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Airbnb rolls out luxury rentals and new benefits for users
Airbnb is once again shaking up how its customers find and book accommodations. At a press conference in San Francisco's Masonic Auditorium on Thursday, the company unveiled a slew of new reservation and website features including new property types, new rental tiers, and "Airbnb Collections" for large groups. The company also announced its commitment to reinvest within its user communities through its revamped Superhost and Superguest programs which will launch later this year.
Detroit begins enforcing its new Airbnb ban (updated)
Detroit authorities are turning up the heat on Airbnb hosts, now that the city's new zoning rules are in effect. According to Detroit Metro Times, the local government has begun sending cease and desist letters to owners, particularly those renting out units in the R1 and R2 (single- and double-family properties) residential zones. Detroit approved an update to the city's zoning code in November, which makes it illegal to rent out homes and rooms in those residential zones, unless it's a secondary property.
Airbnb is investing $5 million to expand Experiences in the US
While Airbnb's focus will always likely be home rentals, it has big plans to grow Experiences this year. It's investing $5 million into expanding Experiences to 200 cities (from 50) across the US in an effort to entice more people to get up and travel. In its announcement, the company shared some growth figures related to the feature: It said global weekly guest booking are up over 2,000 percent since last year and that the number of Experiences are up by 500 percent. It now has 4,000 Experiences on offer around the world and 1,000 across 50 cities in the US.
Facebook, Google lobbyists push for diversity in response to Congress
Silicon valley has a diversity problem. Sexism and racism are everywhere in the technology sector, and it's time to put an end to it. The Internet Association, a lobbying group for some of the biggest names in tech (think Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Facebook, Google and Twitter) has promised to hire a new person to focus on these issues. According to Recode, the new push comes in response to the threat of regulation from the Congressional Black Caucus.
Airbnb cuts half of San Francisco listings as new laws kick in
San Francisco's strict short-term home rental laws just kicked in on Wednesday, and are already having a big effect on SF-based Airbnb. Listing plunged from over 10,000 to around 5,500, dropping around 4,760 listings, the site told the San Francisco Chronicle. Wednesday midnight was the deadline for hosts to register homes with the city for a $250 fee, or face fines as high as $1,000 a day.
Airbnb now gives you the option to pay less up front
Airbnb rentals present affordable, sometimes even unique, alternatives to hotels, but one of the downsides of using the platform is having to pay in full upon booking. Now, the company is finally -- thankfully! -- giving you an option to pay less up front. Starting today, you'll be able to reserve a rental by paying a deposit worth around 50 percent of the total amount in most cases. You'll still have to pay the rest off before you arrive unlike Expedia or Agoda, which sometimes allows you to pay at the hotel itself. But having the option means you can book places much earlier than usual, since you won't have to worry about paying the whole reservation months in advance.
Amsterdam will limit Airbnb rentals to 30 days per year
Last year, Amsterdam limited Airbnb rentals to no more than 60 days in a calendar year but that is about to be halved according to a report from DutchNews.nl. The city's executive board agreed to the proposed shortened limit today and housing alderman Laurens Ivens said, "I recognize that reducing the length of time is not the solution to city congestion but it will reduce the problems caused by tourists in some areas and will make it less inviting to use your home as a way to earn money."
Judge sides with Airbnb in lawsuit from US apartment landlord
Airbnb may have just dodged a bullet. A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled against major American landlord Apartment Investment & Management Co (AIMCO) in its lawsuit accusing Airbnb of helping tenants violate their lease agreements through unapproved short-term rentals. The judge determined that Airbnb was protected by the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet services against liability for the content posted by their users. It's the tenants that are responsible for the rule-breaking listings, the court said, not Airbnb for hosting them.
Airbnb makes it easier to list bed and breakfast rooms
Airbnb was inspired by actual bed and breakfast spots around the globe; it's right there in the company's name. It makes sense, then, that the room-sharing company would finally partner up with the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) and a leading B&B reservation management system, ThinkReservations, to make it easier for B&B owners to offer their spaces up on Airbnb itself.
