Once someone tries Airbnb, they're less likely to prefer a hotel, says report

Airbnb has a long way to go to become a household name, but research from Goldman Sachs shows it's at least gaining support from travelers who have used it.

In a survey released Tuesday, consumers surveyed by Goldman Sachs showed they're becoming more familiar - and loyal to - peer-to-peer lodging sites like Airbnb, HomeAway, and FlipKey.

In the past year, the percent of consumers who had heard of these alternatives to hotels increased from 24% to 35%. When it came to actually staying in a rental from the sites, that number is up from 11% in Q1 of 2015 to 16% by Q4.

It's still a small percentage that have used it, but after travelers have tried a site like Airbnb once, their preference for hotels is nearly halved.

For those who have never stayed in an Airbnb or similar rental, they prefer hotels 79% of the time while 19% have no preference at all. Once someone has stayed in an Airbnb, that preference drops to 40% liking hotels and 36% preferring an Airbnb-like platform - and that's regardless of whether they spent one night or one week in an Airbnb.