Maui panel passes bill to curb short-term rentals after Lahaina wildfire
Hawaii: A Maui County Council committee passed a bill this week to phase out thousands of short-term vacation rentals in response to housing shortages following last year’s Lahaina wildfire. Bill 9, which advanced in a 6-3 vote on Thursday, will eliminate more than 7,000 short-term rental units across the island by 2028 in West Maui […]
Hawaii introduces tourist “green tax” for climate change resilience
Hawaii: A new law, Act 96, will impose a “green tax” on tourists to help safeguard Hawaii’s natural ecosystems from the growing impacts of climate change.
Bills advance in Hawaii to leave uncertain STR future
US: Short-term rentals could be phased out entirely in counties across Hawaii if two bills that are currently moving through state legislature are passed.
Hyatt to debut Homes & Hideaways vacation rental platform
US: Global hospitality company Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced plans to introduce a new short-term vacation rental platform – Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt – “in the coming weeks”.
STR industry unites to support those affected by Hawaii wildfires
US: The short-term rental industry is uniting to support people affected by the deadly wildfires in Hawaii last week.
2023 Short Stay Week interviews: John An, TechTape
US / Spain: John An, founder and CEO of TechTape, speaks to STRz at the 2023 Short Stay Week in Barcelona about addressing pain points and tech fragmentation in the industry, how regulation is driving advocacy efforts, and his reasons for attending the event.
AirDNA: US short-term rental industry thrived in record year in 2021
US: The December review released by short-term rental data and analytics provider, AirDNA, shows that 2021 was the best ever year for short-term rentals in the United States, ending well despite a slight dip in the demand growth from 2019 in December [+12.9 per cent vs. +14.3 per cent in November], as the Omicron variant made […]
TurnoverBnB raises $4.5m in Series A funding
Hawaii: Proptech SaaS platform TurnoverBnB, which helps vacation rental hosts to automatically schedule and manage cleaning for their properties, has raised $4.5 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by proptech-focused venture capital firm RET Ventures, as well as accelerator Blue Startups. Founded in 2016, TurnoverBnB allows hosts to find local cleaners […]
AvantStay accelerates growth and US market expansion
US: Premier next-generation hospitality platform AvantStay is maintaining its rapid growth and market expansion strategy by adding a large portfolio of homes in Oahu, Hawaii; Joshua Tree, California; Charleston and Hilton Head, South Carolina; Vail, Colorado; and Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. The property additions brings AvantStay’s portfolio to more than 600 homes in the United States, […]
Honolulu signs MOU with Airbnb and Expedia
US: Hawaii’s capital Honolulu has signed a memorandum of understanding [MOU] with both Airbnb and Expedia to improve the enforcement of rental laws in the city. Both companies will now share information with the city and assist with education and place certain licensing features on their listings. Properties in Honolulu will now be required to […]