:
Airbnb declines refunds over extenuating circumstances policy
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: Airbnb is reportedly refusing to refund travellers around the world who booked getaways after 14 March as government-enforced lockdowns and tier restrictions do not fall within the company’s “extenuating circumstances” policy which it implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Travellers around the world claim to have been left short-changed after believing they would be […]
Airbnb promotes Mehta to APAC regional director
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAPAC: Airbnb has announced Parin Mehta has been promoted to the role of regional director for the Asia-Pacific region. In his new role, Mehta will lead Airbnb’s Homes and Experiences division for the region and also be responsible for the long-term growth of the company. Mehta previously held the role of director of Airbnb Experiences for […]
Airbnb to take Washington inauguration precautions
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Following the storming of the Capitol in Washington DC last week, Airbnb is taking extra precautions to prevent further violence in the city ahead of the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden next week [Wednesday 20 January]. The platform had already pledged to ban any insurrectionists involved in the “violent criminal activity” during the Capitol […]
Vrbo exits Toronto rental market following new crackdown
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCanada: Vacation rental marketplace Vrbo has announced that it is exiting the Toronto market due to the city’s recent crackdown on short-term rentals. The online travel agency listed more than 300 houses, condos, apartments and studios in the city prior to the enforcement of stricter rules on short-term rentals, which came into force on 1 January. […]
Hipcamp closes $57m Series C funding round
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Online marketplace startup Hipcamp, which offers outdoor stays and camping experiences in rural areas, has closed a $57 million Series C funding round, taking its internal value to more than $300 million, over double the valuation it reached in its last round in 2019. New investors participating in the round include Index Ventures and […]
Airbnb pledges to remove hate group members from platform
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb is pledging to remove white nationalists and hate group members from its platform, following the violent storming of the Capitol building in Washington D.C. last week. That includes the Proud Boys, which was classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group and has been associated with white nationalist ties and […]
Wall Street analysts assess Airbnb four weeks after IPO
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Wall Street analysts are offering their opinions on Airbnb, almost a month after the company’s high profile IPO. Canaccord Genuity was among the most bullish of the analysts, giving Airbnb a buy rating and a price target of $175. “We expect Airbnb’s scale and platform advantages to cement an early lead in supply liquidity […]
Airbnb sets revised diversity goals
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Airbnb says it is going to improve diversity in its ranks because it “is nowhere near satisfied with the status quo”. By the end of 2025, Airbnb is aiming for 20 per cent of its US workforce to be “underrepresented minorities”, up from the current 12 per cent. Its second goal is to increase […]
Airbnb share price is “more than stretched” says Wall Street analyst
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Airbnb shares fell on Monday after Wall Street analysts warned that first-day trading surges resulted in a “precarious” market valuation. Airbnb’s valuation is “more than stretched” when compared with other travel peers, research firm Gordon Haskett said in a note downgrading the stock to underperform from buy. Airbnb shares soared 113 per cent on […]
Santa Fe passes new short-term rental restrictions
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: The city of Santa Fe, in New Mexico, has approved new restrictions for short-term rental owners in an effort to reduce the number of properties operating without permits. The Santa Fe Council voted 8-1 on Thursday to limit the number of short-term rental units to one per person and to restricts owners using services […]