Airbnb News

The latest in Airbnb News, Photos, Top Stories and Announcements, keeping you up-to-date with the home sharing platform developments that might affect you and your property.

The Party’s Over – Airbnb Suspends 800 UK listings

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Airbnb Suspend Party Listings

Airbnb has suspended more than 800 listings in the UK after they believed that they have been used as party houses. The suspension covers the listings that have defied policies or received complaints on events and parties which are banned by the company.

In the company’s commitment to crack down on the antisocial behaviour, they have blocked UK reservations attempts over 13,500 in a single month by introducing a pilot restriction that put a stop to some reservations from the people living nearby and under the age of 25 years.

Airbnb has introduced some ground rules to be followed to prevent certain behaviour at its listed rental properties. This included banning parties at their rental properties internationally, the introduction of the pilot booking restrictions, and launching of the neighbour tools, this is where neighbours can share their concerns about any of their listings to them directly for investigating.

It started as the organization stated they will be restricting reservations in England following the lockdown introduction by the government, to make sure that no one goes against the Covid restriction rules.  From Friday 6th November to Wednesday the 2nd of December during this time all the new reservations will be done with the new temporary restrictions.

Guests who are legally not subject to the restrictions will be allowed to have long-term reservations on Airbnb. But the company will be continuously reviewing measures and keeping an eye on the way forward by the government.

The director of public policy at the organization, Patrick Robinson, issued a “zero tolerance” warning to any guest using the platform.

With the plans of filing the necessary Initial Public Offering (IPO) documents before the end of November, just before the stock market launching in December. This company is completed to its pledge to find and remove guests and hosts may still want to hold the house parties and large gatherings and fail to follow the social distancing rule.  Airbnb is positive about attracting more investors as they pursue a new IPO deal exceeding $30 billion.

Host Update with Catherine Powell | August 20th, 2020

Hosts Now Must Enrol to Airbnb’s Cleaning Policy

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Airbnb is mandating extra cleaning protocols for homes and buildings to stay in compliance.

Airbnb is looking to make new safety measures that are set to go in place by November 20th to make sure everything is clean during this global crisis.

If a host does not comply with these new protocols they may be removed from the Airbnb platform.

The new Enhanced Cleaning Protocol was first brought out in April due to the lockdowns that happened all over the world. There is a five-step process for cleaning. This includes scrubbing all of the floors, wiping down and disinfecting surfaces that are high touch areas, washing all bed sheets and linens on the high heat setting, and make sure rooms are properly ventilated.

Hosts will now have to log into the Airbnb system to show that they have met these requirements. Wearing a mask and establishing the social distancing protocols are expected from all host. Hosts in China do not have to follow these measures as they have their own mandated cleaning requirements.

Airbnb did make a statement regarding these changes. They want people to know that these new requirements will improve their listing and meet the needs of their customers. People are three times more likely to book a place that is enrolled in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol than others that are not.

The company also stated that new measures are going to be added. They are looking for ways to prevent partying. Customers cannot book a room for one night during Halloween or the times when parties are common. Parties have been banned since August following violent incidents and illegal activities that have been reported.

The company is looking to improve their security and public image. Airbnb is looking to raise money to continue to offer its services to the customers.

Adapting your Airbnb Business During Covid-19

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NYC Covid 19

The COVID-19 crisis has hit the short-term rental market hard and Airbnb’s revenues look like they have been cut in half. Airbnb’s business looks like it will never fully recover which they have acknowledged by cutting their workforce by 25% worldwide.

For some of the hardest-hit hosts, Airbnb has provided a Superhost relief fund, which has given grants to over 8700 hosts awarding them over $16-million which doesn’t need to be paid back.

What does this massive disruption mean for your business? You are likely going to need to work harder to gain those ever so important guests. The demographic of guests have started to change during this pandemic, so you should alter your business accordingly.

The biggest change to the Airbnb ecosystem is that guests are booking stays that are closer to home. The number of local stays has increased from 13% to 30% and this is likely to rise until more flights start to resume and people feel safer on planes.

Not only are guests booking stays closer to home, but the amount they are willing to spend has dropped massively, under $50 a night is becoming the new normal.

To adapt to this new future of travel guests are require more private spaces, whereas before many guests were happy to share, now they want to be alone and stats seem to show that they feel happier staying in an Airbnb rather than a hotel. Due to the uncertainty in the world, these guests are booking more trips closer to their travel dates, so be prepared to accept the guest’s last-minute bookings. Enable Instant Booking to give you a good catch to get those last-minute travellers.

