Urban Living Festival 2025: Key takeaways for short-term rentals
UK: The 2025 Urban Living Festival offered a comprehensive look at the trends and challenges shaping hospitality and real estate. The two-day event began with property tours across Denmark Street, before culminating in a full day of panels, presentations, awards and networking at Mary Ward House. Across four Short Term Rentalz sessions, speakers shared insights […]
RMS launches RMS Pay in North America
US / Canada: Hospitality technology provider RMS has rolled out its integrated payments solution, RMS Pay, in the United States and Canada. Already adopted across Australia and Europe, RMS Pay enables operators to automate the full payment journey from pre-arrival to check-out. The platform is designed to reduce chargebacks, no-shows, and fraud while streamlining reconciliation […]
Airbnb to “go significantly more aggressively into hotels,” says CEO
US: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has outlined plans to expand the number of hotels listed on the platform, signalling a shift towards a broader accommodation offering. During the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call, Chesky said Airbnb would be “going significantly more aggressively into hotels”, with a focus on independent and boutique properties, particularly outside North […]
Over 10,000 European hotels join legal action against Booking.com
Europe: More than 10,000 hotels across Europe have joined the collective legal action against OTA Booking.com, expanding on a case first reported in June. The claim challenges the platform’s long-standing “best price” clause, also known as a Platform Most Favoured Nation (PMFN) clause, which required accommodation providers to display the same or lower rates on […]
Hotels named as main cause of overtourism in EU, says Airbnb
US: New data from online accommodation platform Airbnb is challenging assumptions about short-term rentals and overtourism, suggesting that traditional hotels remain the dominant force behind growing tourist volumes across the European Union. According to Airbnb’s latest report, Overtourism in the EU, nearly 80 per cent of guest nights in EU destinations in 2024 were spent […]
Legionella warning issued for UK property managers
UK: Yesterday, UK hoteliers, holiday let owners and bed and breakfast operators were urged to prioritise Legionella risk control for the summer season, as Legionella cases in the UK have reached an all-time high. Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection caused by inhaling droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria, which can be fatal. The bacteria […]
European hoteliers file collective action against Booking.com
A group of more than 25 national hotel associations across Europe has filed collective legal action against Booking.com in the Netherlands. The lawsuit challenges the platform’s use of price parity clauses,
Guestara secures $500k in pre-seed funding round
India: Guestara, a startup that is setting out to reimagine how hospitality professionals serve and engage guests, has announced that it has closed a $500,000 pre-seed funding round.
Plans announced to adopt stronger STR regulations in Egypt
Egypt: The Egyptian Government has announced plans to tighten short-term rental regulations in the country.
FTC to ban hidden junk fees on STRs, hotels and event tickets
US: The US Federal Trade Commission [FTC] has passed a rule that will ban hidden “junk fees” on short-term rentals, hotels and live event ticket prices.