Articles tagged “settlements”

Online travel agencies have been sued for occupancy taxes since 2004, before Airbnb's founding. Two decades later, the issue is ongoing around the world.

Airbnb agreed to take this limited step on behalf of would-be guests who are Oregon residents because of a class-action lawsuit. If Airbnb really wanted to aggressively crush racism, shouldn't it have announced a pilot to do likewise in other parts of the world? Other platforms shouldn't be off the hook either.

If Airbnb will ever succeed in easing New York's stringent short-term rental regulations, a precursor would be the type of hosting-information-sharing pact that it reached with the city. It doesn't guarantee lighter regulation, but many things could be on the table in the new normal of a post-coronavirus New York City.

In search of a competitive edge, price transparency, and the ability to offer better service to their customers, travel agencies find value in indisputable data provided by aggregators such as Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC).

Is the Boston-Airbnb settlement, which calls for short-term regulatory platforms to comply with a city ordinance, a model for future agreements? Too soon to tell but what's clear is that the alternative accommodations industry will one day transition from outliers to regulated entities.