Latest news with #shortTermRentals
Skift
30-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
What's Next for Short-Term Rentals: Regulations, Airbnb, AI
The evolution of the short-term industry shows no signs of slowing down, and we examine how trends in travel and tech will impact the sector. Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko talk travel every week. Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit and Head of Research Seth Borko talk travel every week. Learn More This episode of the Skift Travel Podcast featured a discussion with Vered Raviv Schwarz, president and chief operating officer of Guesty, a property management platform for the short-term rental industry. Raviv Schwarz, Head of Research Seth Borko, and Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit delved into the current state of short-term rentals, the role of technology in the sector, and the impact of Airbnb's relaunched experiences, among other topics. Listen Now Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS Five Key Points Market Trends Favoring Short-Term Rentals: The rise of blended travel, digital nomadism, and extended stays have favored the short-term rental sector. Travel Tech and Short-Term Rentals: Raviv Schwarz says investors remain bullish on travel technology, recognizing it as ripe for innovation and disruption, especially compared to more legacy sectors like airlines and hotels. The short-term rental segment, being younger and more tech-forward, is seen as a gateway to broader transformation in hospitality tech. Regulation Is Inevitable but Not Necessarily Harmful: While regulation of short-term rentals is growing globally, Raviv Schwarz views it as an opportunity for greater professionalism, consistency, and guest satisfaction. The key, she says, is education and advocacy by host communities to shape favorable policies that recognize their economic contributions. AI Is Transforming Hospitality Operations: AI adoption among Guesty customers has risen from 40% to 70% in a year. AI is being used for guest communication, dynamic pricing, and review analysis, helping hosts provide faster, more intelligent, and personalized service—bridging the gap between tech efficiency and human touch. The Hospitality Landscape is Diversifying: Raviv Schwarz emphasized that there's room for both hotels and short-term rentals, as travelers seek different experiences for different occasions. The industry isn't shifting to one dominant model but rather expanding to accommodate a range of preferences, from standardized hotel stays to unique, personal short-term rentals. Episode Summary Borko, Kopit, and Raviv Schwarz discussed Guesty's global scale, its offerings for both small and large rental operators, and its role in managing operations for hundreds of thousands of properties in over 80 countries. Guesty has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue, backed by prominent investors like KKR and Innovia. The three also touched on short-term rentals in depth, questioning whether they still count as 'alternative accommodations' given their mainstream growth. Raviv Schwarz said she's seen a continued blurring of the lines between short-term rentals and hotels, predicting that in five to 10 years, those accommodations may become indistinguishable. Despite economic uncertainty, the global short-term rental market remains stable with slight growth, especially in drive-to destinations and affordable stays. And Airbnb's recent push into experiences is seen as a major industry move that could enhance the appeal of short-term rentals.
Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Spain has banned some Airbnbs. This is why they're right to do so
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition — least of all, it seems, the nation's Airbnb proprietors. The news last week that the left-wing government had demanded the immediate removal of 66,000 short-term rental properties from the website was met by a stunned silence, but the landlords really should have seen it coming. The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 — a Spanish government department similar to the UK's now defunct Office of Fair Trading — says many of the properties in question have been deemed illegal because their listings do not show a licence or registration number. Others because the licence number doesn't correspond with official records and some because it's not clear whether the owner is an individual or a corporation. Three warnings were sent to Airbnb before the axe came down, with Pablo Bustinduy the minister wielding it. Formerly a professor of philosophy at the State University of New York, he returned to Spain in May 2011 to participate in the widespread protests against austerity, corruption and inequality that spawned the 15-M movement. He then joined Podemos: a party founded on the principle that all wealth was subordinate to the needs of the people. Accepting his current role in November 2023, Bustinduy tweeted that he would dedicate his time to 'expanding social rights, an essential condition of democracy, to defending a fair and sustainable consumption model, and to making Spain a benchmark for development and equality'. And it looks like he means it. According to 2024 data from the Spanish statistics office (INE), there were 351,389 short-term rentals advertised in Spain on the Airbnb, and Vrbo sites. Last week Bustinduy chopped that by 65,935 — or just under 20 per cent. 'It is possible to ensure that no economic interest prevails over the right to housing and that no company, no matter how large or powerful, places itself above the law,' he announced before warning foot-dragging local administrations across Spain that he'd had enough of officials 'protecting those who profit from the right to housing. You must act; there are no excuses for inaction. Demand the removal of advertisements for illegal tourist apartments.' The 65,935 holiday rentals in question have not been closed down, but Bustinduy's insistence that they are removed from Airbnb's listings effectively takes them off the market until they toe the line. Will existing bookings be cancelled? Almost certainly not, and because Airbnb is questioning the legality of the ruling, some of the affected properties may be reinstated to the platform. Last summer the tourism minister for the Balearic Islands government, Jaume Bauzá, told me of a plan to hit illegal landlords who, rather than promoting a property on Airbnb, or Vrbo, advertise by word of mouth, on community websites or social media to friends, neighbours and work colleagues. The money changes hands outside of Spain and the clients might