NEWS STORIES FEATURES VIDEOS
Editorial comment
11•11•19 Welcome to the latest Short Term Rentalz weekly newsletter!
• After a week of lengthy recriminations over the fatal shooting of five people at an Airbnb rental in Orinda last week, the company has pledged it will, for the first time since launching in 2008, verify every listing on its platform moving forward.
The rise in the phenomenon of so-called 'party houses' has further highlighted concerns over security at Airbnb properties, after a Vice News investigation uncovered a series of false or misleading listings on the site last month. Two years ago, the company changed its own security policy when a BBC investigation revealed criminals were hijacking accounts in order to burgle rental homes.
Chief executive Brian Chesky pledged to: a) review each home / host on Airbnb by December 2020, b) refund guests the cost of their booking if the property does not meet “accuracy standards” and if the company cannot find a suitable alternative, and c) launch a phone line for anyone to call.
• In other news, preparation is well underway for our newly-launched 'Urban Living Festival', which will take place at Tobacco Dock in London on 1-2 July 2020. In his latest video interview, IHM CEO Piers Brown outlines the reasons for setting up ULF, which will incorporate the Serviced Apartment Summit and ENGAGE corporate travel buyer forum, and carries the slogan, "Stay Live Work".
ULF brings together CEOs, speakers, sponsors and service providers to share best practice, network, map out the future and do business in the following areas: short-term rentals, hotels and serviced apartments, aparthotels / extended stay hotels, hostels, co-living and co-working, build-to-rent and student accommodation, assisted living, healthy buildings, sustainability and wellness, and proptech.
• In anticipation for our inaugural Shortyz Awards on 11 March 2020, we are delighted with the early response with nominations, ahead of the deadline for submitting nominations on 31 December 2019. For more information on event details and the nomination and judging process, award categories and the judging panel, visit our newly-launched event website here, or start nominating your Shortyz Stars at shortyz@internationalhospitality.media - it's as easy as 1-2-3!
• Last week, IHM launched its pre-Christmas charity initiative, for which I am offering one short-term rental company the opportunity to 'employ me' for one working day only before the holiday season, with proceeds going to Alzheimer's Research UK. The work can entail cleaning rooms or shadowing a member of the team, whatever works all in the name of charity.
I promise to work without pay and would kindly request a donation to the charity for no more than the equivalent of one day's work within the company. I will pay my own expenses and can write about the experience on ShortTermRentalz if you wish! If you are interested in this unique opportunity, please get in touch by emailing me at paul@internationalhospitality.media.
If you have a story you want us to tell the industry, please click here and get involved with the community by joining our ShortTermRentalz LinkedIn group.
Paul Stevens, news editor
UPCOMING EVENTS
International Hospitality Media is the premier specialist in online publishing; conference, exhibition and events, and advisory services for niche growth sectors of the hospitality industry. The company publishes three industry-leading b2b websites - BoutiqueHotelNews.com and ServicedApartmentNews.com and ShortTermRentalz.com which keep their respective sectors up to speed with news, comment and opinion.
Our conference experience spans four continents and covers high growth segments including boutique, lifestyle and hybrid hotels, serviced apartments / aparthotels and extended stay, and vacation rental. Our events are renowned for their intense focus and attract quality industry leaders, brands and independents, providing unparalleled networking and learning opportunities. We also organise bespoke educational events and investor breakfasts to bring owners, operators and investors together. 'Providing an inspirational community to connect people through world class online platforms and events' © 2019 International Hospitality Media. All Rights Reserved.
Confirmation of your subscription opts you in to receive future updates on the event listed above, in addition to relevant communications from our partners. You can opt out at any time.
##footer## |