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Tripadvisor evolves model, cancels STR stays past October
Reading Time: 3 minutesWorldwide: Online travel agency Tripadvisor is transitioning its vacation rental strategy to a new business model that leverages third-party providers, although it denied that it was shutting down its rental offering altogether.
Bruges authorities to impose strict STR restrictions
Reading Time: 3 minutesBelgium: Authorities in the northern Belgian city of Bruges are preparing to impose stricter restrictions on short-term rentals in a bid to combat rising numbers of tourists.
Airbnb to expand into co-hosting and relaunch Experiences
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has hinted that the home-sharing firm will branch out into new products and services, such as co-hosting, and relaunch its Experiences program in 2025, as part of the company’s second quarter earnings call.
Bob W forms £400m JV with OCIM
Reading Time: 3 minutesUK: A new joint venture between tech-powered hospitality operator Bob W and Osborne+Co Investment Management [OCIM] has launched a £120 million equity raise to acquire and repurpose hotel and office assets into “high-quality” short-term serviced apartments.
STRz spotlight: Alertify co-founder Gareth Rhodes Q&A
Reading Time: 5 minutesUS / South Africa: Gareth Rhodes, co-founder of Alertify, speaks to STRz about the company’s new WelcomeLink product, streamlining compliance with state regulations, and his reaction to Airbnb’s pledges to verify more listings worldwide and its global ban on the use of indoor security cameras at its listings.
Valpas raises €4m in seed funding for bedbug solution
Reading Time: 2 minutesFinland: Helsinki-based pest control startup Valpas has announced that it recently raised €4 million in a seed funding round to scale its solution in Europe.
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.
Directo emerges from stealth with $1m pre-seed funding
Reading Time: 2 minutesSpain: Directo, a Chrome extension that helps travellers find the best commission-free accommodation deals for short-term rentals and hotels, has emerged from stealth mode and announced a $1 million pre-seed round fundraise.
Otamiser secures $3m in funding to drive global expansion
Reading Time: 3 minutesBelgium: Otamiser, which claims to be the world’s first online travel agency [OTA] ranking management platform, has raised $3 million USD [€2.8 million / £2.36 million] in its first funding round.
b0arding.com adds 2m+ rentals and hotels to portfolio at launch
Reading Time: 2 minutesUS: b0arding.com, which describes itself as a next-generation hotel and vacation rental booking platform in the United States, has announced that it has officially launched.