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Airbnb hopes to give hosts a stake in the company
If Airbnb has its way, hosting travelers won't just get you some spending money -- it'll get you a stake in the company's future. Axios has discovered that Airbnb sent a letter to the SEC asking for the regulator to permit offering equity to hosts. Airbnb primarily supported changes to Securities Act Rule 701 that would allow offering shares to gig economy workers, not just investors and staff. CEO Brian Chesky characterized it as vital to rewarding the company's supporters.
Airbnb helps companies book team building exercises
You're probably not a fan of corporate team building exercises or offsite meetings, but Airbnb might just make them livelier and easier to organize. The service is expanding its Airbnb for Work program to streamline bookings for company events and beyond. You can sign up for group Experiences that offer team building for a minimum of fuss -- if you think your staff will bond quickly in a sailing lesson, you won't have to sweat all the details. Airbnb will also highlight homes that are helpful for offsites, so you'll know if there's a collaboration-friendly workspace on hand without having to hunt around.
A screenwriter is working on a list of every hit film you can’t stream
We've all had moments trying to hunt down films that just don't seem to be anywhere online, whether on streaming services, for rent or to purchase. Screenwriter John August (Charlie's Angels, Big Fish, the upcoming live-action Aladdin) noticed that Ron Howard's light sci-fi film Cocoon wasn't available online, he started a list collecting other popular films from the last 30-odd years that are completely absent from the internet for reasons unknown -- and he's asking fellow cinephiles to help fill it out.
Get Amazon gift cards just for renting a car from Avis
Avis just found a way to sweeten the deal for frequent travelers: give them breaks on their internet shopping. The firm now gives US car renters an Amazon gift card worth 10 percent of their rental price just for being an Amazon customer -- no, you don't even need Prime. The gift card doubles to 20 percent of the rental price if you book your vehicle through Avis' Alexa skill. If you're the jetsetting sort who needs rental cars on a regular basis, this could easily lead to a few Amazon freebies.
Toyota is launching a car-sharing service in Hawaii
Automakers continue to invest in mobility just in case in the future, people don't buy as many vehicles as they do now. Toyota's the latest to take the plunge into the buzzword du jour with its new Hui car-sharing service launching in Honolulu.
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.
GameStop offers used video game rentals with PowerPass program
If you've rented videos or games from the likes of Redbox or Blockbuster, GameStop's new PowerPass will feel instantly familiar. The video game retailer is launching a rental service for used titles and sign ups will begin November 19th.
Apple extends iTunes movie rentals to 48 hours
It used to be that when you rented a movie from Apple's iTunes service, you'd have 24 hours to finish watching it. You could start streaming the rental within 30 days of purchase, of course. Just a couple of weeks after Apple made 4K an affordable option, the company has doubled the rental time to 48 hours. This is perfect for those of us with young kids who want to watch a movie over (and over and over) or busy schedules that don't let us get to our movies right away. The timer starts even if you're watching the film offline, too.
Redbox deals with Sony and Lionsgate bring discs with no delay
This year Redbox is trying to make a resurgence, adding kiosks after a few years of shrinking availability. Of course, if it's going to draw people in for disc rentals over streaming, it will need to provide the movies they're looking for and renewed studio licensing deals will help make that happen. This week it renewed an agreement with Sony Pictures that secured its movies, once again, for rental at Redbox the same day they go on sale, while Lionsgate made a similar arrangement a couple of weeks ago. As Home Media Magazine notes, recent renewals with Warner and Fox bring their movies to the box a week after they go on sale, leaving Universal as the lone holdout still insisting on a 28-day window. The simple fact is that physical media isn't bringing in as much money as it used to, and studios are more flexible about methods that will keep people using discs instead of Netflix. Of course, Redbox still trails the availability of streaming video-on-demand in many cases, but it's also much cheaper, at just $2 or so for a Blu-ray copy.
Best Buy will let you rent gadgets before you purchase them
Retail is tough. Customers have to be able to figure out which item will best suit their needs while retailers need to make sure their customers are happy enough with their purchases to keep them. One way to serve both needs is with a solid "try before you buy" system, which lets consumers get some hands-on time with items before committing to a full purchase. This is even more useful when customers are looking for big-ticket items like fancy wearables and high-end cameras. Big-box electronics retailer Best Buy has partnered with gadget rental startup Lumoid to provide just such a system, which is due later this month.