come and go undetected. Time is now running out for those operating outside of official channels. A new campaign in Menorca warns landlords 'rent your house illegally and get a €400,000 fine'. In Ibiza, more than 700 unregistered holiday rentals have been shut down since February. In Mallorca a team of inspectors has been ordered to shut down illegal rentals. Beyond the Balearics, in Andalusia, Galicia and elsewhere, more properties are likely to vanish from the booking sites as the Spanish pitbull Bustinduy gnaws on a bone of contention with a doggedness that will endear him to Spain's voters. The trend could even go international. Airbnb's busiest developing markets are fast catching up with Spain in terms of numbers of properties let. Public resentment will inevitably follow, inspiring ambitious politicians to target short-term lets to appeal to populist sentiment. That could shake consumer confidence in a global corporation which, in 2016, encouraged tourists to 'live like locals' while those same locals were being evicted from long-term rentals so that landlords could profit from tourists. So I'm on Bustinduy's side. Renting an apartment or a house somewhere lovely for your holidays may seem like an innocent activity that saves you a few quid, but it has caused misery in Spain. • The secret Spanish isles so beautiful you need a ticket to visit In 2015 my friend Luis — a chef in Barcelona — was living in an apartment across the square from the restaurant where he worked. His wife Carolina, a critical care nurse, could cycle to the hospital, and Luis had time between shifts to take their daughter to and from school. Then their landlord terminated the lease so that he could convert the flat into a short-term let. The only affordable alternative accommodation was a 60-minute commute away. Luis could still take his daughter to school, but he couldn't collect her. Nor could Carolina when she was on shift. As for the dog, he had to go because the family couldn't find anywhere that allowed pets. 'We'd only had him a few months,' said Luis. 'We got him from our neighbour when she was evicted.' Everyone in Spain's tourist hotspots knows someone, it seems, with a similar story. Last August, while making a film about overtourism in Palma, Mallorca, I met a couple carrying their possessions down the street. Claudia and Alberto, both born in Palma, had just had their long-term lease cancelled and were moving out of the city because there was nowhere else to rent. 'Everything is Airbnb,' said Claudia. 'I know that people love this city for the sun and the beach and I want to share. But now I have nothing to share.' Just around the corner a poster proclaimed: 'tourism does not feed the poor. It just makes the rich fatter' — and this raises some awkward questions. • The destinations broken by tourism — and how we fix them Do any of us wish to be complicit in the eviction of people like Luis and Claudia? Do we want our presence in Barcelona, Palma, Madrid, Seville or Las Palmas to be welcomed or resented? Rented apartments almost always beat hotels on price: next weekend £350 will get you either a twin-bedded cupboard in a three-star hotel in Madrid's Puerta del Sol or, a few streets away, an entire former residential apartment that sleeps four and has an outdoor terrace. But, is bagging that bargain the most important consideration here? Companies such as Airbnb, and Vrbo would argue quite rightly that not all short-term lets are a drain on housing stocks. Renting a self-catered holiday villa on a beach in Menorca, a luxury serviced apartment in Barcelona or a spare room in a house in Jerez might not help those working in the hotel and restaurant industries, but it's not robbing locals of their homes. So be selective. Look at the photos and the location — Google Street View will show you if the property is in a residential neighbourhood. Ask yourself if that cosy apartment with the views of the cathedral from the terrace is the kind of place where a now-displaced family might once have had a home? If so, look elsewhere. Or book a hotel and spread the love. What are your thoughts on the ban? Let us know in the comments below
Daily Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
Shock as 65k Airbnb rentals banned amid court battle
A massive 65,000 homes are among the first to be banned from short-term tourism rentals after Airbnb lost a court case, sparking global fallout amid worldwide housing shortages. Backlash against Airbnb is growing amid the worst housing shortages that several countries have ever seen, including Australia where as many as 300,000 homes have been snapped up for the tourism market. MORE: Crunch time for Airbnb, short-term rentals 'Stupid': Blunt warning amid RBA rate cut frenzy MORE: Inside new Liberal leader's property portfolio Aussie capital named top two city in the world That backlash has translated into thousands of people protesting against tourists taking up housing in the past several months across Spain, where a government enquiry has seen demands made to Airbnb to take down listings, with warnings issued to local real estate agencies and corporations – watched by other authorities currently facing extreme housing pressure. The Spanish ministry of social rights, consumption, and the 2030 agenda ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 illegal tourist accommodation listings on its platform – which the global refused to do with the matter ending up in court. 'The Spanish government's ministry of social rights and consumer affairs has sent three resolutions in recent months to the multinational ordering the withdrawal of a total of 65,935 advertisements for tourist housing,' a translation of the ministry's official statement said. 'Airbnb appealed the Consumer Protection Act in court, and now a ruling from the Madrid High Court on the first ruling supports the initiative of the Ministry.' Around 5,800 tourist accommodation listings were among the first ordered to be removed immediately. MORE: Theme park legend's crypto hideaway hits the market Zac Efron's Aussie long lunch haunt is on the market The matter has been building for months but Airbnb continues to refuse to take down the advertisements, drawing even further backlash – not just against the firm but sparking growing anti-tourist sentiment across Spain, watched on by the rest of the world. In Australia, where Airbnb listings have gone as high as 300,000-plus, the global giant has denied any role in worsening housing affordability for locals, claiming a study it commissioned with Urbis found short-term rental accommodation 'has no consistent impact on affordability' in the country. 