Airbnb names Amazon’s Carney as global head of policy
US: Airbnb has appointed Amazon executive and former White House press secretary for President Barack Obama, Jay Carney, as its new global head of policy and communications.
Airbnb adds online experiences from Brand USA
US: Airbnb has announced a partnership with American destination marketing organisation Brand USA to create a new set of Online Experiences. Airbnb has created a new landing page for the initiative and set up experiences with five unique storytellers from United Stories. Some of the experiences already offered on the site include a southern food […]
Airbnb signs data-sharing partnership with European Commission
Europe: Airbnb has announced it has signed a landmark data-sharing partnership with Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Commission. As a result, public authorities in Europe will soon have access to independently published data on short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms. In a statement, the European Commission said: “The agreement will for the […]
Airbnb partners with Bahamas National Trust for post-Dorian sabbatical
Bahamas: Airbnb has partnered with NGO Bahamas National Trust to announce their joint Bahamas Sabbatical, where five lucky volunteers will help to restore the country after being devastated by Hurricane Dorian. The venture is being called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help preserve an archipelago” by Airbnb as restoration efforts continue following the hurricane between August 2019 […]
Airbnb identifies Hindi and other native languages as key booking drivers
India: Airbnb has announced it is integrating Hindi into its platform and doubling the number of languages available in which hosts and guests can utilise Airbnb. The reasoning for introducing Hindi is to make the platform accessible to a wider demographic of travellers, including four billion speakers of 62 languages who will be able to […]
Airbnb set to branch into creative content before IPO
Worldwide: Reuters is reporting that Airbnb is planning to produce a series of original shows and content to encourage its customers to travel more and broaden their horizons. The latest strategy comes at a time when Airbnb is shaping up for a scheduled initial public offering this year or next. The company is said to […]
New York City subpoenas Airbnb for hosts’ data
New York: New York City has subpoenaed Airbnb for data on around 20,000 listings in the area to ensure hosts comply with local short-term rental regulations. In an interview with the NY1 television channel, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stated his reasoning for the subpoena from the Office of Special Enforcement: “If your […]
Israel reignites row with Airbnb by seeking legal steps over West Bank boycott
Israel: Israel’s strategic affairs minister Gilad Erdan has reignited the row with Airbnb by calling on the compamy to rescind its boycott of West Bank settlement listings. Erdan was speaking at the opening of a new four-kilometre road in the West Bank, just outside of Jerusalem. He warned that Israel would continue its legal pursuit […]
Airbnb outlines contribution to South African economy
South Africa: Airbnb says it has supported 22,000 jobs and has had an economic impact of US$648 million in the country over the past year. Speaking at a three-day summit in Cape Town which Airbnb is hosting, head of global policy and public affairs Chris Lehane said its latest economic impact report had indicated that […]