Articles tagged “regulations”

Online travel companies have faced intense regulatory scrutiny almost since the first days of internet bookings. But "you've got mail" these days is less likely to be a cheery email notification than a demand for court appearances and audits.

It's all about its anticipated public offering at Airbnb these days. Shore up the plethora of safety issues, make peace with regulators, and bring in seasoned operational executives that the Wall Street crowd will look favorably upon. Was Belinda Johnson a casualty in that push?

Once again — and this time it's the issue of pricing transparency in alternative lodging — European regulators are out in front of their counterparts in other parts of the world, including those in the United States. Travelers shouldn't have to be detectives in trying to figure out what their lodging tab will be.

Cities are still trying to figure out how to tax and regulate this disruptive service 11 years after it was created — but so far most still aren’t doing a good job.

The regulatory environment for Airbnb is becoming increasingly more restrictive, but completely wiping out Airbnb as an alternative for travel accommodations via regulation won't necessarily be beneficial from an economic standpoint.

Despite the travel industry having had years to get used to the idea of new rules governing the sale of vacations in the European Union, there are still plenty of people still scratching their heads over the changes.

Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may question its broader business practices in travel.

Airbnb says it is willing to work more closely with cities on crafting commonsense short-term rental regulations and policies, but is this enough? And what's preventing the company from helping to enforce existing laws while it works with cities to craft new ones?

Who are the biggest casualties of Airbnb's latest battle with New York City? For now it's the hosts.

Many U.S. cities remain relatively problematic for short-term rentals as 38 of the 59 largest U.S. cities part of this study have no legal foundation for short-term rentals and 32 have restrictions in place.