Airbnb News

A new hospitality think tank wants commercial real estate firms to help it redesign offices, betting the remote work trend won't last.

In the long term, it's clear that Airbnb will revisit recalibrating its focus beyond stays and experiences, and will dabble in flights, hotels, and smart-home technology. It would be silly not to.

Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer told Skift that Tripadvisor Plus is "a super-high priority for the company." The program may find enthusiasts at the property level, but so far the largest hotel chains don't appear to be leaping on board.

Google eventually will monetize its vacation rental listings, but paid advertisements in its Things To Do vertical will happen sooner. Conscientious objectors Airbnb, Expedia/Vrbo and Booking, which aren't participating with Google in vacation rentals for now, will likely have something to say about the shape of that money grab.

Both Airbnb and Expedia.com are leaning into U.S. TV advertising in their biggest campaigns in years. Many millennials may not watch traditional TV these days, but the medium is still an important part of brands' advertising mix.

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we covered how Expedia Group redrew its org chart, Hong Kong's tourism prospects, and how a Cape Cod, Massachusetts cafe owner is getting ready for an expected visitor surge.

Short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are increasingly reliant on professional property managers to provide quality inventory. This considerably closes the gaps of service standards and reliability between the rental and hotel industries, which brings key opportunities for rental operators.

Behind the scenes, China's competition crackdown on internet platforms could eventually have a larger impact on Trip.com Group's partnerships, business practices, and mergers than is generally appreciated. Although a reversal is unlikely, even Trip.com's 2015 acquisition of Qunar has drawn scrutiny.

New U.S. spending data suggests that some brands, such as Enterprise, Vrbo, and JetBlue, had a better first half of 2021 than their rivals. The travel industry as a whole should be grateful for the U.S. federal stimulus checks to consumers.

When residents of an apartment complex are away, Orion Haus lists and rents the units on their behalf as short-term rentals. A major new deal makes Orion Haus the largest of the apartment management companies, such as Daydream and Natiivo, that are professionalizing the short-term rental sector.