Offer to your guests self-checkins, if this isn’t something you do already you should highly consider it, as future guests may not want to meet people to do a key exchange. If you do offer keyless entry of a self checkin, then ensure you highlight this.

Update your discount rates for longer-term stays, this will be better for you as this will reduce your amount of time you need to cleaning and reduce your own exposure.

More than ever before cleanliness will be the most important part of your business. Airbnb has introduced the enhanced cleaning protocol, which will help your guests be safe. The protocol is not mandatory and no penalties if you decide not to enrol. However, enrolling into their enhanced cleaning programme will help boost your rankings and will give you a little next extra icon in your listing.

if you don’t wish to enroll in the enhanced cleaning programme, you can set a booking buffer which basically means you will agree to leave your property empty for 72-hours, this will be automatically administered by Airbnb’s by blocking your calender, this time scale may change as we learn more about Covid-19. We recommend that you update your listing to mention your cleaning regime and truly commit to it, otherwise be prepared for a negative review.

Some tips on cleaning:

  • Ensure you disinfect surfaces that are high touch areas, likely handles, desks, toilets, remote controls, and handrails for example
  • Protect yourself by using gloves and avoid touching your face
  • Ventilate the property as soon as you arrive by opening all window
  • Use a checklist to ensure you and your cleaners don’t forget anything

Help your guests be safe by providing hand sanitizer and hand wash. Leave in the property extra tissues and travel packs to help them be safe. Some countries require face covering, if you’re able to provide these free of charge to the guests, then mention this as one of your selling points on your listing.

Lastly, don’t forget about Aribnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy that covers guests who have booked their trip before March-1th 2020, they are allowed to cancel their stay and will be entitled to a full refund. Reservations booked after 14th of March will not be covered under the Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EU Want Airbnb to be Clearer on Pricing

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Those who have used Airbnb in the past know how upsetting it is when there are hidden charges. Also, the feeling of frustration can arise when there is no clear medium to air a dispute.

In response to these numerous complaints, the EU Commission is cracking down on home-sharing service lack of transparency. Any additional costs for the home, such as cleaning, service fees and taxes, must be listed upfront in the initial quote.

Additionally, the hosts must now disclose if it is a private or professional listing since the short-term rentals market has attracted more professional hosting services. Furthermore, there must be easy to find a link to the Online Dispute Resolution service on the site.

There are further checks and balances added to the terms of service as well making it known that consumers have the right to sue in case of personal harm or damages in one’s country of residence. Airbnb is also not allowed to change their terms and conditions without informing present clients and giving them the right to cancel their contracts when they do change their terms and conditions.

The EU Commission and EU Consumer Authorities contacted Airbnb in July 2018 to make known these complaints. The parties were ensuring that the company complied with the current standards stipulated in EU consumer law. Overall make it whole service much more transparent.

From Air Beds to Exclusive Villas and Private Islands

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Airbnb has been scaling to greater heights as time goes by, just to ensure that the company’s clients receive the best of services. As a customer, you no longer have to put up with the “good old days” when the best you could get was an air mattress on the floor.
The mega-wealthy now have a better chance to use their cash to get them the luxury they crave, with the availability of a luxury rental property. Those who have been opting for luxury hotels can now relax and enjoy their stay in what should be considered as some of the most extravagant homes in the entire world.
Airbnb Luxe is the new rental tier that has made it possible for clients to enjoy the new high-end services. We are talking options ranging from entire islands to medieval castles, archery ranges, dinosaur skulls, mansions decked out with water slides, and more.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive and co-founder says that the motivation behind the introduction of the Luxe tier is their strategy of providing a suitable product for every traveler. As such, they introduced the tier to cater for those seeking luxury.
The tier’s portfolio of 2,000 homes is comprised of ski lodges in New Zealand, Villas in Tuscany, as well as castles in France. These homes were picked from the various properties listed on the high-end vacation rental company that was acquired by Airbnb in 2017.
Chesky reveals that the customers opting for the properties are the ones who rented sofas with the company before the grew to the level they are at currently. Now that these customers are earning more and prefer better services, they seek upscale accommodation. That’s why Airbnb has, in the past year, had a 60% increase in bookings that would set you back $1,000 or more a night, according to Chesky.