Paris cracks down on unregistered Airbnb properties
Airbnb has a long history of legal struggles in various cities in which it operates. Now, according to a report in AFP, Paris has requested that Airbnb comply with new regulations to register with the city. If the company (along with four other competitors -- HomeAway, Paris Attitude, Sejourning and Windu) won't de-list apartments that owners haven't registered with the city, Paris plans to take them to court.
Airbnb will add VR previews of rooms and cities
Airbnb has been expanding to serve users' other needs, from partnering with WeWork to find desks for traveling customers to investing in apartment complexes for season-length rentals. But the company isn't neglecting its main rental service. Today, Airbnb announced it has plans to implement the cool technologies du jour -- virtual and augmented reality -- to give tenants a closer look at the rooms they're looking to reserve.
Airbnb's split payments option is now available to all group travel
One of the most requested features on Airbnb has been the ability to split payments among members of a group traveling together. After all, it's never fun to run after your friends for payment, and according to Airbnb, 43 percent of American group travelers have lost $1,000 or more as a result. Now, after months of testing, the accommodation service is rolling out a group payment tool around the globe.
Twitter and others warn FCC of 'disastrous' net neutrality reversal
Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit and Airbnb were among 200 firms that signed a letter warning FCC Chairman Ajit Pai not to roll back net neutrality, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Dated on Cyber Monday (November 27th), the letter notes that record Black Friday sales are "a testament to the power of the free and open internet to encourage entrepreneurship, drive innovation, make our lives easier, and to support a healthy economy."
Airbnb is reportedly being used to launder money
Criminals have long been exploiting online marketplaces for money laundering purposes, and the latest service to reportedly fall prey to fraudsters is Airbnb. According to a Daily Beast report, Russian scammers are leveraging the service to launder dirty cash from stolen credit cards with the help of corrupt hosts. The fraudsters are recruiting for their Airbnb abuses on Russian-language crime forums, with posts seeking everything from collaborators to hacked accounts.
Airbnb buys startup to help you find disability-friendly rentals
Airbnb knows its hosts haven't always been kind to people with disabilities, and it's taking some definitive steps to fix that weakness. The company just bought Accomable, a startup that helps you embark on disability-friendly travel. While Accomable is winding down over the months ahead, its accommodation listings will find their way into Airbnb's entries for over 60 countries. You'll know if a host really does have accommodations for disabled guests throughout the home, not just wheelchair access at the entry. Also, Airbnb is pursuing its own improvements to help you make more informed choices.
Airbnb taps San Francisco's biggest landlord for short-term rentals
Airbnb is recruiting San Francisco's largest landlord to allow tenants to offer their apartments as short-term rentals. In return for Veritas Investments serving up five of its buildings, Airbnb will give it a cut of the nightly revenue (10 percent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle), as part of the incentives it launched a year ago.
Tech companies file briefs supporting challenges to DACA withdrawal
Major tech companies are still voicing their support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that protects undocumented immigrants that came to the US when they were children. President Trump decided to end DACA protections in September and while tech companies spoke out in support of DACA prior to and following that decision, many have now filed a document backing those that are challenging the president's move in court.
Airbnb's Select vetted homes may arrive next year
Back in June, reports came out that Airbnb has conjured up a project called "Select" that will offer vetted homes and rooms to the more discerning customers. According to a new report by The Information, Airbnb is planning a limited launch of that initiative sometime in 2018. It's unclear how many Select listings will be available during the limited launch, but the company is reportedly aiming to offer hundreds of thousands of Select homes in the future.
Airbnb plans five more complexes after its first Florida apartments
A new report from Financial Times confirms last month's rumors that Airbnb will launch a new apartment complex in Florida in partnership with a real estate firm. The rental company plans to pitch the location as prime opportunity for seasonal tenants who will be able to rent their units out for up to 180 days a year.
Airbnb and WeWork team up to find desks for business travelers
There's one thing a hotel can offer that most Airbnbs can't: easy access to a conference room and various office amenities. In an effort to make up for that and to entice young professionals to book a rental rather than a hotel room, Airbnb has teamed up with WeWork. According to Bloomberg, corporate customers will be able to save a slot at the nearest WeWork office workspace when they rent a room on Airbnb's website. As the publication said, the partners will likely have a tough time luring wealthy execs away from their hotels. But the new feature sounds useful for those who simply want access to a desk, printer, WiFi and other common office facilities while traveling.
