Market Data 
Airbnb is the latest to deliver bad news about the US consumer in its latest earnings report on Tuesday.
The company said it expects a “sequential moderation” in nights and experiences booked next quarter, with weakening demand from US customers as people book trips closer to travel dates rather than in advance.
“Latin America and Asia Pacific continue to be our fastest-growing regions,” the report said. “However, we are seeing shorter booking lead times globally and some signs of slowing demand from US guests.”
Airbnb’s chief financial officer, Ellie Mertz, attributed some of the shorter lead times to varying factors that could impact the booking timeframe, like the new COVID variant or war in Israel.
In North America specifically, the CFO said there are a “handful of components” to the slowdown, also including shorter lead times. Mertz added that shorter lead times don’t mean that people aren’t booking trips — it just means they haven’t booked them yet.
The shift in lead times has also led some people to book shorter-term rentals, although people have continued to book larger and more expensive listings, the CFO said.
Mertz also mentioned that the US has had some regulatory obstacles, especially in California, where the total price display and cancellation grace period went into effect on July 1. California’s “Honest Pricing Law” makes it illegal for businesses to list a price for a good or service without including “all required fees” aside from “certain government taxes and shipping costs.”
“We think that’s been a little bit of a headwind to our California business,” Mertz said, adding that the California bill includes both guests residing and traveling in the state.
The news comes hot on the heels of lower-than-expected Azure revenue from Microsoft and missed sales from Amazon. Amazon’s finance chief attributed the slowdown to consumers being distracted by political events and the Olympics. He also mentioned that consumers were “cautious” and “looking for deals.”
Airbnb’s results also come after a more sluggish US jobs report released Friday, triggering recession concerns. US Stocks dropped after the report in a dramatic three day decline, although they showed some signs of a rebound on Tuesday.
Airbnb did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
