Tagged: airbnb

How to Apply for a U.S. Passport or Visa

Last updated April 6, 2022  Jump to: First-Time ApplicationsJump to: RenewalsJump to: Passport CardsJump to: FeesJump to: Passport AgenciesJump to: Passport & Visa Expeditors All…

Barcelona to Ban All Vacation Rentals by 2028

Although the announcement may seem surprising to outsiders, people familiar with Barcelona will recognize this has been a long time coming—and will likely be a harbinger of future…

A Home Rental Exec Reveals His Best Hack for Finding Cheap Vacation Rentals

Carl Shepherd was the co-founder of the major vacation rental platform HomeAway, which is now part of the behemoth known as VRBO. But that doesn't mean he feels any loyalty to his…

Find Vacation Rentals—But From Someone You Know: Meet Trustr, A New Rental Site

According to the National Association of Home Builders, there are 7.5 million second homes in the United States, which is 5.11% of the total number of homes. Yet even in this age of…

NYC Hotel Rates Are Shocking Now! Here's Why, Plus How to Pay Less

A perfect storm has hit the hotel market in New York City, driving prices to historic highs. The ascent began, partially, in spring of 2022, when Governor Greg Abbott of Texas started…

What to Do to Avoid Getting Scammed if an Airbnb Host Asks You to Cancel a Booking

Let's say you've made an Airbnb reservation for an upcoming stay that's been confirmed and paid for.  Then before your trip, you receive a digital message from the vacation rental's…

Airbnb Is Making It Easier to See Hated Cleaning Fees Earlier in Search

Airbnb is at last bringing more—though not complete—transparency to how rental prices are displayed.  In December, the company will begin rolling out a feature that lets users of the…

How Airbnb's Revamp Could End Up Doubling Your Vacation Costs

This week Airbnb announced what the vacation rental giant is calling its “biggest changes in a decade.” That’s not hyperbole. Alas, the changes don't involve reining in fees (we…

How to Save Money on a Vacation Rental and Get the Lowest Price

  Search multiple agencies. Owners often list a property with several rental booking sites that use different names for the same unit. To confirm it’s the same place, compare the…

Now Rentable on Airbnb: The Childhood Home of the Beatles’ George Harrison

You can now spend the night—and we hope for your sake it's not a hard day's night—in the childhood home of George Harrison of the Beatles.  The future Fab Four…

Where You Can Still Book Short-Term Rentals Under Honolulu's Strict New Law

Honolulu is changing the rules for what qualifies as a short-term vacation rental on the Hawaiian island of Oahu—and the term isn't very short. By a vote of 8–1, the Honolulu City…

5 Ways to Ensure A Vacation Rental Meets Your Definition of Clean

The rental home business is booming. Demand at some agencies has as much as doubled from 2020 through 2021. Homes away from home—houses, villas, condos, and apartments—provide families…

New York City Clamps Down on Illegal Airbnb Rentals

The New York City Council approved a bill today requiring hosts using Airbnb and similar online platforms to register with the city before renting out their homes for less than 30…

How Much More Expensive Is an Airbnb Than a Hotel Room? New Data

This time last year, I wrote a blog post about a survey that showed that a new winner had emerged in the long-standing battle between the hotel industry and Airbnb. Thanks to social…

In Idaho, You Can Spend the Night in a Giant Potato

On a farm near downtown Boise, a 6-ton replica of Idaho's most famous agricultural product is now available for overnight stays. The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is a 28-foot long, 12-foot…

Beach House From HBO’s “The Undoing” Is Available on Airbnb

The Long Island beach house that plays a pivotal role in HBO's The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, is available for rent via Airbnb. Located in East Marion, New York,…

Holiday Travel in 2020: Safer Places to Go, Places to Stay, Road Trips

It sometimes feels like Covid-19 stripped us of the most precious parts of our humanity. Thanks to the virus, theater, dance, and music performances are too dangerous to attend, as are…

Pauline Frommer: Thanks to 2020, Airbnb Isn't Always the Cheapest Option Anymore

The conventional wisdom used to be you’d save money by renting an Airbnb rather than booking a hotel room. That now needs to be revised in yet another reversal brought by the…

Airbnb Limits Home Rentals to People Under 25 to Combat House Parties

I wrote yesterday about the fact that Airbnb may be shrinking because of the current crisis. It looks like the hospitality giant is also intentionally shrinking its client pool in…

What a Shrinking Airbnb Could Mean for the Future of Travel

Like every other travel company, Airbnb was hit hard by the pandemic. In May, CEO Brian Chesky admitted that the company’s future was in doubt this spring. Airbnb reacted by cutting…

HomeAway to Go Away—What That Means for Your Rental

Expedia Group is dropping its HomeAway platform for vacation rentals. Instead, the online travel company is focusing its rental business on the similar Vrbo brand.  Starting next…

What Are Airbnb and Other Rental Sites Doing to Keep Vacation Homes Clean and Safe?

MAY 14, 2020 The travel industry has an existential problem. How to convince the public that leaving home will be a safe and enjoyable activity in a drastically changed world?  I think…

In an Isolation Innovation, Walking Tour Guides Mount Live Virtual "Tours" You Take from Home

"Thank you for your booking," says my new tour guide, Eleonore. "Thanks to your presence here, I am able to go back to work. I am very happy." Then we descend 60 feet below the streets…

Airbnb Launches Online Experiences You Pay For

Airbnb has introduced an all-digital version of its Experiences platform for tours and activities.  With the company's new Online Experiences, experts around the world can teach you…

Staying in Amsterdam Will Cost You Extra This Year

An increase in Amsterdam's tourist tax went into effect on January 1. Going forward, visitors who stay in hotels in the Dutch capital will be charged a fee of €3 (US $3.35) per person…