Top Stories
-
Is Airbnb illegal in New York? Definitely not, but many of its hosts break the law
OriginalYesterday a New York City judge ruled that Nigel Warren, a tenant in who rented his apartment to a user on Airbnb would have to pay a $2,400 fine for breaking a New York State law that prohibits almost all rentals of apartments for less than 30 days in the city. The New York Times‘ [...]
-
Airbnb host will have to pay $2,400 fine from New York City
RoomsNigel Warren, the New York tenant who ended up in trouble with the city after renting his room out on Airbnb, just got some bad news. A judge on the city’s Environmental Control Board (ECB), which arbitrates these matters, has found Warren’s landlord guilty of the violation and fined him $2,400. Although the fine was [...]
-
Airbnb CEO interview: No room for anonymity in sharing economy
DigitalIn the wake of Airbnb moving to a Verified ID system to enhance trust between hosts and prospective guests, NBCNews.com’s Ben Popken spoke with Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky about trust and security, and what the new feature means for the evolution of Airbnb. Skift reprints the interview with permission. NBC NEWS: How does anonymity [...]
-
TripAdvisor advises against mobile apps for its hotel customers
DigitalTripAdvisor is advising its hotel customers that they should definitely fine-tune their mobile offerings, but should probably steer clear of mobile apps. “They can be expensive to create, so only develop an app if you have enough frequent travelers who’ll use it often enough,” TripAdvisor says, referring to downloadable mobile apps, in a new TripAdvisor [...]
-
The biggest battle coming in online travel: Tripadvisor Vs. Kayak
DigitalGoogle who? That’s what the people at Kayak, who so feared the impact of Google Flight Search, must be saying as they watch events unfold at TripAdvisor, which likely is a much larger threat to Kayak’s business. Consider that there is a lot more money in hotel metasearch (TripAdvisor) than flights (Google Flight Search), and [...]
-
TripAdvisor acquires Spanish vacation rental site and dramatically boosts portfolio
DigitalTripAdvisor has acquired its third vacation rental business, Niumba.com in Spain, a move that will dramatically increase TripAdvisor’s vacation rental properties. TripAdvisor says Madrid-based Niumba, with more than 120,000 properties in Spain, and 230,000 overall, will continue to operate as a separate brand, although its listings will be integrated into TripAdvisor and HolidayLettings. At the [...]
-
The Germans snapping up vacation homes in Italy that Italians can’t afford
DestinationsYasemin Rosenmaier has been selling homes in northern Italy since 2005 and she’s finding that there’s never been a better time to work for a German broker. “I’d say 60 percent of our closings are with Germans, which is much higher than in previous years,” Rosenmaier said by telephone from her Engel & Voelkers office [...]
-
Spain may restrict vacation rentals for non-licensed properties
DestinationsPrivate holiday rentals could be restricted across Spain under a new law being debated in parliament seen as favouring the hotel industry. Alarmed at the number of tourists now choosing to rent accommodation privately instead of through hotels and registered tour companies, Spain’s parliament is poised to pass a new law that will restrict the [...]
-
Airbnb wants to see your ID: Users will need to confirm real-world identities
Rooms… Going further than any significant consumer tech company has before, the peer-to-peer travel accommodation site, valued at $2.5 billion, wants to combine users’ online and offline identities with a process that includes checking official photo IDs. It’s a gamble. In order to better foster a service where users are on their best behavior and [...]
-
NYC’s largest development reminds residents they can be evicted for vacation rentals
OriginalTripAdvisor-owned vacation rental site FlipKey is dipping its toes into the New York market, but it may get them bit off before it gets a firm footing. [Updated with quote from FlipKey, below] Unlike the apartment share site Airbnb, which specializes in urban rentals, FlipKey has traditionally kept to vacation and second-home markets like Orlando, [...]
