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Airbnb closes $20m funding round in Atlas Obscura
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: Airbnb has partnered with travel and exploration website Atlas Obscura to bring the world’s most unusual places and hidden wonders to the platform’s global community of travellers. The home-sharing platform has closed a reported $20 million funding round in the Brooklyn-based media company, with participation from previous investors in the shape of A+E Networks […]
Plans proposed for Airbnb-style hotel in Sacramento
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Plans for a first-ever Airbnb-style hotel / short-term rental complex in Sacramento between the Memorial Auditorium and the Sacramento Convention Center have been proposed. Developer David Sowels, who operates short-term rental firm and Bay Area development, Cogent Bay Inc., has put forward the plans for a six-storey rental complex in a project that would […]
Airbnb banking on Rugby World Cup exposure in Japan
Reading Time: 2 minutesJapan: Airbnb is banking on a new opportunity to break into the short-term rental market in Japan, as an estimated 500,000+ rugby fans get set to descend on the country this month for the Rugby World Cup. The tournament, which lasts between September and November, is set to provide a welcome financial fillip to the […]
Residents call for government action on Bath “party houses”
Reading Time: 3 minutesUK: Residents in the city of Bath in South West England are calling for the government to introduce new rules to stop the spread of ‘party houses’ appearing in quiet neighbourhoods in the city. In a report published in The Times, properties that are being rented out for such purposes are a growing trend in […]
Airbnb activates Open Homes program in Hurricane Dorian response
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb has once again activated its Open Homes Program to house and support residents and relief workers who have been displaced in the efforts to contain the impact of Hurricane Dorian. The program, which is enforced at times of natural disasters in the United States and its territories to help affected communities, is in […]
KeyNest’s co-founders on unlocking the firm’s exchange potential with Airbnb
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEurope: Marc Figueras and Florian Hoven, the co-founders of smart key exchange service KeyNest, discuss the success of their partnership with Airbnb through the Host Assist programme, as well as the factors that differentiate the firm from other key exchange service providers in the rental space. Figueras and Hoven, two Airbnb hosts who were constantly […]
City of Boston and Airbnb reach ordinance settlement
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: The City of Boston and Airbnb have reached a settlement which will underline the rental platform’s responsibilities under the city’s recently-imposed short-term rental ordinance. The city has introduced a registration on short-term rentals whereby Airbnb has to remove listings of illegal rentals from its platform at the earliest opportunity, according to Mayor Martin J. […]
Airbnb host handed €6k fine by Frankfurt authorities
Reading Time: 2 minutesGermany: An Airbnb host in Frankfurt has been handed a €6,000 fine for letting out her apartment via the rental platform without having obtained the required authorisation. The news is another sign that city authorities, both in Germany and around the world, are taking an increasingly strict stance when it comes to hosts illegally operating […]
Airbnb reports 31 per cent increase in booking revenue
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Airbnb has announced that it posted a record $9.4 billion in bookings during the first quarter of the year, marking a significant 31 per cent increase in booking revenue compared to the same period last year. The news was reportedly revealed by an anonymous source close to the matter, according to Reuters. The source […]
Calls for stricter short-term let licensing in Edinburgh
Reading Time: 3 minutesScotland: A report by The Scotsman has revealed thousands of Airbnb properties may be operating unlawfully in Edinburgh with the council struggling to enforce regulations to counter the expansion of short-term lets in the city. According to the national newspaper, although 7,000+ properties in the city are listed on Airbnb (as opposed to spare rooms), […]