Before selecting the different property for consideration to the Luxe tier, different factors such as the home’s design, view, and location had to be considered. The activities at the property also go a long way in helping the guest have an idea of the area’s culture and way of life as well. At Castello di Vicarello in the Tuscan countryside, visitors can enjoy activities like hiking through 100 acres of land as well as helping local farmers with harvests.
To book for Luxe’s entry-level listings in the Caribbean, one has to part with $600 each night for the low season. The most expensive listing, on the other hand, would set you back $1M every week. At such an expensive price, however, you have four pools, 21 bedrooms, and a staff of 50 at your disposal.

The average listing, as quoted by Chesky is $2,000 a night for the Luxe tier, compared to the normal listings where one can find a listing as cheap as less than $20 each night. For customers who would wish to have the upmarket though not luxury home, $150 per night is what one would have to part with on an average basis.

The Luxe package also offers a trip designer, who helps the clients during their stay with things such as airport transfers, local tours, and more.
Rummy Pandit, of Lloyd D. Institute of gaming, however, thinks that it will still be a challenge for Airbnb to get credibility in the luxury travel sector even after offering such a package. He says that Airbnb has had a reputation of offering affordable packages, so the company should concentrate on building a track record in a new area.

Besides, Airbnb has to face competition from companies such as Oliver’s Travels and others. However, the increasing demand for vacation home rentals might favour Airbnb. Research by Skift shows that 2018 had rentals that included home rentals generating roughly $22.7 billion as revenue. Skift only expects the revenue to expand by 30% to approximately $30 billion this year.

 

Airbnb to Hand Over Data to NYC and Other Cities Could Be Next

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The feud between Airbnb and New York is not new. For the past decade, they have embroiled in a high profile rivalry. On the one hand, this hospitality service brokerage wants to be legitimized in its biggest market. But on the other, New York City’s strict short term rental laws make Airbnb’s rentals illegal. This ongoing enmity has also affected New Yorkers as finding affordable housing is difficult.

In February, New York’s mayor, Bill de Blasio subpoenaed the company for records of more than 17,000 listings that weren’t anonymized. The mayor explained that this was a measure to force this enterprise to provide transparency about their rentals. But after years of lawsuits, countersuits and lobbying campaigns, New Yorkers can now be relieved since the company has found a way to share that information with the government without privacy being compromised.

The Lost Battle

The data dump involved listings from January 2018 through February and was given to the city on April 5th. The agreement came to be as a response to a subpoena from the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) in Manhattan Supreme Court on May 15th.

Now, OSE can request listing information containing user records from this hospitality service enterprise but only if they can prove that the info will be helpful to an investigation. They were given one year to make that request. The city will be using the data to determine operators who disrupt the city’s housing stock and damage New Yorker’s neighbourhood, placing residents and visitors in danger.

Liz De Fusco spoke on behalf of Airbnb and said that this deal is the first step towards finding a lasting solution to this problem. With this agreement, the company hopes that they can work with the city to find a consistent solution that’s within its lawful rights and obligations.

More To Come

But, this enterprise and OSE still have other four separate cases awaiting in the same court against each other on whether Airbnb should be compelled to share user information with the city. The company was however ordered to respond to the OSE subpoenas for records from listings in three cities: Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens which the city suspects they are illegally used. The information in these files, however, is to remain confidential as per court orders.

Create Travel Experiences as Unique as Your DNA

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DNA String

With the simplicity of at-home genetics such as the 23andMe, has resulted in the growth of the heritage’ travel. Different people from different corners of the world have made trips in order to link up with their ancestry. This is the main reason as to why 23andMe and Airbnb have collaborated to make it easier to unearth an individual’s ancestry.

Both organizations will work to assure the best product ancestry experience. According to 23andMe, whenever a customer secures their reports regarding ancestry’, they have an opportunity to peruse through their ancestral database and find experiences that match and individuals roots.s.

“Airbnb is aimed at offering the most authentic travel experience, that will enable you to perfectly link up with your local cultures, and at the same time build a great sense of belonging around the world. We are proud to have joined hands with 23andme, in order to help many learn about their ancestry and genes. This will make it easy for travellers to organize trips that are unique just like their DNA.”

