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 and the tale of two cities
News / Online
Airbnb and the tale of two cities
By Linda Fox | June 12, 2013
Last week an interesting piece popped up on Airbnb's blog entitled Why we're helping Nigel in New York. Read More
Flatora shuts up shop, executive reflects on what went wrong
News / Online
Flatora shuts up shop, executive reflects on what went wrong
By Linda Fox | June 7, 2013
Flatora, a Russia-based marketplace for short-term holiday rentals, is calling it a day, posting a work suspended notice on its website. Read More
Trip4real aims to connect Spanish locals with travellers
News / Online
Trip4real aims to connect Spanish locals with travellers
By Karthick Prabu | June 3, 2013
Trip4real, Spain-based peer to peer platform aims to connect locals with travellers to offer unique and authentic experience. Read More
How startup investment works (or not)
News / Online
How startup investment works (or not)
By PhocusWire | May 22, 2013
Some startups will get about $15,000 from family and friends, maybe $200,000 from an angel investor three months later, and about $2 million from a VC perhaps six months later. Read More
Triip wants to bridge local people and travelers to create rich experience
News / Online
Triip wants to bridge local people and travelers to create rich experience
By Karthick Prabu | May 8, 2013
Travel is supposedly all about memories and the experience people have in-resort. But nowadays travellers are armed with more information beforehand than ever before. Read More
TripAdvisor bolsters vacation rental focus as another acquisition adds Niumba to portfolio
News / Online
TripAdvisor bolsters vacation rental focus as another acquisition adds Niumba to portfolio
By Kevin May | May 7, 2013
Another week, another acquisition for TripAdvisor - this time snapping up Spain-based vacation rental service Niumba in another undisclosed deal. Read More
Seismic shift: Airbnb will let hosts sell tours and activities
News / Online
Seismic shift: Airbnb will let hosts sell tours and activities
By Kevin May | May 1, 2013
Airbnb was essentially always about being a marketplace to let home-owners earn some extra money by renting out a spare room or an entire property. But the model is slowly evolving. Read More
Want to see the future of ecommerce - look no further than eBay and Amazon
News / Online
Want to see the future of ecommerce - look no further than eBay and Amazon
By PhocusWire | April 26, 2013
There are many people gainfully (or otherwise) employed by technology companies second guessing what the future of ecommerce will look like. Read More
Insider Guides bring Gogobot content to Homeaway
News / Online
Insider Guides bring Gogobot content to Homeaway
By Nick Vivion | April 25, 2013
Crowd-sourced content continues to appeal to travel brands, as Gogobot and Homeaway partner on a product called Insider Guides that brings local insider knowledge to travelers. Read More
Kigo rental technology service secures $1.8 million funding round, plots expansion to Asia
News / Online
Kigo rental technology service secures $1.8 million funding round, plots expansion to Asia
By Kevin May | April 25, 2013
Back-end systems in the vacation rental sector are also on the receiving end of investment, as Spain-based Kigo wins a $1.8 million Series A injection this week. Read More
Airbnb, Kayak, and Expedia dish a bit about their plans
News / Online
Airbnb, Kayak, and Expedia dish a bit about their plans
By Sean O'Neil | April 10, 2013
At a panel talk in London last night, representatives from the European divisions of these major online players revealed insights into their strategies, the limits to their growth, and which smaller... Read More
Flatora acknowledges the challenges as it creates an Airbnb for the Russian market
News / Online
Flatora acknowledges the challenges as it creates an Airbnb for the Russian market
By Viewpoints | March 10, 2013
Flatora is Russia’s answer to Airbnb –it’s an online service for short-term accommodation rental in the region with its founders dubbing it the booking.com of the apartments rental market Read More
Previews looking ahead to SXSWi in Austin, Texas
News / Online
Previews looking ahead to SXSWi in Austin, Texas
By Nick Vivion | March 5, 2013
After spending hours combing through endless sessions and parties, here are some of the can't-miss happenings at SXSW 2013, in order of appearance. If you have an addition, please note it in the... Read More
Tujia secures Series B funding, total at $64 million as vacation rental market grows fast in Asia
News / Online
Tujia secures Series B funding, total at $64 million as vacation rental market grows fast in Asia
By Karthick Prabu | February 18, 2013
China-based vacation rental service startup Tujia secured its Series B funding from GGV Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, CDH Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners, Ctrip and HomeAway. Read More
Attack of the Clones - so big brands should rebel and fight back against less authentic startups
News / Online
Attack of the Clones - so big brands should rebel and fight back against less authentic startups
By Viewpoints | January 24, 2013
Is it me or are you noticing more travel startups that are really just technology businesses or media companies operating under the disguise as a leisure travel business? Read More
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