'Therefore, other factors must be driving affordability outcomes in Australia,' an Airbnb statement said A global storm against Airbnb is now raging with sites such as Reddit seeing heated debate: 'This is happening all over the world. Airbnb really screwed up the housing situation in many countries. This is the first step to getting residents back into homes'. Another Redditor said 'next major step is to outlaw all the corps that specialise in buying homes for cheap then jacking up the prices or turning said homes into rentals' – a view which was supported by another user who said 'corporations should not be in the rental business of SFH or condos. If they want to be part of the rental market, they should buy or build a rental building or hotel'. MORE: Buyer of $12m mansion plans to give it away Auction drama marks jaw-dropping sale of Aus' 'best build' A Spanish government statement by consumer affairs minister Pablo Bustinduy said 'these listings violate the regulations of the various autonomous communities where the Consumer Affairs Department has detected them'. 'In all cases, the listings are for entire tourist accommodations; no listings for individual rooms appear.' The regions impacted were Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, and the Basque Country, but the matter is set to widen with Mr Bustinduy's goal is to 'end the widespread lack of control and illegality of tourist accommodation, as well as to facilitate access to housing and protect consumer rights' with his officers also sanctioning large tourist apartment managers 'for failing to correctly indicate the legal nature of the landlord'. 'These sanctioning procedures are ongoing regardless of the measures now announced. Furthermore, on March 27, a sanctioning procedure was also opened against a large real estate agency for abusive practices against tenants.' The statement said the department was collaborating across various administrations to share information and offer technical assistance to boost the crackdown 'and put an end to the thousands of illegal advertisements detected'. The Spanish government requires that short term rental listings include the license or registration number of the firm offering the property. 'This is mandatory in several regional regulations and is the most common violation in the advertising analysed.' It also requires that such listings indicate the legal status of the landlords – 'whether the landlords are professionals or individuals, a crucial factor in determining whether the person making the contract is protected as a consumer'. It also said some of the listings had licence numbers that did not correspond to those issued by Spanish authorities, which it deemed misleading and deceptive against consumers. MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS
Fast Company
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Airbnb ordered to block over 65,000 holiday rentals in Spain for rule violations
Spain has ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday. The ministry said that many of the 65,935 Airbnb listings it had ordered to be withdrawn did not include their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Others listed numbers that didn't match what authorities had, it said. Spain is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies. In recent months, tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets protesting rising housing and rental costs, which many say have been driven up by holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb that have proliferated in cities like Madrid and Barcelona and many other popular tourist destinations. 'Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing,' Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters on Monday. Airbnb said that it would appeal the decision. Through a spokesperson, the company said it did not think the ministry was authorized to rule on short-term rentals—and that it had utilized 'an indiscriminate methodology' to include Airbnb rentals that do not need a license to operate. Last year, Barcelona announced a plan to close down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. The ministry said it had notified Airbnb of the noncompliant listings months ago, but that the company had appealed the move in court. Spain's government said Madrid's high court had backed the order sent to Airbnb. Bustinduy said it involved the immediate removal of 5,800 rental listings from the site. Two subsequent orders would be issued until the nearly 66,000 removals are reached, he said. Spain's government said the first round of affected properties were located across the country, including in the capital, Madrid, as well as in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Spain Orders Airbnb to Block Nearly 66,000 Holiday Rental Listings over Rule Violations
Spain has ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday. The ministry said that many of the 65,935 Airbnb listings it had ordered to be withdrawn did not include their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Others listed numbers that didn't match what authorities had, it said. Spain is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies. In recent months, tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets protesting rising housing and rental costs, which many say have been driven up by holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb that have proliferated in cities like Madrid and Barcelona and many other popular tourist destinations, The AP news reported. 'Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing,' Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters on Monday. Airbnb said that it would appeal the decision. Through a spokesperson, the company said it did not think the ministry was authorized to rule on short-term rentals — and that it had utilized 'an indiscriminate methodology' to include Airbnb rentals that do not need a license to operate. Last year, Barcelona announced a plan to close down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. The ministry said it had notified Airbnb of the noncompliant listings months ago, but that the company had appealed the move in court. Spain's government said Madrid's high court had backed the order sent to Airbnb. Bustinduy said it involved the immediate removal of 5,800 rental listings from the site. Two subsequent orders would be issued until the nearly 66,000 removals are reached, he said. Spain's government said the first round of affected properties were located across the country, including in the capital, Madrid, as well as in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona.
