Lead Times in Flux: Analyzing Airbnb Booking Dynamics During Global Upheavals (2018-2022)

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Katz, Harrison, Savage, Erica, Coles, Peter
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866909676359122944
author Katz, Harrison
Savage, Erica
Coles, Peter
author_facet Katz, Harrison
Savage, Erica
Coles, Peter
contents Short-term shifts in booking behaviors can disrupt forecasting in the travel and hospitality industry, especially during global crises. Traditional metrics like average or median lead times often overlook important distribution changes. This study introduces a normalized L1 (Manhattan) distance to assess Airbnb booking lead time divergences from 2018 to 2022, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic across four major U.S. cities. We identify a two-phase disruption: an abrupt change at the pandemic's onset followed by partial recovery with persistent deviations from pre-2018 patterns. Our method reveals changes in travelers' planning horizons that standard statistics miss, highlighting the need to analyze the entire lead-time distribution for more accurate demand forecasting and pricing strategies. The normalized L1 metric provides valuable insights for tourism stakeholders navigating ongoing market volatility.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_10535
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Lead Times in Flux: Analyzing Airbnb Booking Dynamics During Global Upheavals (2018-2022)
Katz, Harrison
Savage, Erica
Coles, Peter
Applications
Statistical Finance
Short-term shifts in booking behaviors can disrupt forecasting in the travel and hospitality industry, especially during global crises. Traditional metrics like average or median lead times often overlook important distribution changes. This study introduces a normalized L1 (Manhattan) distance to assess Airbnb booking lead time divergences from 2018 to 2022, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic across four major U.S. cities. We identify a two-phase disruption: an abrupt change at the pandemic's onset followed by partial recovery with persistent deviations from pre-2018 patterns. Our method reveals changes in travelers' planning horizons that standard statistics miss, highlighting the need to analyze the entire lead-time distribution for more accurate demand forecasting and pricing strategies. The normalized L1 metric provides valuable insights for tourism stakeholders navigating ongoing market volatility.
title Lead Times in Flux: Analyzing Airbnb Booking Dynamics During Global Upheavals (2018-2022)
topic Applications
Statistical Finance
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.10535