San Diego Union-Tribune – Despite Airbnb, hotels still seeing record profits
April 25, 2017 Hotels across the country are continuing to experience record profits and occupancy levels, even as competition heats up from home-sharing rivals like Airbnb. In a report released Wednesday, the industry research firm STR provided data showing that hotel industry revenues across the U.S. reached $199 billion in 2016, an increase of nearly […]
WAMU – As D.C. Faces Affordability Crisis, Legislators Take Aim At Airbnb And Other Home-Sharing Platforms
April 26, 2017 When Valerie Ervin was looking for a place to stay in D.C. late last year, she turned to Airbnb, the popular home-sharing service. She quickly found an apartment in a building in Columbia Heights she could rent by the night. “The unit that I actually rented myself from Airbnb for three nights […]
The Washington Post – DC sues company for allegedly treating rent-control apartments like ‘hotel rooms’
April 25, 2017 The District’s Attorney General is suing a California company for allegedly turning units in four D.C. apartment buildings into illegal short-term rentals. Attorney General Karl A. Racine on Friday filed a lawsuit against Ginosi USA Corp., a Los Angeles-based travel accommodations company, alleging that the short-term rentals are prohibited under the District’s […]
CKNW Radio – Another luxury-building operating short-term rentals without proper permits in Vancouver
April 24, 2017 It’s been on the City of Vancouver’s radar for years for illegally operating as a hotel, but CKNW’s ongoing investigation into illegal short-term rentals in Vancouver has discovered the Carmana Plaza continues to flout the law without penalty. Carmana Plaza gained attention back in 2015, when – after six years of running […]
Rivard Report – Short-Term Rentals Debate to Continue at City Hall, State Lege
April 24, 2017 While San Antonio wrestles with formulating its own rules for short-term/vacation rental properties and platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway, the Texas Legislature is considering a bill that would limit the reach of local regulations. Senate Bill 451 by State Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills), which passed the Senate last week with […]
Tech Crunch – Seattle grapples with Airbnb in proposal to limit hosts to two properties
April 24, 2017 Seattle will move forward with plans to restrict how many units its residents can list on short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. Keeping things a little more lax than cities that have adopted a one-host, one-home policy, Seattle’s proposal would allow each short-term rental host to list their own place of […]
Washington City Paper – Opposing Sides Gear Up for Hearing on D.C. Bill That Would Regulate Airbnb
April 24, 2017 Short-term rental companies, Airbnb included, are locking horns with a coalition of advocates over legislation that would regulate those companies’ activities in the District. Both sides are lobbying local lawmakers and rallying supporters in advance of a D.C. Council hearing on the proposal set for Wednesday. The hearing will likely last for […]
Tech In Asia – Opinion: Why Airbnb’s China expansion is stumbling
April 21, 2017 “This is how you kill a successful foreign brand fast: start with a stupid Chinese name.” This was a comment on LinkedIn regarding Airbnb’s latest rebranding in China and is just one of many examples of how the Chinese have responded to the company’s new local name… Source
LF Press – City report probes rules and potential problems regarding online renting services like Airbnb
April 22, 2017 With ride-sharing now cleared up, London is taking a closer look at home-sharing. City hall bylaw officials are working on a plan to handle what they’re calling short-term accommodations — the renting of private rooms or houses for hotel-length stays through online services like industry giant Airbnb. “We want to get ahead […]
San Gabriel Valley Tribune (Opinion) – Airbnb hosts are nothing more than ersatz hoteliers: Guest commentary
April 22, 2017 When I moved into my neighborhood in Northwest Pasadena in the early 1980s, it was riddled with unkempt rentals. Over decades, my neighbors and I have slowly clawed back the community using neighborhood organizations, Neighborhood Watch and historic designations to restore the community to homeowners with vested interest and community pride. The […]