Rosie Spinks, Skift
Human trafficking touches every corner of the travel industry — especially hotels. And while the accommodations sector didn't create the problem, it does have an elevated responsibility to put an end to it. The question is: How effective have the industry's efforts been so far?
3 days ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Along with its dining reservations business, Tripadvisor's tours and activities unit had been a bright spot. But well-funded competitors such as GetYourGuide and Klook have tightened the race, and Tripadvisor is feeling it.
3 days ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Airbnb has legions of critics, and it knows that its articulated stakeholder goals will get intense scrutiny. But if the company turns some of these corporate governance aspirations into reality, then it could emerge looking pretty good compared with many established travel industry companies offering just lip service.
1 week ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Booking sites' guests reviews on Google have been a highly charged issue for years. The latest is that Airbnb and TripAdvisor are willingly giving Google their guest reviews of vacation rentals, but they are busy figuring out how not to give away the store in the process.
2 weeks ago
Danielle Hyams, Skift
Airbnb chose Tinseltown to audaciously begin cracking down on party houses. Good PR. Expect to see more adjustments in Airbnb policy as it moves forward with an emphasis on community safety and standards.
3 weeks ago
Nancy Trejos, Skift
The Guild, a hospitality startup, is not quite a hotel but not quite Airbnb. It's betting on $25 million in new funding to expand its apartment-like accommodations to urban centers to attract more business travelers.
3 weeks ago
Associated Press
Airbnb is taking measures to verify its listings as a safety measure, but it looks like police want more, like this request for hosts to register in North Carolina. Good idea.
4 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Airbnb overtook Expedia in room nights booked in the first quarter of 2019, but questions loom for 2020. Will Airbnb lose its focus as it vows to go public and become a broader online travel agency? Will Expedia, which seems lost in terms of creating a revised strategy, find its way? So many headlines to come.
4 weeks ago
Nancy Trejos, Skift
The tug-of-war between hotels and short-term rentals intensified in 2019, with both sides making strategic moves to display their strength. There were wins and losses for everyone, and the result so far has been a deeper blurring of the lines between the two sectors.
1 month ago
Spencer Lee, Skift
Nobody has found the best formula for regulation of the short-term rental industry. But hotel groups and rental platforms both realize that the outcomes of early battles will set precedents for future laws. This might explain why they are so willing to confront and call each other out publicly.
1 month ago
Associated Press, Associated Press
Airbnb has staked its entire model on the sometimes-tenuous idea that it's not an accommodation provider, but a digital platform. The company will be relieved to find that Europe's top court agrees.
1 month ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
Many Airbnb hosts of the mom-and-pop variety — yes, there are a few left — feel aggrieved when they welcome guests into their homes and have to bear the consequences of hostile reviews penned with the worst intentions. Airbnb is trying to tip the balance back toward hosts — and is probably making neither party totally happy.
1 month ago
