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By Isabel Kershner The New York Times Tues., Nov. 20, 2018 JERUSALEM—One host, Moriyah, lists the location of her bed-and-breakfast on Airbnb, the home rental site, as Biblical Shiloh, Israel. It sleeps up to 12 guests for under $140 (U.S.) a night. It has a hot tub. And the area around it offers hikes and springs, workshops and holistic treatments. What the listing does not make clear is that this B&B, named “Peace of the Valley,” lies in a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Most of the world considers the settlements, built on land Israel captured in the 1967 war, to be a violation of international law. Even Israeli authorities have deemed illegal some of the unauthorized outposts where Airbnb accommodations can be found. On Monday, Airbnb, long under pressure from Palestinian officials, anti-settlement advocates and human rights groups to end its West Bank settlement listings, announced it would do just that. Article … [Read more...] about Airbnb ends West Bank settlement listings, causing uproar in Israel
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Japan’s new ‘Airbnb law’ a double-edged sword
TOKYO: Rental platforms like Airbnb are hoping for a boost from a new law coming into force next month in Japan ahead of an expected surge in demand for the 2020 Olympics, but experts warn it could actually hamper business in the short term. Currently anyone renting out a room risks falling foul of the law but short-term rentals will be legalised on June 15, clearing up a legal grey area. But the new law also introduces fresh restrictions, dismaying many who rent out rooms to tourists via Airbnb or similar platforms. Would-be renters will have to register their lodgings with the authorities and the new law limits total overnight stays to 180 days per year. The new legislation allows local authorities to impose their own restrictions too. The tourist-magnet of Kyoto, for example, has said it will only permit rentals in residential areas between mid-January and mid-March, the low season for tourist arrivals. Jake Wilczynski, Airbnb spokesman for Asia-Pacific, told AFP the new laws are a … [Read more...] about Japan’s new ‘Airbnb law’ a double-edged sword
Many Airbnb rentals in US cities lack fire safety features
(Reuters Health) - Even though most rooms and homes rented through Airbnb in major U.S. cities have smoke detectors, only about half have carbon monoxide detectors and even fewer have fire extinguishers or first aid kits, a new study suggests.Researchers focused on fire safety features listed among the amenities in almost 121,000 rental listings available through Airbnb in 16 cities including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.Smoke detectors were listed among the amenities in more than 96,000 venues overall, representing 80 percent, the study found. But just 58 percent of rooms and homes in the study had carbon monoxide detectors, only 42 percent had fire extinguishers and a mere 36 percent had first aid kits."This is really surprising because most fire deaths and carbon monoxide poisonings happen in residential housing," study co-author Vanya Jones of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore … [Read more...] about Many Airbnb rentals in US cities lack fire safety features
Airbnb ready to make concessions on short-term rentals in Singapore
Home-booking company Airbnb is willing to make some concessions on short-term rentals in Singapore in an attempt to appease concerns of the Government, a top executive said yesterday. Strict rules in Singapore make it one of the toughest markets in which Airbnb operates. Two men are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty recently for unauthorised short-term letting of apartments. Mr Chris Lehane, Airbnb's head of global policy, told Reuters that the company had managed to make great progress in other markets, such as China and Cuba. "We feel optimistic that as the Government looks around and sees the 400-plus partnerships that have been done, that if we can figure this out in Cuba, we should be able to figure it out here in Singapore," he said. When asked for comment, the Ministry of National Development told Reuters that the Government would seek public feedback around this month or next on how to regulate short-term letting of property. Mr Lehane declined to confirm whether he was … [Read more...] about Airbnb ready to make concessions on short-term rentals in Singapore
This 25-year-old entrepreneur went from leaving school at 16 to running the ‘Airbnb of retail’
Appear Here lets businesses rent pop-up space and has been called the “Airbnb of retail.” The London startup raised $20 million last year and is currently planning international expansion. CEO Ross Bailey sat down with Business Insider to talk department stores, skipping university, and how to maintain company culture. LONDON – Ross Bailey wants to talk about department stores. “If analysts walked around some of them I think they would be trading at less than 30% their net asset value,” Bailey says, referencing the already bombed out US “mall” sector. He whips out his phone and starts scrolling through pictures that illustrate his point – dreadful carpets, too much stock cluttered together, and bad paintings hung up near concessions. “If you saw that in someone’s house you’d think they’ve got bad taste,” he says in his typically enthusiastic … [Read more...] about This 25-year-old entrepreneur went from leaving school at 16 to running the ‘Airbnb of retail’