Short-Term Rental and Vacation Rental News

If the future of travel will tilt toward non-urban destinations, which are not Airbnb's strength, its stock market registration papers will have to show how the company is addressing that weakness.

Room for a compromise seems to have emerged between Expedia, Airbnb, a hotel union, and the city council over short-term rental limitations in San Diego although bad blood looks to exist between Airbnb and Unite Here Local 30. Going it alone with a referendum doesn't seem like a viable stance for Airbnb.

Vrbo is benefiting from a ton of direct traffic because vacation rentals are having a moment, and competitors' paid marketing through Google fell off a cliff. The brand will likely get some sustainable benefit from the lift, but the dynamic can change in a heartbeat.

Special purpose acquisition company, direct listing or an initial public offering — Airbnb's choice mostly matters to big-name investors and employees, past and present. But nothing is ever certain about a stock market listing — especially during a pandemic.

Tapping one person to head "hosting" for both homes and experiences isn't the most savvy of moves. Airbnb has a ton of work to do to mend relations with alienated home rental hosts. Experience hosting is likewise complex — and a very different animal.

Vrbo has been in the right place(s) at the right time, somewhat reversing a very challenged 2019. Is the changed trajectory a momentary blip in the throes of a pandemic, or will it be sustainable?

Wild house parties are certainly not in the interests of short-term rental platforms because of the brand hits and potential liability. Airbnb's limited steps won't end the problem, but it may reduce the volume — in more ways than one.

A silver lining in the coronavirus fiasco, for companies that survive it, is that the crisis gives many the chance to reset and take stock of their operations. Neglecting to do that can be an opportunity that may never resurface.

The proverbial handwriting is on the wall for Airbnb, Facebook, Google, Tripadvisor, and Yelp, among others. The regulators are coming! The regulators are coming!

If Airbnb will ever succeed in easing New York's stringent short-term rental regulations, a precursor would be the type of hosting-information-sharing pact that it reached with the city. It doesn't guarantee lighter regulation, but many things could be on the table in the new normal of a post-coronavirus New York City.