Airbnb News and Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb continues to be a major force in the travel industry, redefining how people book and experience accommodations worldwide. At PhocusWire, we bring you the latest Airbnb news, along with broader coverage of the short-term rental sector, including platform innovation, market trends, and regulatory developments that shape this fast-moving space.

Updates on Airbnb, short-term rental trends, and regulatory shifts

Track how Airbnb is evolving its product offerings, enhancing guest and host tools, and adapting to consumer demand for more flexible, immersive travel. Our stories examine the intersection of tech innovation, policy, and platform strategy—providing insight into how short-term rentals continue to influence the broader hospitality landscape.

Travelers waiting to book tours and activities, prefer local experiences
News / Online
Travelers waiting to book tours and activities, prefer local experiences
By Jill Menze | June 27, 2018
Summer is a busy season for tours and attractions operators, with the vacation-heavy months bringing with them an influx of people looking for things to do. But how - and when - are travelers booking... Read More
online tours and activities
Opinion / Online
Quartz (and others) are wrong about tours and activities: Here's why
By Douglas Quinby - Phocuswright | June 22, 2018
In March of this year, Quartz proclaimed that somebody should let Airbnb know that travelers don't like booking tours and activities online. Read More
Travel brands need to rethink "local" if they want to engage customers
News / Distribution
Travel brands need to rethink "local" if they want to engage customers
By Viewpoints | June 22, 2018
This is a viewpoint from Matt Walker, chief storyteller at LikeWhere If airlines and travel brands want to win in 2018, they have to incorporate the customer's preferences in their definition of "l Read More
Millennials and the changing face of the vacation rental industry
News / Distribution
Millennials and the changing face of the vacation rental industry
By Viewpoints | June 21, 2018
This is a viewpoint from Amiad Soto, founder of Guesty. The vacation rental industry, alongside the travel industry in general, is booming. Travel has become a right rather than a privilege. The am Read More
mmgy portrait of american travelers
News / Online
Travelers losing interest in home-sharing, Google gaining ground as travel resource
By Jill Menze | June 20, 2018
For all the chatter of Airbnb stealing scene time away from hotels, traveler interest in home-sharing seems to be waning. Read More
OTA Insight parity tool and report
News / Distribution
OTA Insight launches new parity tool for revenue management
By Mitra Sorrells | June 19, 2018
Hoteliers have a new tool to help them analyze and optimize distribution costs.   Read More
How Booking Holdings thinks about acquisitions and internal growth
News / Distribution
How Booking Holdings thinks about acquisitions and internal growth
By Linda Fox | June 13, 2018
Ever wondered how Booking Holdings thinks about acquisitions and growth more widely? It's recent purchase of tours and activities tech company FareHarbor offers some clues. The team has moved to Am Read More
Report says timeshare failed to evolve against rise of Airbnb
News / Distribution
Report says timeshare failed to evolve against rise of Airbnb
By Kevin May | June 11, 2018
The "sharing economy" in travel didn't arrive on the scene with the advent of global mega-brands such as HomeAway or, more recently, Airbnb. Read More
Airbnb takes long term view as it culls hosts in Japan
News / Online
Airbnb takes long term view as it culls hosts in Japan
By Kevin May | June 5, 2018
Airbnb says the temporary removal of tens of thousands of listings from its platform in Japan will have benefits for it and the sector over time. Read More
Booking.com SimilarWeb report
News / Distribution
Booking.com leads in online traffic with market-customized strategies
By Mitra Sorrells | June 4, 2018
Booking.com is the most visited travel website in the world according to SimilarWeb, with an average of more than 420 million visit per month in the last six months. Read More
How Airbnb grows its host community through online marketing
Opinion / Online
How Airbnb grows its host community through online marketing
By Tao Cui, Ye Wang and Bassel Namih - Airbnb | June 1, 2018
Which ads to buy? How much to pay for each ad? How to measure the performance of each ad? Airbnb built a marketing system to answer these questions. Read More
Tracking traveler dollars: Airbnb vs. hotel chains and cruise lines
News / Online
Tracking traveler dollars: Airbnb vs. hotel chains and cruise lines
By Jill Menze | May 30, 2018
Furthering its sustainable tourism initiatives, Airbnb has released a new report tracking how traveler-spent dollars are allocated across different types of accommodations. The findings claim Airbnb... Read More
VIDEO: Booking.com on its big opportunity in private accommodation
News / Online
VIDEO: Booking.com on its big opportunity in private accommodation
By PhocusWire | May 25, 2018
Booking.com is fighting on a number of fronts these days, having ramped up its strategy on private accommodation over the course of the last two years. Read More
VIDEO: Airbnb on moving forward as a company
News / Online
VIDEO: Airbnb on moving forward as a company
By PhocusWire | May 18, 2018
Airbnb has joined the ranks of brands in the industry that can generally fill a room whenever one of their executive comes along to speak. Read More
3 big ideas for 2018: Airbnb unstoppable, battle for TripAdvisor is over and new players start to reshape the industry
News / Distribution
3 big ideas for 2018: Airbnb unstoppable, battle for TripAdvisor is over and new players start to reshape the industry
By Viewpoints | May 16, 2018
This is a viewpoint from Gitit Greenberg, director of digital insights at SimilarWeb. In an industry as large and significant as travel, even minor changes to the digital hierarchy can have major r Read More
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