According to the founder CEO and co-founder of 23andMe – Anne Wojcicki, “they are geared to help customers to understand much about themselves and their associated ancestry by use of a unique genetic code”

Heritage Travel On the Increase

For individuals who have not yet taken an at-home test, according to the survey’s 73% resolved that they will understand their heritage through exploration of the personal DNA.

The curiosity regarding one’s ancestry led to the rise of travel heritage, which is currently spreading all over the world. Following the study records of that was commissioned by Airbnb, in April 2019. At least 8,000 individuals across Mexico, USA, Brazil, France, UK, Argentina, and Australia have had an opportunity to travel to a country of their origin.

Ancestry trips have proved to be highly enriching’ compared to the common vacations. At least 83% of the Argentines consider heritage trips to be of more value than the normal vacation. Perhaps the biggest contributor to heritage travel is what individuals are willing to forgo.

The discovery of DNA travel’ has also become very common in Airbnb. Since the year 2019, travellers that use Airbnb to trace their ancestral origin have increased by at least 500%. At least 78% of these particular’ trips are usually taken in solo or pairs. This is a clear indication of highly introspective’ journeys highly important to share with others. Also, as the guest increases, they develop more desire to know more about the origin. And guest within the age bracket of 60 to 90′ has a high likelihood of embracing the heritage trip.

The highly popular areas for DNA origin are the areas which are typical’ more popular because of their immigration history. They include the United States, Australia, Canada, Korea, China, France, Brazil, Taiwan, and New Zealand.

According to 23andMe some of the best areas where their clients claim recent’ ancestry beyond Canada and United States include Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Nigeria, Russia, Ireland, Mexico, and India. Following the data from 23andme, they indicate that a huge number of their customers boasts of 5′ populations on their Ancestry’ report, that offers several opportunities that allow one manoeuvre through the heritage’ travel.

Nonetheless, you don’t necessarily have to move in order to explore your roots’. Through the experiences from Airbnb, you will be able to link with your land or origin in the best way from your’ hometown. For example, in Chauhan – Fransisco their husband lead through tea tasting’ experience and the Chinese calligraphy. Their parents and grandparents have a number of calligraphy’ masterpieces most of which have been sold through the art auctions. In Paris’, you are allowed to go for West’ African ‘ tour that has Chayet.

Whether it’s a distance trip to an upcountry or a class of the neighbourhood’ which is your ancestral home will be a great eye-opening, enchanting experience. With the help of 23andMe and Airbnb, you will be able to plan a unique trip just like your DNA.

Airbnb launches Arabic version of their platform

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Airbnb RTL

Airbnb, one of the innovators of global hospitality services and tourism-related activities, has now made its platform available in the Arabic language. The announcement was officially made last week, with the company specifying that the move was made in order to provide more convenience to the rising number of their patrons in the Middle East as well as in North Africa. With that said, visitors to the mobile and web version of the platform may now view it in Arabic.

“Localization of the platform in both Android and iOS highlights Airbnb’s long-term goal of developing a world where people can easily find accommodation and belongingness wherever they are. The main functionalities of Airbnb (whether it’s viewed on the app or a browser) will be rendered in Arabic. Hundreds of options for rentable accommodations will be made available to ensure satisfactory stays that would always be able to fit everyone’s particular needs and preferences. The same can be said for the unique Experiences in equally numerous tourist destinations that we offer,” stated the representatives of Airbnb.

It further added that they now have as much as 70,000 listings in those regions, with the majority of them being in the United Arab Emirates. Up to 145,000 guests in the UAE were given accommodation alone last year. This figure is significant for it revealed a 63 percent increase in guests compared to the following year.

Experiences debuted in Dubai in 2017, and as much as 120 of locally hosted events, tours and other activities are now being offered in the city. This feature has since been made available in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco as well, totalling to around 750 experiences being made available in MENA.

The regional manager for Africa and the Middle East, Hadi Moussa, shared his thoughts on the move, “Airbnb considers the Middle East and North Africa as one of its most vital regions so we are more than happy to finally make Arabic as an available language for users of the platform. The amount of Airbnb users booking accommodations in these regions have remained consistent and are still growing since the company’s launch ten years ago.

“We mean to impart our commitment to help patrons fit in anywhere and be comfortable with our platform by presenting its basic features with the help of their native language. From here on, it wouldn’t be hard for us to inspire sightseeing Arabic speakers to get to enjoy the destinations that they love. With our move to foster a feeling of genuine localness in our platforms, we are certain that it would make our users’ stays and Experiences not only memorable but one that they could easily be accustomed to.

