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Airbnb files for long-awaited IPO
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Following years of speculation and anticipation, Airbnb has submitted the necessary documents for its initial public offering [ IPO ], which is scheduled to take place in December and raise up to $3 billion for the global home-sharing platform. The filings also laid bare the scale of the financial impact caused by the Covid-19 […]
How should the travel industry handle vaccine talk?
Reading Time: 4 minutesWorldwide: STRz speaks to Matt Voda, CEO at OptiMine Software, about what the travel industry should do to change its marketing messaging around news of the potential vaccine for Covid-19. • How can the travel industry begin shifting its messaging around potential Covid vaccines? Exciting news came out of Pfizer last week about its vaccine’s […]
London to move to “high level” Tier Two restrictions from Saturday
Reading Time: 4 minutesUK: The UK Government is placing the City of London under “high level” Tier Two restrictions, effective from midnight on Friday / Saturday morning, affecting around nine million citizens in the capital. Matt Hancock, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, warned the threat of Covid-19 remains “grave and serious” as he […]
Airbtics: European cities with the greatest rental recoveries from Covid-19
Reading Time: 3 minutesWorldwide: Hannah Mandapat, marketing executive at Airbnb analytics platform Airbtics, highlights the ten European cities which saw the highest rebounds in vacation rental bookings in August after the steep drop seen during the first stages of the pandemic in the continent. We all know Covid-19 has had a massive impact on the vacation rental industry […]
Short-term let firms accuse insurers of holding back payouts
Reading Time: 2 minutesUK: Many small businesses have accused their insurers of holding back payments for financial losses due to coronavirus. Hospitality businesses, alongside The City Watchdog and the Financial Court Authority, claim insurance firms have used government coronavirus grants as an excuse to reduce payouts. According to The Telegraph, small firms have received communication saying that their […]
How has Covid-19 impacted on insurance for the short-term rental sector?
Reading Time: 3 minutesUK: Louise Birritteri, CEO and founder of sharing economy insurance specialist Pikl, discusses the impact of Covid-19 on insurance for the short-term rental sector, as well as the wider considerations for the industry. The short-term accommodation sector was severely hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. Bookings across the industry are estimated to have dropped by up to […]
Spike in cases drives Miami-Dade County to shut down rentals
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Authorities in south Florida have ordered the immediate closure [as of 8 July] of leisure and hospitality venues, including short-term rentals, in Miami-Dade County, following a spike in new coronavirus cases over the weekend. On Monday, the United States reported 47,000 fresh cases of Covid-19 and hospitalisations rose by 38 per cent compared to […]
What next if a guest contracts Covid-19 in your short-term rental?
Reading Time: 11 minutesWorldwide: The coronavirus pandemic represents uncharted waters for the hospitality industry in more ways than one, but particularly for travel lawyers who could come face to face with a number of liability lawsuits if a guest hypothetically believes they contracted Covid-19 in one’s vacation rental. Imagine the thought: a guest contracting Covid-19 in your short-term […]
World Travel and Tourism Council unveils rental protocols
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: The World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC] has unveiled a new set of safe travelling protocols, covering attractions, car hires, and short-term rentals. This third phase of measures is part of the council’s ‘Safe Travels’ initiative, hoping to reduce risk and bolster consumer confidence. The WTTC, which represents the travel industry private sector, held […]
Palm Beach holds off on reopening vacation rentals
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Though vacation rentals were set to reopen on the 15th of June, Florida’s Palm Beach County has paused measures due to rising Covid-19 moments. The state of Florida has seen a significant rise of coronavirus infections, recording 5,511 new cases this week, breaking previous records. The county had announced an end to the rental […]