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Marriott plans to take on Airbnb with its own home-rental service
The line between the traditional hotel industry and the home-rental industry has become increasingly blurred. Last month, Airbnb bought HotelTonight, a last-minute hotel booking company. Now, Marriott is looking to take on Airbnb. According to The Wall Street Journal, Marriott could become the first major hotel company to offer home rentals.
Half of Airbnb's New York City hosts are breaking the law
New York's Attorney General already suspects that most Airbnb rentals in New York City are dodgy, and he now has some extra evidence to back up that claim... from Airbnb itself. The room sharing service has published data which, when given a close inspection, reveals that 55 percent of NYC hosts are (typically) violating the law by renting out whole apartments while they're gone. They're not necessarily setting up illegal hotels, but the Attorney General's 2014 report revealed that 37 percent of revenue came from hosts with three or more listings. Unless there's been a change in the past year, the odds are high that some of those recent hosts are abusing Airbnb to make a tidy profit.
Airbnb promises to work more closely with cities on home rentals
To say that Airbnb's relationship with cities is sometimes confrontational would be an understatement. At times, it's practically contemptuous. The home rental service is trying to offer an olive branch, though -- it just posted a Community Compact that promises a better relationship with the cities where it operates. Airbnb is promising to communicate with each city on a case-by-case basis, and make sure that it pays its "fair share" of taxes. It's also vowing more transparency, and to encourage "responsible" home sharing (such as discouraging people who turn homes into permanent hotels).
'Airbnb for Airbnb' lets you stay somewhere while you rent your place
So you've decided to make some extra money renting out your apartment on Airbnb, only to realize that you need your own place to stay in the meantime. Don't worry, there's a service for that. Welcome to CISWYWIRMPOA? (Can I Stay with You While I Rent My Place on Airbnb?), a site that lets you arrange to stay with another Airbnb host. This "Airbnb for Airbnb" (their words) is largely ad hoc. Once you pair with someone, it's up to you to decide on payments -- the service suggests splitting your rental revenues or offering to host your new friend, but there aren't any firm rules. Yes, it's a bit absurd, but it shows that Airbnb is now big enough that some hosts want their own support network.
