Short-Term Rental and Vacation Rental News

Convergence is happening big time these days as online travel companies around the world, driven by the varied and changing accommodations' needs of their customers, are rapidly expanding and will continue to broaden their array of lodging options.

TripAdvisor, with its hotel and restaurant reviews, hotel bookings and tours and activities, is a much more well-rounded travel site than the younger Airbnb at this stage. Still, TripAdvisor has some Airbnb envy, and wants to take advantage of the sea changes in the global lodging industry.

Expedia's launch of vacation rentals in the U.S. in partnership with HomeAway has been a relative dud as Expedia hasn't shown much commitment to the effort. But Expedia has higher hopes for Europe, where vacation rentals are more commonly in travelers' consideration set.

We've been watching how early adopters in business travel are beginning to partner with Uber and Airbnb. Likewise, segments of the hotel industry are beginning to accommodate the sharing economy. Five years from now that collaboration and cooptation will be in full swing.

For first time Uber is now more popular among business travelers than taxis as a percent of all rides, a seminal moment if there ever was one for the business traveler transport economy.

Airbnb, with its roughly $24.5 billion valuation, would likely be too big for most of the online travel agencies to acquire but if they are forced to enter the sharing economy in a bigger way several years from now they always have the resources to buy their way in.

Airbnb needs to go local in China and bringing on board investors with ample roots and experience in China is a savvy move.

Airbnb's capability for growth is much greater than any traditional hotel chain but it can also disappear faster than you can type "enforcement of municipal zoning and/or condo board rules."

While many hoteliers are dismissive of the sharing economy, Hyatt and Hilton Worldwide are either learning from it or at least taking a balanced view about the trend. Don't expect either to rent out couches anytime soon, though.

Kayak already displays some vacation rental listings from sister site Booking.com although HomeAway's properties, many from individual owners, would give Kayak users additional choice. The Kayak-HomeAway partnership could be a nice test for Kayak parent the Priceline Group to see if it wants to cozy up in some form with HomeAway.