“Hospitality among Arabians is a well-known trait worldwide. This is why it’s only appropriate to

showcase it by encouraging more people in the region to easily serve as hosts to thousands of guests from around the world who want to get to experience it firsthand,” he finished.

Incidentally, Oyo, a rising Indian budget accommodation startup, is also planning to release a version of its app in Arabic. The company has been operating in the United Arab Emirates for more than a year, and it only just expanded to Saudi Arabia as well.

Crack down on Airbnb in Ireland from June

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New rules on short-term letting will come into effect for the residence of Ireland from 1st June 2019 help bring properties back on to the long term rental market.

From the start of June the new regulation will have the following effects for hosts in areas deemed to have high housing demand:

  • No letting of second properties on short-term lets
  • Homeowners will be allowed to rent their property for a maximum of 90-days per calendar year similar to London.
  • Homeowners can only rent their place out for a maximum of 14 consecutive days.
  •  Hosts will now need to register properties with their local authority.
  • Properties can be rented out for longer with planning permission from the local authority.

Airbnb believes the new rules and regulations will have a huge impact on tourism and will be difficult to enforce.

It’s unclear as of yet what the potential fines might be, but it’s likely the first few fines will make examples of professional landlords creating an unsustainable market.

Ireland is the only location attempting to curb the rise of Airbnb properties, back in 2016 Amsterdam implemented a 60-day rule and Vancouver’s new rules saw Airbnb listing drop rapidly from over six thousand to just below four thousand listings.

 

 

 

 

 

London’s Mayor Calls for Registration System

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London Town

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan calls upon the UK Government to enforce a registration system that to all platform that helps all host comply to the current maximum night days of hosting.

Currently, only Homeaway and Airbnb help enforce the London regulation of 90-days short term rental in the capital. Airbnb was the first to apply this to their platform in an attempt to help short-term rentals sustainable.

Since 2015 the Government has capped short term rentals in the London at the maximum of 90 night per calendar year. Booking on Airbnb of 90-days or greater are not considered short-term stays per the 2015 Deregulation Act, these longer stays will not affect your short-term stay limits.

London is one of the most visit destinations in Europe and topped the charts being the most rented location for Airbnb apartment from July 2017 – 2018.

There are over 75,000 listings on short-term web sites with over 2 million guests staying in the capital.

The mayor is hopeful that a mandatory registration system similar to Barcelona’s implementation will help curb the number of illegal rentals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris Seeks More Than $14 Million From Airbnb

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First, the city of Paris warned Airbnb, and now it has taken action. It is now filing a lawsuit against Airbnb for 1000 illegal rental adverts. Paris claims that the rental website has been violating French laws that limit owners from renting out short-term apartment and properties using the sharing platform for more than 120 days in a year.

Last year, France passed a law that permits files of up to 12,500 Euros for every illegal posting. According to the law, each ad is required to have a registration number. This lawsuit could cost Airbnb more than 12.5 million euros, ($14 million) if the ads are to be considered illegal. Mayor Anne Hidalgo claims that the goal of filing this lawsuit is to send a “short across bows “for an unauthorized rental that undermines Paris neighbourhood.

Airbnb, on the other hand, claims that despite Paris being the second most destinations in terms of active rentals, the rules there are inefficient, disproportionate and in breach of European rule. Paris experiences more than 65,000 short-term listing and putting a limit, and restriction only hurts the city. Following this rule, Airbnb and other platform have been imposing an automated limit in cities where this rule applies. After the property has been booked for 120 nights, the calendar is blocked, and no more booking is made.

Critics of sharing platforms like Airbnb say that they bring unfair competition to hotels and ends up running some areas that are safe into sterile and tourist only zones. Creating this anti-social behaviour by the guest is not good for the market. Speaking to BBC News late last year, Airbnb spokesperson said that is it important for residents and community to benefit from an incredible record number of visitor in their cities. Founded in 2009, Airbnb allows people who want to rent part or their entire home to guests through their website.

