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 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
Uber raises $1.2 billion in investment and puts valuation at eye-watering $17 billion
News / Distribution
Uber raises $1.2 billion in investment and puts valuation at eye-watering $17 billion
By Kevin May | June 6, 2014
The founders of Uber will indeed be treating themselves this weekend after announcing a mammoth $1.2 billion investment round. The US-based, private car rental service has secured its latest inject Read More
Airbnb continues to experiment, asking hosts to throw dinners for strangers
News / Distribution
Airbnb continues to experiment, asking hosts to throw dinners for strangers
By Nick Vivion | June 4, 2014
Airbnb is stepping into yet another sub-category of the sharing economy: dinner with strangers. This is territory defined by smaller startups such as EatWith and Feastly, which have used minimal re Read More
Sharing managed travel - how much are Google employees spending with Airbnb?
News / Distribution
Sharing managed travel - how much are Google employees spending with Airbnb?
By Kevin May | May 23, 2014
Depending on who you ask, "sharing economy" brands sites such as Airbnb will either be a huge threat or have no impact at all on corporate travel. The smarter industry commentators know that the re Read More
Airbnb to turn over over anonymized records to New York authorities
News
Airbnb to turn over over anonymized records to New York authorities
By Sean O'Neil | May 21, 2014
In an announcement today, Airbnb, the peer-to-peer short-term housing rental network, agreed to a request from New York State's Attorney General for anonymized records of users in the city. This en Read More
Booking.com launches rental site Villas.com
News / Distribution
Booking.com launches rental site Villas.com
By Kevin May | May 13, 2014
Major product extension for Booking.com as it launches its first standalone brand in the guise of Villas.com. The Priceline-owned accommodation giant officially unveiled the site this week in a bid Read More
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