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.

Three online travel giants and three approaches to the new travel ecosystem
News / Distribution
Three online travel giants and three approaches to the new travel ecosystem
By Viewpoints | August 11, 2014
This year has illustrated that major online players now appear to want the traveler to get everything they need in a single point of sale. The evolution of the Airbnb brand, Priceline's acquisition Read More
Lab-testing new formulas for digital travel
News
Lab-testing new formulas for digital travel
By Gene Quinn | August 4, 2014
Question: What do you call take-out tacos, oceans of Red Bull, midnight beer-and-pizza, bottomless pots of coffee, dozing on beanbag chairs and futons, wads of cash as prizes and bulletproof wifi? Read More
The travel sharing economy is having its Napster Moment right now
News
The travel sharing economy is having its Napster Moment right now
By Viewpoints | July 31, 2014
Remember 1999? Sure you do. The dotcom bubble was in full effect: come up with any idea, really any idea, and add ".com" to it, and you could raise millions. We now know in hindsight that many of t Read More
The sharing economy begins assault on business travel
News / Distribution
The sharing economy begins assault on business travel
By Nick Vivion | July 30, 2014
The annual Global Business Travel Association Convention is generally the bastion of big business, with legacy companies exhibiting to retain and grow their corporate client lists. Some startups targe Read More
Airbnb goes after business traveller, seals deal with Concur
News / Distribution
Airbnb goes after business traveller, seals deal with Concur
By Linda Fox | July 28, 2014
It was only a matter  of time before Concur and Airbnb formed some sort of partnership and today the wait is over. Back in April, Concur revealed use of the peer-to-peer accommodation platform by C Read More
Airbnb announces complete rebranding with a "symbol of belonging"
News / Distribution
Airbnb announces complete rebranding with a "symbol of belonging"
By Nick Vivion | July 16, 2014
P2P rental pioneer Airbnb has announced a new direction and a fresh look at an international event broadcast live from the original Airbnb apartment. The event, which was widely promoted to communi Read More
The Airbnb Effect shows everyone should be investing in the sharing economy
News / Distribution
The Airbnb Effect shows everyone should be investing in the sharing economy
By Viewpoints | July 11, 2014
Every week it feels like there is a yet another senior figure in the hotel industry commenting on the spectre that is Airbnb. The earlier tirades against the unfairness of it all, taxes being avoid Read More
Startup pitch: Growth hacker Zilyo applies metasearch to vacation and peer-to-peer rentals
News
Startup pitch: Growth hacker Zilyo applies metasearch to vacation and peer-to-peer rentals
By Sean O'Neil | July 1, 2014
In 2013, Hamed Al-Khabaz was kicked out of Montreal’s Dawson College after stumbling upon a giant security flaw in one of its major computer systems. A couple of months later, in April 2013, he and Read More
HomeAway reaches one million listings, has eye on several million more
News / Distribution
HomeAway reaches one million listings, has eye on several million more
By Nick Vivion | June 25, 2014
Today marks a milestone for vacation rental company HomeAway, as the platform now features one million listings scattered across the globe. No other company in the vacation rentals vertical has man Read More
Lessons for travel startups from Uber and OpenTable: Disrupt, fix or make money
News / Distribution
Lessons for travel startups from Uber and OpenTable: Disrupt, fix or make money
By Alex Bainbridge | June 19, 2014
The last few weeks have seen two major travel startup new stories, perhaps giving hope to countless young businesses in the sector. Firstly, OpenTable "exited" to Priceline for a cool 2.6 billion d Read More
Tujia, the Asian vacation rental site, raises $100 million
News
Tujia, the Asian vacation rental site, raises $100 million
By Sean O'Neil | June 18, 2014
It's a big day for entrepreneurs Melissa Yang and Jun Luo China's largest holiday rental site Tujia netted $100 million in Series C funding yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal. Past Read More
Chinese Airbnb-type service Xiaozhu raises $15 million
News / Online
Chinese Airbnb-type service Xiaozhu raises $15 million
By Karthick Prabu | June 17, 2014
Xiaozhu, a peer to peer accommodation rental marketplace, has raised $15 million in a Series B round led by Legend Capital. Previous investor Morningside Capital has followed up contribution to the Read More
RealPage acquires vacation rental technology provider Kigo for $32 million
News / Distribution
RealPage acquires vacation rental technology provider Kigo for $32 million
By Kevin May | June 17, 2014
More activity behind the scenes in vacation rental technology as Spain-based Kigo is snapped for $32 million by property management company RealPage. Kigo's is a provider of scheduling software, ch Read More
The impact of mobile on hotel in-market service
News / Technology
The impact of mobile on hotel in-market service
By Viewpoints | June 12, 2014
Consumers have all the hotels in the world at their fingertips, but how do they weed their way through all the clutter and “find something new” when there is only so much time in the day? NB: This Read More
Homestay grabs $3 million funding, buys rival HomestayBooking
News
Homestay grabs $3 million funding, buys rival HomestayBooking
By Kevin May | June 10, 2014
Homestay, a self-styled "Airbnb competitor" for hosted stays around the world, has landed $3 million from Delta Partners. The capital raise for the Dublin-based startup was supported by the country Read More
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