Travel
Airbnb Sells IP to AI Lab Owned by Its CEO and CTO
Airbnb’s CEO and CTO both own part of the lab buying its IP, but the filing gives shareholders little detail on what changed hands.
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Airbnb
Travel
Airbnb Outpaces Rivals With Its Fastest Revenue Growth in 3 Years
Airbnb is making its rivals look relatively sluggish. Is it affordability that's kickstarting demand across regions?
Travel
Airbnb CEO: Our Specialized AI Agents Will Handle ‘Every Vertical in Travel’
There's been speculation for years about whether Airbnb would launch flights. Such small-minded speculation: Airbnb intends to use specialized AI agents to do every travel vertical. Airbnb Cruise, anyone?
Travel
Airbnb-Backed Candidates Lose in LA, a Setback in Push to Loosen Rental Rules
Airbnb’s money may not have bought it a friendlier mayor in Los Angeles. Expect the company to look for other ways to add Olympic supply.
Travel
Why Airbnb Is Spending Big on LA Elections
Airbnb’s LA election spending is framed around the 2028 Olympics. A bigger bet could be on the rules after the Games.
Business
No more washing up: How Airbnb's new house rules have divided hosts and guests
Airbnb hosts must stop asking guests to wash-up or take out bins under rules coming into force in November.
Travel
Wyndham Launches Homes & Havens to Take On Marriott
Whether Wyndham's Homes & Havens can compete with Marriott's far larger collection is an open question. But for Wyndham, this is only day one.
Travel
Hosts Say Airbnb Won’t Remove Unfair Reviews. Guests Say It Removes Too Many.
Hosts and guests both have complaints when it comes to short-term rental review takedowns. For hosts, a single negative review can cost up to hundreds in lost revenue each month.
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Travel
Vrbo Launches Reserve Now, Pay Later — With a Twist on Airbnb’s Approach
Paying nothing up-front has been one of Airbnb's clearest growth levers. Will Vrbo get the substantial lift that Airbnb got when it introduced Reserve Now, Pay Later last year?
Travel
Airbnb.org Aims for 1 Million Free Nights a Year, Funded Partly by a Dime a Booking
Is 10 cents per booking enough of a contribution? Well, it's more than Booking.com and Vrbo donate per stay.
Travel
Airbnb to Require Temporary Phone Numbers for Large Hosts and Guests
Airbnb says the temporary phone numbers are meant to protect privacy. But the change also makes it harder for property managers to turn Airbnb guests into direct bookers.
Travel
Airbnb’s Amex Travel Deal Puts It Inside a Key Expedia B2B Channel
On paper, Airbnb's exclusive short-term rental partnership with Amex Travel didn't change anything for Expedia because it wasn't supplying vacation rentals to Amex Travel. But Expedia's Vrbo has begun supplying vacation rentals to other B2B partners, and now the Airbnb deal blocks that potential expansion.
World
Airbnb scraps guest checkout chores such as cleaning
Under new rules, guests will no longer have to do tasks that cleaners would normally handle. Hosts can now only make "reasonable" requests, such as leaving dirty dishes in the sink and sorting trash from recycling.
Travel
Airbnb Can Now Be Booked Through Amex Travel in Its Deepest Loyalty Tie-Up Yet
By putting its search inside Amex Travel, and letting Amex's premium cardholders spend lodging credits on Airbnb Luxe, Airbnb boosts its high-end inventory and looks a lot more like a conventional lodging supplier than it ever has.
Business
American Express brings Airbnb bookings and rewards to Amex Travel platform
More than 1 million Airbnb listings are now available to book through Amex Travel, allowing customers to earn membership points on prepaid bookings.
Business
Airbnb hosts can no longer make guests strip beds and wash dishes under new rules
The updated policy will apply to all reservations booked on the accommodation site on or after 20 November.
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Travel
Airbnb’s New Policy for Hosts: Don’t Ask Guests to Wash Dishes or Strip Beds
The new policy formalizes a lot of things Airbnb has been pushing hosts to avoid as unreasonable in recent years — and thus it comes with more enforcement bite.
Travel
GMH Bonus: Sam Shank on How AI Could Reshape Online Travel
In this Good Morning Hospitality bonus episode, Wil Slickers sits down with Sam Shank, co-founder and former CEO of HotelTonight, at Skift Global Forum to discuss how AI agents could reshape online travel distribution. Shank explains why AI-driven booking could challenge the sponsored search model that has fueled major online travel agencies like Booking.com and Expedia, while creating new opportunities for specialized agents and booking infrastructure.
Travel
Vrbo Exempts Some Properties From Losing Subscription Plans: Scoop
With some hosts and property managers upset about being unable to renew or convert to subscriptions, Vrbo should be more transparent about why some listings qualify for an exemption while others don't.
Travel
Airbnb Joins Vrbo and Marriott In Paying Guests When It Rains Too Much
The idea is that paying travelers when rain passes a certain threshold can help increase conversions among those worried about weather spoiling their plans. The question is whether guarantees will spread to other types of weather — like the extreme heat seen in Europe this summer.