Airbnb News

Airbnb is evolving as a social network as much as a room sharing platform with services like its new Community Center page, which hosts and guests used right after the Paris attacks.

Airbnb launched the "Business Travel Ready" program to help hosts better develop the guest experience for executive travelers.

The Airbnb Community Compact, released this week, says all the things it wants cities to hear, but it's the hosts that have real insight.

Expedia's purchase of HomeAway sets the stage for big moves in the online booking sector.

Booking.com wants to change the narrative: Its growth, and especially its girth, compare favorably with Airbnb's on the apartment rental front. And Booking.com can show some digital one-up-manship too because all of its 21 million rooms are instantly confirmable.

Airbnb: potential distribution partner or industry threat? Some hotel companies and booking sites say neither, while others are keeping a watchful eye on both the positive and negative effects Airbnb may create.

From a financial perspective, charging a booking fee to travelers was the missing piece from HomeAway -- and the company telegraphed several months ago that it was coming. Charging travelers fees will enable HomeAway to lower commissions to vacation rental owners to be more competitive with Airbnb and Flipkey.

San Francisco housing is a disaster created by city leaders who have failed to plan, greedy residents who are out for a buck, and an economy that's granting outsize salaries to young people without much sense. Airbnb is only part of the problem, and Prop F is only part of the solution.

Airbnb takes another step closer to the mainstream through its new partnership with American Express. Hosts who are American Express cardholders will receive visible credentials on Airbnb, creating a new layer of host verification.

Extended stay hotels don't have a real threat from Airbnb, but they may have a good distribution partner in the platform.