Airbnb News

Disruption makes for strange bedfellows and in hospitality, that means partnering with a cool eatery or food delivery service, or chucking the decades-old, tried-and-true but dated technology and signing up with a new computer-in-the-cloud vendor. Above all, being bland and the same as everyone else is a deal-breaker.

If there's anything Airbnb can teach to hotels, it's this: pay more attention to data and know how to use it.

Small companies are leading the charge when it comes to using Airbnb for business travel. Lower prices when compared to hotels, and accommodations with better locations in pricy cities, have no doubt contributed to the trend.

There's no doubt Airbnb is shaking up hospitality in a way that might make hotels nervous. But the homesharing company also has a lot to learn from — and teach — the hotel industry.

Airbnb seems increasingly focused on forming loyalty links with airlines, especially as the company prepares to branch out into other sectors of travel beyond just accommodations. Could an Airbnb loyalty program be far off?

While kudos should be rightly given to Airbnb for wanting to take a step toward fighting discrimination and bias on its platform, there don't seem to be many changes on its site that would make those efforts even stronger. And the new terms of service make it even clearer that should you be discriminated against on Airbnb by one of its other users, the company does not assume any legal liability.

If publicly traded companies such as Google are bound by fiduciary duties to shareholders, then Google, which already has one of the largest travel businesses in the world, larger than the Priceline Group, TripAdvisor and Ctrip combined, would be foolhardy to shoot its advertising business in the foot to become an online travel agency.

Choice Hotels CEO Stephen P. Joyce knows that future success for his company depends on smart acquisitions and investments in technology, loyalty, and the sharing economy.

Critics of Expedia Inc.'s 2014-2015 acquisition spree appear to have had a valid point: These sorts of mergers and integrations can be very distracting and complex. Expedia has felt the pain now in the second and third quarters and could be in for some more until it get can get things back on course. Expedia's competitors will take advantage.

Airbnb and New York City have long had a contentious relationship with one another, and it's only going to become even more litigious, now that the short-term rental company is suing the city, its mayor, and the state attorney general. 2017 is going to be interesting for the sharing giant.