Airbnb News

Critics of Expedia Inc.'s 2014-2015 acquisition spree appear to have had a valid point: These sorts of mergers and integrations can be very distracting and complex. Expedia has felt the pain now in the second and third quarters and could be in for some more until it get can get things back on course. Expedia's competitors will take advantage.

Airbnb and New York City have long had a contentious relationship with one another, and it's only going to become even more litigious, now that the short-term rental company is suing the city, its mayor, and the state attorney general. 2017 is going to be interesting for the sharing giant.

Airbnb would like to focus on expanding its product into more aspects of travel, but it's going to keep its lobbyists and lawyers very happy the rest of this year and into the next.

Airbnb is finally trying to meet lawmakers and housing advocates in the middle, but it's unclear if it's willing to provide cities enough access to its data to know if the proposed guidelines will be met.

This report seems to suggest hoteliers don't have much to worry about when it comes to Airbnb but we're dealing more with apples and oranges here than apples and apples.

Despite the large amount of funding Wimdu received in 2011, it was never able to scale its operation on a global basis like Airbnb. The variety of laws restricting the ability of Europeans to list their homes on a roomsharing platform likely hastened its demise.

Can Airbnb succeed in making packaged tours or peer-to-peer travel experiences cool? That's the big question when it comes to its latest investment, which is set to debut at its upcoming Airbnb Open in November. We have a feeling Airbnb just might be able to.

Airbnb has made it clear it's not a hotel company in the traditional sense, but with its latest loyalty play, it appears to be taking its lead from hotel-airline partnerships. Which makes us wonder: Will it eventually launch its own loyalty program in the not-so-distant future? Are other airline partnerships in other global regions also in the works now that they've already formed deals in Australia and the U.S.?

Airbnb may be raising the visibility of traditional serviced apartments in the business travel space. It remains to be seen whether homesharing represents an existential threat to established corporate housing providers.

While regulation is catching up with the Alternative Accommodations scene, the sector itself is still booming thanks to its social and tech-savvy consumers.