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.

The power of packages for hotels
From Our Partners / Distribution
The power of packages for hotels
By Sponsored Content | April 19, 2017
Hotels currently have a variety of ways to sell rooms. The halcyon days of basing distribution strategy around the simplistic "direct" and "third-party" options are long gone. Merchant model or net Read More
Ola adds an in-house tours and activities option for customers
News / Technology
Ola adds an in-house tours and activities option for customers
By Martin Cowen | April 13, 2017
Indian taxi app Ola will train its drivers to become tour guides as part of a tie-up with tourism authorities in the state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra is India's third largest state in terms of siz Read More
Airbnb Trips - six months on, still in the treehouses, igloos and yurts phase
News / Distribution
Airbnb Trips - six months on, still in the treehouses, igloos and yurts phase
By Viewpoints | April 11, 2017
Last November, Airbnb announced to the world its next wave of innovation to the strains of Maroon 5 with a dash of Lady Gaga. Trips was to be the next layer in the customer travel experience after Read More
How hotels beat Airbnb by getting in bed with the traveler
News / Distribution
How hotels beat Airbnb by getting in bed with the traveler
By Viewpoints | April 10, 2017
Today’s traveler is apparently digitally savvy and wants to be inspired by destinations and authentic experiences throughout the entirety of their travel lifecycle. Airbnb was one of the first to n Read More
Why OTA commissions are actually a steal of a deal
News / Distribution
Why OTA commissions are actually a steal of a deal
By Viewpoints | April 6, 2017
In the past six months I’ve written about increasing hotel brand fees (Hotel Loyalty Rate Analysis) and increasing loyalty fees (The Great Loyalty Rate Debate). Both articles prompted some very int Read More
Just some of the paths Airbnb (and vacation rental) might take in 2017
News / Distribution
Just some of the paths Airbnb (and vacation rental) might take in 2017
By Viewpoints | April 5, 2017
Fun times in the vacation rental space with the rise and rise of Airbnb, funding for startups, hotels getting in on the act and consolidation around the middle ground. Where it all might head next mak Read More
HundredRooms lands €4 million to push into new markets
News / Distribution
HundredRooms lands €4 million to push into new markets
By Kevin May | March 27, 2017
Vacation rental search engine HundredRooms has brought its total funding €11 million, with its eyes set on launching in more countries. The €4 million round was led by Seaya Ventures and featured p Read More
Beyond beautiful: why travel companies need a better imagery plan
News / Distribution
Beyond beautiful: why travel companies need a better imagery plan
By Viewpoints | March 23, 2017
We spend months analyzing the user experience for our travel sites and writing SEO-friendly copy, but when it comes to photos - as long as we think that the imagery is gorgeous, we think we are done. Read More
Come on, Airbnb - consumers want you on online travel agencies
News / Distribution
Come on, Airbnb - consumers want you on online travel agencies
By Kevin May | March 21, 2017
The people have spoken - Airbnb listings should be integrated into traditional hotel search results. This is the view of the majority of 2,500 travellers in the US that were polled by travel indust Read More
Airbnb, a rumour of Chinese state funding and implications for home rental
News / Distribution
Airbnb, a rumour of Chinese state funding and implications for home rental
By Martin Cowen | March 14, 2017
One of the Chinese government's biggest investment funds reportedly put $100 million into Airbnb's billion dollar fundraising round, which closed last week. The rumour appears to have come from Sky Read More
Another billion dollars for Airbnb
News / Distribution
Another billion dollars for Airbnb
By Martin Cowen | March 10, 2017
Airbnb's latest SEC filing showing another billion dollars has been added to its warchest. The filing also shows that 40 investors were involved in the round, which reportedly values the business a Read More
Startup Pitch: GuestReady plots to ease workload of Airbnb hosts
News / Online
Startup Pitch: GuestReady plots to ease workload of Airbnb hosts
By Kevin May | March 7, 2017
GuestReady is another of a growing number of service startups that have emerged to cater for the ecosystem that surrounds the sharing economy. Working with Airbnb hosts in London and a number of ci Read More
Email marketing for hotels - everything you should be doing (and more)
News / Online
Email marketing for hotels - everything you should be doing (and more)
By Viewpoints | March 6, 2017
Here is something that everybody in the hotel industry already knows (or should do): email marketing has become more important than ever. The cost of click and impression-based marketing on search Read More
Tech initiatives hotels should consider doing right now
News / Distribution
Tech initiatives hotels should consider doing right now
By Kevin May | March 2, 2017
Hotels are often reminded of what they should be doing, or encouraged to try new things as the sector gets more competitive than ever. The latest to have a go was Benjamin Habbel, founding CEO of V Read More
Foursquare offers its location superpower to app developers
News / Technology
Foursquare offers its location superpower to app developers
By Martin Cowen | March 2, 2017
Foursquare is opening up Pilgrim, its proprietary location-based technology, to authorised developers for the first time. In a Medium post, its president Stephen Rosenblatt explained: "By opening Read More
The Phocuswright Conference 2026