Airbnb News

Hotel executives should no longer consider Airbnb solely a budget hospitality brand catering to a fringe element of consumers.

A picture is worth 1,000 words. A Facebook Album is worth "talking about." Don't hesitate, ask your fans to share their prized travel photos, it's a win-win proposition.

2014 is turning out to be a consolidation year, with big getting bigger. But there is lots of interesting jostling beyond leaders, and that's where the action will be rest of the year. Airbnb's rise has been spectacular, and will continue to break through on the charts.

In startup land, B2B companies providing services to the vacation rental and apartment-sharing industry are hot, hot, hot.

TripAdvisor isn't exactly a wild-eyed daredevil, but the fastest growing category on its Flipkey accommodation site is apartment rentals, a category that flirts with illegality in large, urban markets like New York.

Instagram usage is picking up steam for travel brands.

Airbnb has built a narrative around its business that is one of the more compelling in the business.

The Priceline Group's culture is fairly buttoned up so the company wouldn't think about doing Airbnb-style apartment rentals at this juncture, but if the legal hassles eventually get sorted out, then Priceline would take a hard look.

I hate to see so many talented travel startup people working away at ideas that obviously have little chance to succeed. Do we need another trip-planning app or metasearch company? These are very early days for Uber and Airbnb, but it is totally evident that they have set out to do something different.

The idea of having an authentic local travel experience is what drives many travelers to use Airbnb. That could be ruined by recreating a traditional travel cycle in which hosts and agents receive perks for their recommendations.