Airbnb News

The Miami settlement could have broader implications for Airbnb when other big landlords take it to task for hosts violating their apartment leases. And, it isn't a bad thing for Airbnb to resolve its issues with various regulators and to erase some of these legal irritants when it will likely solicit investors for a 2019 initial public offering.

Once a cottage industry operated by entrepreneurial property owners, today’s billion dollar vacation rental market is undergoing massive growth, driven by digital platforms that are evolving in tandem with its users' needs.

Expedia officials can try to assure hoteliers that the rise of alternative accommodations is no big deal for their businesses. But you can be certain that figuring out how to manage this changing dynamic is of paramount concern for all parties involved.

Combatting host fatigue is a very real thing, but it'll probably take a lot more than this from Airbnb to make sure those Superhosts remain loyal.

The Amazonification of Airbnb continues, as talk of an initial public offering heats up.

Airbnb has built itself into the third most richly valued startup in the world over the last decade. But business never stands still, and as Airbnb harvests its gains, the latest generation of alternative accommodation startups are collecting all of the new venture capital in the space.

Timing is everything, folks.

Would Airbnb and Uber, for example, be truly better off as public companies? It's unclear because they both have access to tons of money already. But they would both certainly be better equipped to spin their own narratives.

If Airbnb is indeed seeing a slowdown of its business in more mature markets like Europe and the U.S., that's all the more reason for the company to double down on its efforts in emerging markets like China, and to work on adding more professional inventory, ahem, hotels.

Booking.com wants to service professional managers while going after individual vacation rental owners, too. Airbnb wants to tap into the professional-manager set while branching out into resort areas, and HomeAway wants to get more urban. These companies' offerings will converge, and it's likely their business models will, too.