Airbnb might soon be legal in Japan
Looks like Airbnb is faring a lot better in Japan than in its own home: it might soon be able to legally operate within the country. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet has given its blessing to the proposed rules that will be imposed upon the service, and they're now on their way to be approved by Japan's National Diet. While home owners won't have to worry about breaking the law when they list their properties, the service's legalization comes with a price. The rules include a 180-day limit on rentals per year, and not all home owners are happy with the restriction.
Airbnb sued by major US apartment landlord
Here's a huge one for the ever-growing pile of lawsuits filed by and against Airbnb. Apartment Investment & Management Co. (AIMCO) has sued the rental service for "helping tenants breach their leases," according to The Wall Street Journal. Denver-based AIMCO, one of the biggest landlords in the US, owns and manages over 50,000 apartments across the country. Real-estate research firm Green Street Advisors told the WSJ that this is the first time Airbnb has been sued by a major landlord. Other apartment owners might now feel emboldened to follow suit if the service refuses to cooperate with them.
Uber's latest option is a personal chauffeur
If you're traveling, or flitting about from one business meeting to another, it can be annoying to arrange a ride for every stop on the journey. Uber is looking to remedy the issue by launching UberHire, a service that lets you rent a car (and driver) for a day. The service is launching in a handful of Indian cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, amongst others.
Cadillac is renting vehicles as a subscription service for $1,500 a month
Variety is the spice of life, but reality is full of commitments. Buying a car typically means being stuck with a specific model for the duration of ownership. If you have enough money to burn, however, Cadillac has another option: Don't own a car. Subscribe to one. Today the company announced Cadillac Book, a "luxury vehicle subscription service" that lets you rent various Cadillac vehicles on the fly. Basically, it's an app-based rental service that carries only one brand of vehicle and costs $1,500 a month.
Airbnb reportedly working on a flight-booking feature
Bloomberg reports that short-term rental listing service, Airbnb is looking to get into airline reservation game as well. According to unnamed sources within the company, Airbnb's plans are still in the formational stages. The company could either acquire an online travel agency outright or simply license the booking data.
Hollywood forces VidAngel to stop streaming its movies
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Warner Bros, Disney and Fox have won an injunction against "family values" streaming service VidAngel. In the aftermath, VidAngel has announced that it will "cease streaming all works for which it has not obtained licensing." The company has also pledged to appeal, taking the fight all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Airbnb outlines where it's willing to compromise with regulators
Airbnb is changing policy in a bid to improve its lobbying powers and help establish itself within city and regional regulations. Having failed in its recent New York lawsuit, it's now attempting to get to some kind of middle ground. It's drawn up a list of "policy recommendations", alongside issues that Airbnb reckons are in the self-interest of government and not the public. The company may have limited power to affect policy, but it's now at least illustrating concessions that it's willing to make.. in order get more hosting properties, more guests and more sweet profit.
GM's car-sharing program links Uber drivers to weekly rentals
While we mostly think of GM's Maven program as just a ZipCar-like car sharing service, it's more generally an option for "flexible" access to vehicles. That's why Maven is a part of Lyft's Express Drive program that offers up short term rentals for drivers, and today it announced a partnership with Uber. Launching with a 90 day pilot in San Francisco, it lets Uber drivers lease a Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu or Trax for $179 per week (plus fees) with no mileage limit, and insurance is included.
Redbox is getting back into streaming and downloads
Redbox's ill-fated attempt to take on Netflix and Hulu shut down in 2014, but Variety reports that it's ready to try again. From the ashes of Redbox Instant rises Redbox Digital, which ditches the subscription element entirely in favor of all-video on-demand all the time. It's focused on the rental and purchase experience, although for now only invited users can try it out.
Zipcar tests pay-per-mile pricing system for short trips
Zipcar currently charges per hour to rent a vehicle from its fleet for a short time. The company is also testing pay-per-mile pricing in a few US cities, but there's no indication as to whether or not the new structure will be widely available in the future. As The Verge explains, the pilot program is actually a combination of the two pricing methods. You can rent a Honda Fit in Chicago for $4.50 an hour during the week or $5.50 an hour on the weekends, both of which tack on an additional 50 cents per mile. With regular pricing, a Nissan Versa costs $10.75/hour on a weekday with a 180-mile allotment before extra fees kick in.
