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Vrbo expands Fast Start program to entice hosts from competitors
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: Expedia Group vacation rental brand Vrbo has confirmed that Fast Start, a program designed to help new properties capture rental demand, has expanded to Canada, France and the UK, in a bid to attract hosts from other rental companies including Airbnb. It is claimed that the program increases the visibility of new properties in the first […]
Angel Host raises $5.2m in seed financing round
Reading Time: 2 minutesCanada: Data-driven, tech-enabled rental maximisation startup Angel Host has announced that it has closed its seed funding round totalling $5.2 million. The company helps vacation rental property managers and real estate investors to produce above average returns for their property portfolios by using deep data pricing and performance analytics, as well as creating algorithm-based listings optimised […]
True Key Vacations launches in British Columbia
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCanada: Resort management business True Key Hotels & Resorts has announced the launch of new short-term rental property management company True Key Vacations in British Columbia. The company will provide travellers with the option of fully-equipped, self-contained vacation rentals across British Columbia, including in locations such as the Columbia Valley, Sooke and Parksville on Vancouver Island. True Key […]
Hipcamp expands into Canada with Pitched partnership
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Online marketplace Hipcamp, which claims to be “the world’s largest provider of outdoor stays”, has announced its launch in Canada by partnering with Canadian camping startup Pitched. Effective immediately, travellers will be able to choose from hundreds of tent camping, cabin, glamping, RV park, and treehouse listings throughout the country. More than 600 Canadian hosts […]
HiBnb raises CAD $500k in pre-seed funding
Reading Time: 2 minutesCanada: Toronto-based startup HiBnb, which specialises in helping travellers find cannabis-friendly accommodations, has raised CAD $500,000 [USD $393,000] in pre-seed funding to continue its expansion across North America. The platform provides advanced search features, allowing guests to filter down their searches based on accessories, such as rolling stations or tabletop vaporisers, and smoking rules e.g. anywhere […]
US rentals suffer from lack of ‘snowbird’ business
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Snowbirds, elderly travellers, predominantly from Canada, who hire vacation rentals in the south of the US, are not travelling due to Coronavirus fears and restrictions. Snowbirds typically leave Canada to head for warmer climes for up to six months. But this year they are not travelling. “It’s not worth taking a chance. It’s not […]
Sonder adds properties in largest three Canadian cities
Reading Time: 2 minutesCanada: Tech-enabled hospitality company Sonder has announced its expansion to Canada’s three largest cities: Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Sonder will open 66 suites in Vancouver, as well as added more than 100 in Toronto the Guerin Lofts in Montreal. Sonder’s expansion is buoyed by a strong performance in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of […]
Airbnb blocks one-night Halloween rental parties in USA and Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS / Canada: Airbnb is to block one-night reservations through its platform over Halloween in the United States and Canada, in order to prevent a repeat of a shooting incident last year that left five people dead at an unauthorised party in Orinda, California. The temporary ban will apply to entire home listings in both […]
Toronto to usher in series of short-term rental reforms
Reading Time: 3 minutesCanada: Toronto is to introduce a new set of short-term rental reforms, which will affect hosts and operators listing their properties on online travel agencies such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia in the city. Effective from 10 September 2020, the OTAs will be required to obtain a specific licence to be able to continue operating […]
Fülhaus launches Work From Home packages for European market
Reading Time: < 1 minuteCanada: Fülhaus has announced the launch of its new Work From Home furniture packages, styled and furnished exclusively for the European market. Coming in five distinct styles, ‘Plantel’, ‘Cantaur’, ‘Cotta’, ‘Marcus’ and ‘Travesta’, the furniture packages offer a variety of looks for short-term rental owners to choose from. Styled by Fülhaus’s Junior Interior Designer Christina Vassiliou, the home office […]