Airbnb is Lending a Hand to Federal Employees

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Federal Employees Shutdown

In light of the ongoing shutdown by the U.S government, home sharing platform Airbnb is launching an ‘a night on us’ initiative. In a recent blog post, Airbnb states that hundreds of federal workers have gone without paycheck even with increasing costs of daily experiences and commitment to other financial obligation. Out of the 60,000 hosts in New York, at least five percent of them are federal employees. Thus, the “night on us” initiative is aim is to recognize the contribution of these employees to the platform, by giving them extra cash as they wait for the next paychecks. As part of the incentive, Airbnb in a recent statement says that host who will have shared their homes for at least three nights between Dec 18, 2018, and March 19, 2019, will receive an extra night of up to $110.

Since the typical host makes $8,700 per year sharing their home through sharing platforms, Airbnb hopes to supplement the incomes of the employees who are already earning from their home sharing businesses.

Airbnb aim is to create a community which with the ability to address the emerging financial challenges, and to create a good future for the sharing economy. The platform continues to be the means by which people are making their homes, which often time, it the greatest financial burden and this initiative is a means to helping vacation renters their best way possible.

Individuals without home listing also have the potential to earn the extra cash by hosting experience through the platform. Airbnb, in addition to offering rentals for travellers, also has various activities booked through local hosts. Airbnb in its blog states that the ‘night on us’ program is also open to Experience hosts eligible for $110 depending on the total booking value of their experience, so any federal employee host either as a home host or Experience host can sign up on this program. Learn more about “A Night on Us“

Airbnb Will Pay You For 3-Months

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Have you ever considered taking a few months off from work to try something different?  Well, you are not alone, millions of people would take any chance they get to spend their entire summer on holidays, and Airbnb can make this dream come true. Recently, Airbnb announced that it would sponsor four people to live in Grottole, Italy for three months. The city is located on the south of Italy, half an hour from Matera and its said to be at the verge of disappearing.

Grottole city has a population of around 300 inhabitants, and there are more than 600empty houses. For this reason, Airbnb is pairing with local NGO to re-energize and renovate the city.

 

 

When You’re There

The four people selected by Airbnb for the sabbatical will be trained for 12 weeks about local culture, discover how to speak and cook the Italian way. They will then act as co-hosts, thus welcoming travellers into the village centres and local life. They will be teaching skills like pasta making, olive production, vegetable farming and many more. According to Airbnb, the proceeds of this experience is invested back to revitalize the town as much as possible.

Italy Grottole

The volunteer will learn the skills from the local host in Grottole, some of who have spent their entire lives in the town. Once of which includes the town local Beekeeper who has lived in Grottole for most of there life. The selected participants will also learn how to speak the local language, how to farm and to prepare the best local Italian food.

How To Apply

If you feel you are the right candidate to spend the entire summer in the Italian countryside and can make a difference to a community, then this is the right time to talk to your boss. The sabbatical will start from June to August 2019 and will only be participated by those above the age of 18 years and residents of U.S Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands, Australia, India, Japan, and France.

Apply on Italian sabbatical, but you will have to demonstrate your commitment and ability to Grottole life during the application. The deadline for application is Feb 17, and the lucky participant will be announced on March 29, 2019.

Sign up here

Montreal Latest Approach in Controlling Illegal Rentals

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The city of Montreal is taking a new approach to alleviating what the city officials are terming as house crisis. The latest strategy by the city is directing its employees to remove lock boxes that store keys for tenants. Airbnb landlords often give their short term tenants a code so they can access an apartment on their own.

Other cities across Canada have cracked down on residents using Airbnb and other sharing platforms primarily aiming to thwart illegal Airbnb rentals. The Mayor of Montreal Valerie Plante reached out to the residents to ask them to help report the location of these lockboxes via the council hotline.  The city believes that the increase of these boxes in town is aimed to evade inspection. City Councilor Richard Ryan believes that due to the anonymous aspect of these boxes, it is hard to inspect short term rentals especially because these boxes are on public properties and not private properties.

This the campaign started the city authorities have removed hundreds of lock boxes in the downtown and in Plateau Mont-Royal areas. Owners of short-term rentals have now been looking at alternative means for entry and have removed the lockboxes themselves. Mayor Valerie and her administration continue to monitor the situation of all rental associated with Airbnb and other similar sharing platforms.

Judge Blocks NYC Law Demanding Airbnb Disclose User Data

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To most people, maintaining the privacy of personal information is very important especially when divulging that information to others. Airbnb almost lost a large base of their customers in New York due to a law that required them to give out their customers’ information. They, however, found reprieve when they were told not to “comply” until the issue was sorted out in court.

