Short-Term Rental and Vacation Rental News

From a financial perspective, charging a booking fee to travelers was the missing piece from HomeAway -- and the company telegraphed several months ago that it was coming. Charging travelers fees will enable HomeAway to lower commissions to vacation rental owners to be more competitive with Airbnb and Flipkey.

San Francisco housing is a disaster created by city leaders who have failed to plan, greedy residents who are out for a buck, and an economy that's granting outsize salaries to young people without much sense. Airbnb is only part of the problem, and Prop F is only part of the solution.

Given their size, TripAdvisor and its FlipKey brand will weather this storm but they have some serious fence-mending to do with vacation rental property managers. It's not just airlines that sometimes cause a lot of pain when they make big technology changes.

One of the most fascinating and open interviews from an industry CMO you will hear: Airbnb, the brand story so far, and its hopes on becoming a super brand.

Airbnb will share taxes under certain conditions, as long as those conditions don't require it to tell local authorities if hosts are in compliance with local laws.

Colbert is becoming the go-to place for Silicon Valley unicorn companies to explain to the masses how they are disrupting legacy businesses.

While there are many issues prohibiting meeting attendees from booking Airbnb, the amount of those who do will skyrocket as more people understand the opportunities for local travel experiences and inherent cost savings. Affordable sharing accommodations also help people attend educational association events who otherwise might not be able to afford to participate.

Booking.com wants to answer the needs of "one customer," the one who books an apartment one day and a five-star hotel the next. Yes, a revolution in lodging is under way and Booking.com is now shouting about it.

TripAdvisor/FlipKey's challenges with the vacation rental industry aren't only technical ones. They also reflect increased supply available from individual homeowners and apartment renters. TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Airbnb are going after this sector and professionally managed properties are feeling the lumps.

The on-demand economy is on the rise, but what does on-demand mean, exactly? In this report, a look at the nature of a technology-driven sea change in consumer behavior and the business models emerging to meet it in the travel industry.