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.

How a UK startup fixed the Airbnb calendar availability problem without being asked
News / Online
How a UK startup fixed the Airbnb calendar availability problem without being asked
By Alex Bainbridge | July 29, 2011
One common theme when technical discussions turn to Person-to-Person (P2P) marketplaces is the concept of availability control. Read More
Airbnb captures $112M funding round, wants global domination
News / Online
Airbnb captures $112M funding round, wants global domination
By Kevin May | July 24, 2011
Almost two months after rumours first surfaced of a mammoth funding round, Airbnb has finally completed its Series B injection of $112 million in capital. Read More
Attention all startups: disrupting the travel industry is extremely hard
News / Online
Attention all startups: disrupting the travel industry is extremely hard
By Alex Bainbridge | July 18, 2011
We talk endlessly about travel startups at Tnooz. Indeed, no publication has covered more travel startups, with over 200 new business profiles published on Tnooz TLabs. Read More
Skyra wants to take on the big boys of rentals with freemium model
News / Online
Skyra wants to take on the big boys of rentals with freemium model
By Kevin May | July 5, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring US-based travel property exchange service Skyra. Read More
China search giant Baidu takes travel seriously with $306M punt on Qunar
News / Online
China search giant Baidu takes travel seriously with $306M punt on Qunar
By Kevin May | July 3, 2011
While some industry folk in the western hemisphere gasp at levels of money being thrown into the likes of Wimdu and Airbnb, over in China there are even bigger sums in play. Read More
HomeAway executes IPO and iStopOver finds room to acquire Vacapedia
News / Online
HomeAway executes IPO and iStopOver finds room to acquire Vacapedia
By Dennis Schaal | June 29, 2011
A few hours after HomeAway priced its IPO and became a public company, there's more activity today in the vacation-rental and rent-a-room market: iStopOver acquired Vacapedia. Read More
MetroGuest aiming to bring new perspective to apartment rental
News / Online
MetroGuest aiming to bring new perspective to apartment rental
By Kevin May | June 22, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring US-based vacation and apartment rental platform MetroGuest. Read More
Five essential mobile applications for overseas travel
News / Online
Five essential mobile applications for overseas travel
By Viewpoints | June 17, 2011
Many of us have become well-accustomed to using our tech gadgets around the house, in our city or across the country. Read More
Wimdu captures mammoth $90M funding round for apartment rental push
News / Online
Wimdu captures mammoth $90M funding round for apartment rental push
By Kevin May | June 15, 2011
Looks like investment bragging rights belong to apartment rental service Wimdu after confirming an eye-watering $90 million funding round ahead of rival Airbnb making its own deal official. Read More
Airbnb admits rogue sales team used Craigslist for stealthy property drive
News / Online
Airbnb admits rogue sales team used Craigslist for stealthy property drive
By Kevin May | June 1, 2011
Apartment rental service Airbnb has confirmed salespeople made unsolicited approaches to property owners on classified listings service Craigslist. Read More
TLabs Showcase - WebChalet
News / Online
TLabs Showcase - WebChalet
By Kevin May | May 31, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring US-based vacation rental distribution and property owner platform WebChalet. Read More
Airbnb snags Hollywood celeb Ashton Kutcher as investor and advisor
News / Online
Airbnb snags Hollywood celeb Ashton Kutcher as investor and advisor
By Kevin May | May 26, 2011
The travel darling of Silicon Valley and the poster child of a social media-led Hollywood have united - Ashton Kutcher has invested in AirBnB and joined as an advisor. Read More
9Flats apartment rental platform brings total funding to $10M
News / Online
9Flats apartment rental platform brings total funding to $10M
By Kevin May | May 17, 2011
More financial validation of the apartment rental sector with news that Germany-based 9Flats has secured a round of funding led by US venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures. Read More
Pocketvillage launches metasearch engine for tours and activities
News / Online
Pocketvillage launches metasearch engine for tours and activities
By Alex Bainbridge | March 14, 2011
Potentially rather big news from ITB in Berlin last week in the tours and activities sector with the official launch of new metasearch service Pocketvillage. Read More
TLabs Showcase - Rentmix
News / Online
TLabs Showcase - Rentmix
By Dennis Schaal | February 16, 2011
TLabs Showcase on travel startups featuring US-based vacation rental search engine Rentmix. Read More
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