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.

Airbnb: Friend or foe to the tours and activities industry?
News
Airbnb: Friend or foe to the tours and activities industry?
By Stephen Joyce | September 13, 2017
Airbnb, alongside other vacation rental services, has been elbowing into the tourism world for years. Until recently, it was seen as a hotel problem. Accommodations were at risk as Airbnb steadily Read More
Airbnb wants to reinvent every aspect of travel
News / Distribution
Airbnb wants to reinvent every aspect of travel
By Martin Cowen | August 16, 2017
Airbnb cofounder and chief strategy officer Nathan Blecharczyk has told Bloomberg TV Asia that that its future lies in "becoming in a platform for the entire trip." When asked about the vision for Read More
Airbnb and overtourism - let the statistics have their say
News / Technology
Airbnb and overtourism - let the statistics have their say
By Martin Cowen | August 11, 2017
Airbnb has released some figures which might please its investors but, on the face of it, do little to appease those who think that the platform is responsible for what is now known as overtourism, Read More
Sharing economy could be worth $40 billion by 2022
News
Sharing economy could be worth $40 billion by 2022
By Martin Cowen | July 24, 2017
Juniper Research's latest attempt to quantify the so-called sharing economy sees it place a value on the sector of $40.2 billion by 2022, compared with this year's $18.6 billion. The valuation is b Read More
Airbnb signs partnership with Flight Centre's corporate travel brands
News / Distribution
Airbnb signs partnership with Flight Centre's corporate travel brands
By Martin Cowen | June 29, 2017
Airbnb continues to become part of the business travel establishment, signing a partnership with Flight Centre Travel Group's (FCTG) corporate travel brands in Australia and New Zealand. Campus Tra Read More
Startup Pitch: Hostfully puts service in the pocket of private accommodation users
News / Online
Startup Pitch: Hostfully puts service in the pocket of private accommodation users
By Kevin May | June 20, 2017
Hostfully is another of the brands to emerge in a bid to benefit from the widening ecosystem around private accommodation. The service produces guides for a guest at a property, on behalf of the ho Read More
Designing a loyalty programme around the modern-day traveller
News / Distribution
Designing a loyalty programme around the modern-day traveller
By Viewpoints | June 19, 2017
There are some influential forces at work in travel, shaping how the market is evolving and challenging brands to think carefully about the future. Alternative accommodation options such as Airbnb, Read More
Meeting marketplace sector consolidates as Gaest acquires Bokarum
News / Distribution
Meeting marketplace sector consolidates as Gaest acquires Bokarum
By Kevin May | June 15, 2017
A six-month-old Danish room booking service in hotels has acquired its Swedish competitor in a bid to corner the Nordic region. Gaest was launched in January this year and has bought Bokarum for an Read More
Airbnb claims 40% of listings are now instantly bookable
News / Online
Airbnb claims 40% of listings are now instantly bookable
By Kevin May | June 14, 2017
Airbnb has taken another step in the direction of its rivals in the vacation rental sector, with what it claims are milestones on booking and technology. For all its popularity and the apparent tec Read More
HomeAway and Airbnb home in on Japan
News / Distribution
HomeAway and Airbnb home in on Japan
By Martin Cowen | June 8, 2017
Japan is emerging as the latest front in the vacation rental/home-sharing battle, with HomeAway and Airbnb taking advantage of an improved regulatory environment. Expedia Inc's HomeAway, which says Read More
How hotels can compete in the new accommodation economy
News / Distribution
How hotels can compete in the new accommodation economy
By Viewpoints | June 5, 2017
We all know the message that Airbnb is supposedly beating the hotel sector in a number of ways. While the hotel industry is experiencing strong growth since the downturn of the economy, alternative Read More
Travel tech investment deals hit four-year high
News
Travel tech investment deals hit four-year high
By Kevin May | May 24, 2017
The number of new funding rounds into travel tech businesses increased by 12% between 2015 and 2016. Although the volume of individual deals climbed during last year, actual levels of funding were Read More
Hitting the mainstream - nothing alternative about alternative accommodation now
News / Distribution
Hitting the mainstream - nothing alternative about alternative accommodation now
By Kevin May | May 22, 2017
It suited the industry vernacular for a long time to pigeon hole everything that wasn't a hotel into the term "alternative accommodation". Long before the emergence of Airbnb and even HomeAway, bra Read More
HomeAway quietly introduces $1 million liability insurance
News / Online
HomeAway quietly introduces $1 million liability insurance
By Kevin May | May 16, 2017
Vacation rental giant HomeAway has started rolling out an insurance programme - the first time it has taken responsibility for the connections it makes between guests and homeowners. The $1 Million Read More
Facebook Reactions - a year of wow and haha for travel and tourism?
News / Online
Facebook Reactions - a year of wow and haha for travel and tourism?
By Nick Vivion | May 11, 2017
Facebook Reactions has just celebrated its first birthday - a reason if any to share a love heart-style - or angry - emoji. But, seriously, while not everyone greeted Reactions with excitement, the Read More
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