The U.S. vacation rental industry remains relatively stable. But there are a host of challenges: an international travel slowdown, economic uncertainty, and labor shortages.
While Airbnb is doing the right thing by showing the total price before taxes worldwide, many property managers elsewhere on their own platforms still gouge guests with "gotcha" fees, making comparing prices from listing to listing a complex adventure.
Sonder is waiting for a Marriott lifeline to kick in. For Marriott, this deal comes with reputational risks concerning the financial viability of its partner.
Booking's strength, which is Europe, and Expedia's, namely domestic U.S. travel, could give them somewhat of a shield if international travel to and from the U.S. tanks.
It can be tough to know where to start when it comes to counting emissions from guest stays, especially for individual short-term rental hosts. But as major travel companies commit to net-zero goals, can these emissions be ignored?
Fake short-term rental listings are indeed an industrywide problem, but Booking.com seems to get more than its fair share of sketchy listings and fraudulent messages to guests.
With Davidson Kempner's latest bid for Vacasa at $5.83 per share and the Vacasa board-endorsed bid from Casago at $5.30 per share, one thing is certain — this is not the end of the story.