Jun 20, 2016 | hospitality business, New & Press, sharing economy
Source: New York votes to ban ads for whole apartments on Airbnb
According to Engadget Airbnb is not at all happy with the recent ruling by New York to “make it illegal just to advertise your entire place for a short (under 30 days) rental. You’ll face a $1,000 fine the first time you’re caught, $5,000 the second time and $7,500 the third. Governor Cuomo still has to sign the bill into law, but that’s likely to be a mere formality.”
It was already illegal to offer your whole apartment for short-term rentals through services like Airbnb, but this new bill is “giving that legislation some added bite.’ No wonder then in this article “Airbnb Hurt by NY Ban on Short Term Rental Ads” we hear that the company feels it is unjust.
Airbnb says NY Ban on Short Term Rental Ads is a “conspiracy between the government and the hotel industry, and argues that it’ll increase the odds of bankruptcy, eviction, or foreclosure for 30,000 state residents who might otherwise struggle to make ends meet.”
What worries NY is that housing supply is dwindling as many realestate speculators buy up properties “solely to profit from Airbnb rentals. “The would-be law should limit short-term rentals to people who actually live in their homes.”
Shared Travel Economy Under Attack
Its not the first or last time that we will see Airbnb come under pressure. The successfully won the vote when San Francisco moved to stop their short term rental with a proposed bill that would limit home rental to 3 moths a year. “The City initiative would have meant house renters could only let homes for under 90 nights a year. They undertook studies that showed how Airbnb has removed available housing for residence. A problem where 63% of homes are valued at $1 million or more and rents are now an average of over $4,000.” See AirBnb wins over San Fancisco.
Hotel association dont like this type of shared hospitality as it cuts into hotel revenue. They lobby hard to contain these properties saying that they are unlicensed establishments that do not comply with city regulation and are not governed by hospitality standards. At the same time Governments also need to know that accommodations offered to tourists are of acceptable standards. They want to sustain their tax base and they also worry about availability of reasonably housing for residents. Both are staked against Airbnb who is likely to have several more fight on its hand.
Nov 26, 2015 | Marketing, metasearch, New & Press
Source: Metasearch for vacation rentals gains momentum
There seems to be a growing interest in alternative accommodation and especially what is now being called the Vacation Rentals market. That terms was made popular by Flipkey and then became an established category on TripAdvisor when they took over FlipKey. All the while sites like HomeAway, Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO) and dozens of villa rentals, and apartments for rent sites were competing for market share. Airbnb created a storm with its aggressive advertising and positioning. Now the German company HomeToGo, a metasearch engine for vacation rentals, is launching its USA service.
Part of the reason that vacation rentals are more attractive is the gradual shift away from cookie-cutter holiday to the do it yourself mentality of the Independent minded Traveller. This market has been around for ages but its more in vogue today as the travel market matures. It is also how the new millennials like to travel.
Many resorts are gearing up to cater exclusive to these travelers. An example is St. Lucia’s Ocean View Villa resort ; Poinsettia. Their website featuring private villa apartments for rent in St. Lucia has several pages dedicated to Independent travel and helpful tips for those who are looking for the authentic Caribbean holiday experience away from the crowds.
In the article HomeToGo points out that “Currently served by large home-share companies, the US online travel industry is fragmented in regards to vacation rentals with thousands of companies in the US alone. Searching and comparing vacation rentals can be time-consuming and confusing due to overlapping inventory and booking fees.
Tripping CEO Jen O’Neal says that the recent merger of HowmeAway with Expedia is good for business: “This is great news for HomeAway, Expedia, and the industry as a whole. It shows that vacation rentals are becoming increasingly mainstream and that OTAs need to have a solid stake in VR to remain competitive.”
The Meta-booking now established in hotel search, and especially on TripAdvisor, is now being adapted to vacation rentals. This, O’Neal adds that “Tripping will facilitate around one million meta-bookings by next year”. Tey are not alone: – There is lots of competion and many new entries such as the Vacatia with its resort rental marketplace which raised $8.8 million to launch.
See full report on tnooz: Metasearch for vacation rentals gains momentum
Aug 11, 2014 | OTAs
Airbnb’s CEO explains his company in a way Stephen Colbert can understand | VentureBeat | Business | by Joey Cosco, Business Insider.
I changed the heading to confronted by Stephen Colbert because Stephens starts by suggesting AirBnB business model is like prostitution. Of course it the Colbert Humour but it could make any business man shudder. Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky took it with a smile and quickly assert himself as a passionate campainer for a an alternative way for people to travel. It is clear that his model has caught on. The company is in every country except 4. And 25% of the 600,00 who attended Braziles World Soccer, stayed in an AirBnB property.
Read the article and see the video of the confrontation at http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/08/airbnbs-ceo-explains-his-company-in-a-way-stephen-colbert-can-understand
OK confrontation is a strong word, but even with a smile and with humour, its Stephen Colberts Style..
Jul 21, 2014 | visual tourism marketing, visual travel bookings
How Airbnb’s redesign supports the next generation of mobile travelers – Mobile Marketer – Content.
Its always a tradeoff when designing a Responsive Website for Mobile Devices and small screen viewing. On our first iteration we had a headed debate over favoring text over image. In the end Visials won out and that exactly what AirBnb has decided. The redesign reduces the amount of text to put a bigger emphasis on informational visuals, including video, to offer a more personalized experience. It is aimed at mobile-savvy travelers who are looking for a personal connection to the places they visit.
said Jeff Anulewicz, executive director of strategy and analytics at MXM sums it up as: “By reducing the amount of text, using more compelling and informational visuals, including the addition of video, and focusing on lifestyle-oriented content, they are streamlining the most meaningful information and encouraging engagement by showing vs. telling. They are emphasizing that this is not just a replacement for a hotel, but an invite to join a new community of trusted travelers and hosts, to share an experience with a stranger and perhaps, for a moment step into someone else’s life”.
Well We don’t need any argument at all. Its the reason why we build the visualbookingstechnology and reinventing marketing and travel planning as a fully visual experience.
Also see How Visual Platforms are Changing Travel
More on AirBnB see http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/content/18265.html
Apr 22, 2014 | direct bookings
More Legal Hot Water for Airbnb | Inc.com.
“New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman Monday filed an affidavit with the state Supreme Court in Albany claiming that the majority of Airbnb listings in New York are illegal.”
The issue is that renting accommodation for less than 30 days is in general illegal in New York for those renters who are not continually residing in their apartment. For Airbnb, 64% of its nearly 20,000 in New York are an “entire apartment,” not a shared space, as the law would seem to mandate.
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