net income was $160 million. Airbnb now expects second-quarter revenue between $3.54 billion and $3.60 billion, and lifted its 2026 revenue-growth target to growth in the low- to mid-teens range.
RBC Capital’s Brad Erickson is sticking with Airbnb. The analyst kept an Outperform and repeated the $173 target on May 21, pointing to about 31% upside from where shares closed Friday.
The trade has issues. Airbnb pointed to macro worries and geopolitical risks, like more cancellations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, blaming the Middle East conflict. Regulation is still a problem. New short-term rental limits in Spain, Barcelona, New York and Paris have been reported, and that pressure is one reason Airbnb is moving toward hotels and services.
Airbnb’s job in the coming week is to stay above Friday’s close and show Wednesday’s move wasn’t only launch-day action. The market turning higher could help the stock. But investors want to see the company’s bigger app story drive fresh revenue, not just add features.
