Airbnb

As has been his habit about product changes, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted about updates the company is making to this year’s summer release announced in May. Notable are the updates on the long-awaited verified listings, cleaning fees and lower prices, and better customer service. But let’s talk about verified listings, as it’s been a […]

Happy hump day! And we continue to discuss the housing market and mortgages.  There was a 47% drop in mortgage-rate locks (a lock-in fixes an interest rate between the offer and the closing) for second homes in the U.S. in August compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from real estate listing site Redfin. The data underscores […]

The DJIA rose 6 points, the Nasdaq was up 2, the S&P 500 was up 3 points, and the 10-year treasury yield barely budged at 4.32%. Was it a holiday, and nobody publicly declared it? Lodging stocks were lower. The movers of note included VCSA with an 8% rise, SHCO up 5%, and BHR fell -7% on the day.  Interested in attending the Skift Global Forum in […]

Consider this a precursor for a larger story later, but as someone who tracks short-term rentals, I find the events unfolding in Colorado nail-biting.  On one hand, you have Summit County set to extend its Lease to Locals program, aimed at converting short-term rentals into long-term housing, with hopes of keeping current tenants in place, […]

Happy hump day, folks – let’s get into it. I was reading this latest report from Skift’s director of research Wouter Geerts: Airbnb vs Vrbo in 20 Charts, and here are a few stats I find interesting. First, Airbnb is much bigger than Vrbo. How much bigger? 6x more listings. We won’t even consider the potential […]

The DJIA was down 17 points, the Nasdaq was down 1% the S&P 500 down .57%, and the 10-year treasury yield was flat at 4.286%. TD Cowen upped its price target on Hilton to $164 from $148 and on Marriott to $215 from $185. It maintained Outperform ratings on both. Data released by the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office show that in July 2023, international visitors spent nearly […]

This is not a story of “Airbnbust,” but instead we’re talking about a correction of the “Airbnboom” that has taken place since the highs of the pandemic. In its latest report, data company KeyData found that the U.S. short-term rental market saw a revenue (RevPAR) drop of 17%.  During June, July, and August, analysts observed […]

Phoenix, Arizona is having a YIMBY moment.  The city council voted Tuesday on allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the backyards of family homes in Phoenix. The current Phoenix zoning ordinance prohibits the construction of livable structures in backyards. These ADUs, commonly known as casitas, guest houses, or in-law suites, are livable structures built in […]

Welcome back, it’s a brand new day to talk about junk fees — as discussed on TikTok. A viral video posted by a comedian scoffs at short-term rentals and sometimes-exorbitant “host fees.” In his TikTok video, comedian Jesse Martin highlights how a $172 per night charge results in a total price of $972 for two […]

The DJIA fell 195 points, while the Nasdaq was down 10, the S&P 500 was down 18 points, and the 10-year treasury yield was up 0.68 to 4.258%. Lodging stocks were mixed, but Airbnb stock received a big lift with the announcement of its inclusion in the S&P 500. Truist reported on its visit to San Francisco for the Visit Impact Summit. The good news is that the fall […]

Let’s face it: New York is hardly the first city to impose regulations on short-term rentals. Today is the official deadline for hosts to register their listings. Attempts to regulate short-term rentals around the world may have lessons — and implications. While it may still be early to measure the impact of these restrictions on […]

Yesterday we wrote about Airbnb’s sweet deals with developers in Florida – where the company is partnering with developers to allow apartment tenants to rent out their units for up to 75 days per year. Airbnb would handle pricing, security, access for guests, and cleaning. Let’s get into why this could be happening: the company […]