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Airbnb puts down $1m to build fantasy houses
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb is launching a $1m competition to incentivise the creation of fantasy houses. In a statement the company said they were seeking the “most unconventional and unusual livable spaces on the planet. Airbnb has made headlines with its wild and unique available rentals in the past. Choices like a Star Wars themed rental, a […]
Amsterdam court rules against Airbnb in potential €200m fees case
Reading Time: 2 minutesNetherlands: Airbnb is set to land a bill totalling up to €200 million after a court in Amsterdam ruled that it was not entitled to claim booking fees from Dutch domestic travellers. The district court in Amsterdam ruled that the platform had breached a law in the country which forbids middlemen from securing fees from […]
Airbnb launches Bahamas high school tourism education initiative
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Bahamas: After signing an agreement with the Bahamanian government, Airbnb has agreed to support a tourism education program. High schools in the Bahamas will now include a series of panels on hospitality and tourism studies, created in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Public policy associate for Central America and the Carribean Chloe Burke […]
Airbnb creates specific coronavirus cancellation policy
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: With the coronavirus spreading to over 70 countries, Airbnb has introduced specific policies for how and when to cancel bookings. This is in response to the number of cancellations being made worldwide as a result of disease-related concerns. Airbnb usually has six individual categories pertaining to the strictness of cancellation, ranging from flexible to […]
Alberta court ruling pulls Airbnbs from condos
Reading Time: 2 minutesCanada: An Alberta court has ruled that Airbnb’s offerings cannot operate in a block of condominiums. This may give legislators wide powers over how to control these offerings due to their similarities to hotels. The ruling was in response to an Edmonton condominium board banning short-term rentals in its buildings. It said that due to […]
Airbnb signs data-sharing partnership with European Commission
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEurope: Airbnb has announced it has signed a landmark data-sharing partnership with Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Commission. As a result, public authorities in Europe will soon have access to independently published data on short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms. In a statement, the European Commission said: “The agreement will for the […]
Lyric to lay off 20 per cent of staff
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: The Airbnb-backed short-term rental brand Lyric has laid off around 20 per cent of its staff. The company, which partners with multifamily landlords to offer apartments to business travellers, is laying off a least 25 people as part of a restructuring plan. Lyric currently operates nearly 600 units in around 14 cities worldwide. It […]
Airbnb subject to Halloween house shooting lawsuit
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: The family of a man shot in a bay area Airbnb has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. They claim Airbnb should have known that large crowds, underage drinking and illegal activities frequently occurred there. The victim, Javlin County, 29, was one of five killed during the event. Investigators claimed that the violence […]
Airbnb Open Homes programme to help Tennessee tornado survivors
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb is providing temporary homes to survivors of the middle Tennessee tornadoes through its Open Homes programme. The storm affected the centre of the state yesterday, leading to at least 24 deaths in the city of Nashville as well as the destruction of even more homes. The tornadoes impacted on major areas in east […]
Coronavirus threatens to delay Airbnb IPO
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb’s IPO plan, one of the most heavily anticipated public listings in 2020, is in danger of being pushed further back to 2021 due to fears over the global spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to Bloomberg. The virus has already led the company to halt bookings in Beijing, one of Airbnb’s most valuable […]