Airbnb

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'Gladiators' Will Fight in the Colosseum Again

It's a tourist contest from Airbnb, and not everyone is thrilled about it

(Newser) - The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights—albeit staged—for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote "a more conscious tourism," per the AP . Critics beg to differ.
  • The contest: Eight of
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Airbnb Has a Big Hidden Camera Problem

CNN Investigates learned that the company has received 35K surveillance complaints

(Newser) - Checking into a home rental? You might want to also check for hidden cameras. CNN investigated what exactly happens when companies like Airbnb receive complaints about surveillance cameras from customers, and what they found wasn't exactly reassuring (they also have a handy tl;dr version). A look:
  • 35,000:
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Airbnb Is Really Getting Creative Now

Ever wanted to stay in house from 'Up!'? Introducing 'a new category of extraordinary experiences'

(Newser) - Airbnb isn't content with growing from a couch-surfing business to a multibillion-dollar company with 7.7 million listings worldwide. It's now offering what it calls "the most extraordinary experiences on Earth," one-of-a-kind adventures taking place around the world, from tequila tasting with Kevin Hart to a...

Airbnb: Indoor Security Cameras Have Got to Go

Outdoor cameras are still OK on Airbnb rental homes

(Newser) - Airbnb's "creepiest policy," as SFGate puts it, is soon to be no more. The vacation rental company will no longer allow properties listed on its platform to have indoor security cameras. They were previously OK in common areas only, as long as they were disclosed in the...

'Wrong Number' Crew to Celebrate 8th Thanksgiving Together

Wanda Dench, Jamal Hinton partner with Airbnb to add 2 more guests

(Newser) - The Arizona grandma who invited the wrong teen to Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, leading to years of awwww-inducing holiday get-togethers , are celebrating together again this year. And in honor of the tradition's eighth year, they're adding new strangers into the mix, NBC News reports. Wanda Dench, whose husband...

Women Sue After Airbnb Turns Into 'House of Horror'

Suit against rental site, Michigan homeowners comes after women say they were attacked by bats

(Newser) - According to its Airbnb listing, the "Castle House" in Alpena, Michigan, is an "incredible historic home" that's "bursting with charm." According to a group of eight women who rented the abode earlier this year, the place is actually like a "horror movie," complete...

Airbnb Guest Won't Leave Luxury Estate—or Pay

Landlord has been unable to evict her

(Newser) - Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented a Los Angeles-area guesthouse from Sascha Jovanovic on Airbnb in 2021. Problems between the two of them started bubbling up five months into her six-month reservation, reports the Los Angeles Times , and after her scheduled stay ended on March 19, 2022, Jovanovic says she refused to leave...

Airbnb's 'Party Pooper' Has Had Great Success

Algorithms can spot when to block risky bookings

(Newser) - Airbnb head of trust and safety Naba Banerjee might be a world champion in thwarting parties. Banerjee—described by CNBC as a "proud party pooper"—helped reduce reports of parties at Airbnbs by 55% over two years. A reservation screening system introduced in May has already blocked 320,...

Airbnb: Call the Police On Loud Rental Home Parties

The short-term rental giant expects 300 million bookings this year

(Newser) - Airbnb is trying to crack down on disruptive parties this summer, especially over the Memorial Day and July 4th weekends, reports Quartz . And one big part of the strategy is having neighbors snitch on partying renters, per CBS News . In a blog post, Airbnb announced a “party prevention system,...

Toddler Fatally Exposed to Fentanyl at Airbnb, Family Says

Now family is suing Airbnb, property owner over the tragedy

(Newser) - Using Airbnb, the Lavenir family booked a lake house in an affluent neighborhood in Florida's Palm Beach County for a vacation in August 2021. The day after they arrived, one of their five children was dead. Now, the family, who live on a French island in the Caribbean, are...

Airbnb Oddity: 700 Pounds of Acorns Stashed in Wall

A couple of very industrious critters caused a little trouble at a California rental

(Newser) - Sometimes when you walk into an Airbnb, you don't want to know what its previous occupants have been up to. And sometimes once you know, there's no unknowing. In the case of a two-story house in Glen Ellen, California, the previous occupants had been very busy, but in...

Airbnb: No More 'Unreasonable' Tasks Before Checkout

Hosts can no longer ask guests to vacuum before leaving, company says

(Newser) - Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says the company has heard consumer complaints "loud and clear"—and it is making changes including the elimination of "unreasonable" tasks before checkout. In a thread posted on Twitter Monday, Chesky said hosts would no longer be able to ask guests to perform...

Airbnb Is Making Its Ban on Parties Permanent

Violators could face 'serious consequences'

(Newser) - Airbnb is making its ban on parties at homes listed on the site for short-term rentals permanent. The San Francisco company believes the ban has worked, saying Tuesday that reports of parties at listed properties have dropped 44% from a year ago. More than 6,600 guests were suspended last...

Airbnb Cleaning Fees Rise, Along With Tempers
Frustration Builds Over
Airbnb Cleaning Fees
in case you missed it
Apr 17, 2022 4:30 PM CDT

Frustration Builds Over Airbnb Cleaning Fees

Platform testing changes to address fee increases blamed on inflation, pandemic

(Newser) - In a recent TikTok video highlighted by Bored Panda , an Airbnb user complained that she was asked to pay $229 per night for a short-term accommodation plus a $125 cleaning fee, even though she was asked to clean before checkout. That's not unusual. Actually, a cleaning fee can be...

11 People Shot During Airbnb Party

No arrests yet in Pittsburgh; two juveniles were killed

(Newser) - A second mass shooting in the US is making headlines this weekend. Police in Pittsburgh say two young males—both juveniles—were fatally shot and nine others were wounded when gunfire broke out at an Airbnb party Saturday night, reports the Post-Gazette . In a statement , the city's department of...

Airbnb Bookings Are Popular in Ukraine, for Unusual Reason

People in the US and elsewhere are grabbing them as a way to donate

(Newser) - The idea of booking an Airbnb rental in Ukraine at the moment may sound nuts. But as it turns out, people in the US and around the world are grabbing openings quickly in Kyiv and elsewhere—not to use them, but as a way to donate money directly to ordinary...

In NYC, Carrie Bradshaw's Apartment Awaits You

Airbnb is renting out replica of 'Sex and the City' brownstone ahead of HBO's reboot of show

(Newser) - If you're already getting excited for HBO's Sex and the City reboot coming next month, think how excited you'll be for the chance to stay in Carrie Bradshaw's apartment, too. Well, a replica of it, at any rate. That's the offer now on the table...

One Landing Place for Afghan Refugees: Airbnb Homes

Hosts to lend a hand in 'one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time'

(Newser) - Airbnb opened the doors of its properties to 20,000 Afghan refugees globally Tuesday and sought assistance from hosts who rent property through the home-sharing company for more free housing for those fleeing the crisis, per the AP . "The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and...

Scottie Pippen: Come Watch the Olympics at My House

Retired basketball star offering stays at his Illinois vacation home on Airbnb

(Newser) - You could watch the Tokyo Olympics from Scottie Pippen's home and, in his words, "sleep in my bed." The six-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist has turned to Airbnb to offer three one-night stays at his vacation home in Illinois' Highland Park where fans can...

This Airbnb Team Steps In When Horrible Things Happen

It has a 100-person safety team that spends big money to make problems go away

(Newser) - "Agents have had to hire body-fluid crews to clean blood off carpets, arrange for contractors to cover bullet holes in walls, and deal with hosts who discover dismembered human remains." That's a sentence in a lengthy Bloomberg Businessweek piece by Olivia Carville about agents who work for...

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