A petition from Airbnb and HomeAway Inc was granted by a judge who ruled that the orders issued by the city’s governance should be halted. The district judge Paul Engel Mayer stated that the home sharing companies had higher chances of winning against the rule that was supposed to take effect on 2nd February. This was because the law would have been an infringement on the constitution that prohibits “unreasonable searches and seizures”.

This new law was passed by council members who claimed that the services rendered by the home renting companies disrupted the long-term rental procedures and reduced profits. It was therefore meant to reduce such rental arrangements.

The law requested the short-term letting institutions to give their client’s personal details to the city council as well as the duration of the renter’s stay and how much space they were renting. This was to help the council come up with rules prohibiting apartment owners from giving out their apartments for less than a month.

The ruling was described as a “huge win” for the company as well as other citizens by the company’s spokesperson.
This win was important considering the resistance the Airbnb is facing from other regions. Had the law been enforced, it would have given those other areas a “playbook to copy”.

New York’s mayor had a different opinion. He termed the law as “good” and went ahead to explain that it was meant to stop landlords from “creating facto hotels, which is unfair and illegal”.

This seemed to contradict the judge’s sentiment which stated that the rule doesn’t give renters an opportunity to challenge it. In his statement, he explained that the rule was “… unreasonable under the fourth amendment”.

Both parties were told to look for evidence for the pre-trial conference set on May 10th.

Governments Have Received $1 Billion in Taxes since 2014

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Airbnb is making headlines for all the right reasons, the company has made another step in the area of government taxes help keep local authorities happy ahead of it eagerly anticipated IPO in 2019

In 2014 Airbnb started to collects hotel and tourist taxes from its hosts and remits them to the various governments it has agreements with. Since Airbnb started collecting taxes, it has collected and remitted over 1 billion dollars to the various governments. This process for collecting taxes has been streamlined which has made it easy for both the hosts and the government to pay and collect taxes respectively.

Airbnb feels that assisting authorities to collect taxes is a part of its corporate social responsibility. As such, it enters into voluntary agreements with over 400 governments worldwide. For example, since entering into a tax collection agreement with the City of Los Angeles in the year 2016, it has assisted the city to collect and remit more than $100 million.

That is not all. In Pennsylvania, the innovative firm has collected and remitted over $ 20 million in addition to more than $2 million it has collected and remitted in the various counties across New York. These activities are not limited to the US alone. Airbnb also engages in these activities across many regions in Europe where it has assisted thousands of cities in revenue collection.

These tax collection agreements have assisted many authorities to meet their revenue targets. Hosts now are in a position to pay their fair share of taxes and support the government in carrying out its mandate. It is a win-win situation for Airbnb, governments, and hosts.

New Zealand’s Kaikoura tops Airbnb travelers’ list for 2019

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Dolphins playing in a crystal-blue bay ringed with snow-covered peaks and January temperatures in the sunbathing range, it’s no wonder Airbnb travelers have dubbed Kaikoura, New Zealand as the top destination for 2019. In 2016 the small town on the east coast of the South Island was hit by a massive earthquake, but it has recovered with typical Kiwi spirit. This is the place to go in the southern hemisphere if you’re into whale watching, swimming with dolphins and gorging on fresh, fresh seafood. In fact “kai” means “food” in the native Maori language, and “koura” means “crayfish,” so there you go. Sperm whales, dolphins and seals are residents of the bay, unlike others parts of the world where they may be just passing through, so you are guaranteed to see majestic whales breaching, dolphins encircling your boat and seals barking in raucous union.

The town of just over 2,000 and its gorgeous surroundings also boasts plenty of entertainment for landlubbers, from coastal walks and opportunities to meet with local Maori people to shopping and visiting the iconic Fyffe House, the last remnant of the whaling station established here in 1842. If escaping the winter blues tops your travel wish list, you’re not alone.

Puebla Mexico
Other warm-in-winter destinations that made the list are Puebla, Mexico (number three); Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (number six); Mozambique (number eight); and Santa Catarina State, Brazil (Number 12). Puebla is just two hours by car from Mexico City and its historic center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With beautiful colonial architecture, winter temperatures in the 70s and plenty of lively nightlife, it’s easy to see why it made the list.

