:
New ‘junk fee’ transparency law comes into effect in California
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Sweeping new laws have come into effect in the US state of California that require travel sellers and other types of businesses to include all mandatory fees or last-minute charges in the upfront displayed price.
Booking.com warns of 900 per cent rise in AI-related travel scams
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: Marnie Wilking, chief information security officer at Booking.com, has issued a warning about the role that artificial intelligence [AI] is playing in the significant rise in travel scams over the last 18 months.
Booking.com investigated over Israeli settlement listing allegations
Reading Time: 2 minutesNetherlands: The Dutch Public Prosecutor [OM] is investigating a criminal complaint filed by human rights groups against Amsterdam-headquartered online travel agency Booking.com over the alleged listing of vacation homes in Israeli settlements.
OTAs accused of illegal subletting crackdown failure in London
Reading Time: 3 minutesUK: Online travel agencies Airbnb and Booking.com have been accused of failing to crack down on the illegal subletting of social housing in London by local councils.
Estonia vetoes EU VAT proposals for sharing economy services
Reading Time: 3 minutesEstonia / EU: Estonia has vetoed plans to introduce VAT on sharing economy services such as Airbnb and Bolt in the European Union at a meeting with finance ministers in Brussels.
Short Stay Summit 2024: STAA chair Fiona MacConnacher
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUK: Fiona MacConnacher, the new chair of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association and public affairs manager, UK & Ireland at Booking.com, speaks to STRz at the 2024 Short Stay Summit.
Whimstay announces Booking.com partnership
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Last-minute vacation rental bookings platform Whimstay has announced a partnership with Booking.com to expand its property offering.
Eurostat: 678.6m nights spent in STRs via OTAs in 2023
Reading Time: 2 minutesEurope: Guests spent 678.6 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the European Union [EU] booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or TripAdvisor in 2023, according to the EU’s statistical agency Eurostat.
Booking.com ends sustainability programme due to ACM pressure
Reading Time: 2 minutesNetherlands: Booking.com has announced in a statement that it is ending its Travel Sustainable programme and that it will replace it with the option to filter for properties with a third-party certification.
EU legislation moves closer as Parliament reaches data agreement
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrance / EU: EU regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services has moved yet another step closer after the European Parliament approved an agreement reached in November with negotiators from member states.