Photo by Deensel

Buenos Aires, the province not the city, encompasses nearly 11 percent of the area in Argentina, which means there’s a whole lot to see and do there. The province borders the Atlantic so pack your snorkelling gear. And don’t forget your hiking boots — there are also plenty of forest trails to explore. Maybe you’ll stumble upon a long-lost ancient city. On a more practical note, the strength of the dollar relative to the peso adds to the attraction.
Mozambique proves there is more to Africa than safaris. This east coast country boasts miles of white sand beaches, an archipelago of coral islands, marine national parks and more than 2,000 species of colorful fish. Don’t forget your underwater camera!


The popularity of Santa Catarina State, Brazil may reflect the intrepid spirit of Airbnb travelers. Stretching along the Atlantic Coast, Santa Catarina also features beautiful beaches and mountain adventures. The capital, Florianópolis, which spills over onto Santa Catarina Island, features a huge and colourful public market and a history museum in the 19th-century governor’s palace. And did we mention the beaches?

 

Best of the Rest

Calabria, Italy

Airbnb’s list of the 19 top trending destinations for 2019 is based on data from bookings, searches and wish lists.
Other locales on the list that would be pretty great to visit anytime are Xiamen, China (number two); Normandy, France (number four); Great Smoky Mountains (number five); Accra, Ghana (number seven); Outer Hebrides, Scotland (number nine); Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (number 10); Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley, US (number 11); Batumi, Georgia (number 13); Winnipeg, Canada (number 14); ); Pondicherry, India (Number 15); Uzbekistan (number 16); Calabria, Italy (number 17); Andalusia, Spain (number 18); and Taiwan (number 19).

Airbnb is ready to disrupt home-builders

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Airbnb is shifting to a whole different level with the thrilling announcement of its latest project, Backyard. This will be the initiative to get into the home building business. The plan is to create modular “affordable” homes that will have interchangeable roofs and the ability to adjust the floor plan based on the needs to the occupant. If occupant needs a bedroom home the robotics walls would change the layout based on this requirement.

After disrupting hotels, the home-sharing company wants to do more to help with the houses and rent crisis.

Right now, there are more questions than answers for this new intriguing project but, the start-up affirms that will be possible to have some test units as soon as autumn 2019.

With a talented team that includes designers, engineers, specialists and experts, the $31 billion company wants to create homes to be shared from the ground up.

For the more curious, unfortunately, there is no prototype yet. In the Samara website, you can see pictures that show a little more about the project.

Airbnb is challenging the conventional thinking and revolutionizing the industry, so Backyard is expected to be humanistic, futuristic and environmentally friendly. In a fast-paced and diversified world, this start-up is keeping everyone on their toes and surprising the public.

 

 

 

Airbnb Closer to the Public Markets

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Ahead of its rumoured IPO, the home-sharing start-up has hired a new CFO. Replacing Ellie Mertz, who served as interim head of finance for the last 10 months, Dave Stephenson leaves Amazon after 17 years to join the hospitality giant.

It is not the first time this year that Airbnb has poached an Amazon executive. Greg Greeley, Amazon Prime Vice President was hired by the home-sharing start-up in March.

Greeley spent 18 years under Jeff Bezos leadership. Stephenson begins his journey in January and he will report directly to the CEO, Brian Chesky.

Who is Dave Stephenson?

He spent nearly two decades at Amazon, most recently as VP and Chief Financial Officer of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer Organization. Stephenson time at the world biggest e-commerce company was interrupted between 2011 and 2013.

In those two years, he took the leadership of Big Fish Games, a casual gaming company based in Seattle. After sharing the quarterly revenue report for the first time in its history, Airbnb is now another step closer to an IPO in 2019. Dave Stephenson brings with him a thorough knowledge of public companies and played a role in Amazon’s biggest acquisitions, Whole Food and Zappos.

Since it was created, in 2008, Airbnb became one of the most valuable private companies in the world, with more than 4,000 employees and valued at $31 billion. The IPO is expected June 30, 2019. The new year will bring to public two of the largest IPOs of the decade, with Uber in the run to the public markets.

 

 

 

Airbnb Plus Comes to Thailand

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Continually growing the home-sharing start-up is now ready to win Thailand. After developing partnerships with the TBAA and DLA, Airbnb is launching a new exciting option for keen travellers in a market that received 1.5 million guests in the past year alone! With the creation of Airbnb Plus in Bangkok and Phuket, the community-driven platform … Read more