Airbnb

Airbnb, which some cities have targeted as a threat to residential housing, has released a report (PDF) highlighting how much money it pours into local economies. The company's latest economic impact study said it generates about $240 million (185 million euros) for the city of Paris.

The company also took care to highlight how Airbnb hosts are actually using the service to supplement their income and pay for their homes. Airbnb found that 83 percent of Paris hosts rent the home they actually live in and 46 percent said they need the income for "essential living expenses such … Read more

Prohibitions against renting living quarters to out-of-towners are just as outmoded as attempts to ban cars shortly after their arrival in 1908, Airbnb co-founder and Chief Product Officer Joe Gebbia said Wednesday.

"Can you believe cities tried to outlaw cars in the United States? Imagine driving car for a year then going back to horse and buggy," Gebbia said at the LeWeb London conference. Eventually, though, "the policymakers adjusted to meet the demands of the people. What people demand is what the policies serve."

Of course, that message is self-serving: Airbnb is in the business of … Read more

New York officials have determined that a man who rented out part of his apartment on Airbnb should pay $2,400 for violating the city's illegal hotel law, despite Airbnb stepping in on the host's behalf.

The city initially asked host Nigel Warren to pay $7,000 total in fees for violating a law that makes it illegal for property owners to rent out homes temporarily -- essentially mimicking hotel stays -- and for unrelated issues with building and zoning codes, according to the decision and order issued by the board. (See PDF below; it cites Abe Carrey, … Read more

Airbnb, the company that connects travelers with people looking for temporary tenants, is adding several features to Android in hopes of increasing reservations.

The San Francisco company announced the latest version of the app on Monday, adding two features for hosts -- preapproval options and calendar management -- that are already available to Airbnb's iOS users.

The preapproval options means hosts can preapprove, deny or request more information from a guest interested in staying at their property. Calender management allows hosts to set a listing's availability within the app. Airbnb thinks these changes will help people communicate faster … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The Worst Room makes everyone in New York feel terrible.

- San Francisco hotels pricey? Van on Airbnb is only $92 a night.

- A bold new font lets dyslexia sufferers read.

- Bang With Friends goes mobile, because some people want to get it on the run.

- A Wi-Fi enabled Microsoft ad printed in Forbes magazine offers free Internet to readers.… Read more

You can rent a castle on Airbnb and a treehouse. Boats are popular, and there are plenty of farmhouses. So why not a van?

As reported on the SF.StreetsBlog, an enterprising Airbnb user in San Francisco has started advertising a 1990 Chevy Conversion van, offering the vehicle (with just 45,000 miles!) for only $92 a night.

One might think the nightly rate (which is more if you consider the service charge) is a bit much to pay to sleep in a cramped space probably better suited for a Scooby Doo video. But, as everyone knows, real estate is … Read more

Airbnb, which helps people find vacation rentals all around the world, today will start verifying the identity of all users by asking for their real-life papers, the company announced on Tuesday.

Airbnb is asking both travelers and those who have property listings to provide two forms of identification for a new verification process. The company will take people's IDs from Airbnb reviews and social media sites, like LinkedIn or Facebook, and will ask users to fill in information only they would know or scan a photo ID to confirm a match.

For now, the company plans to require 25 … Read more

Airbnb, which helps people find vacation rentals all around the world, has more than doubled the number of available listings in the last year, and now boasts more than 300,000 total listings globally (up from 120,000 at the beginning of 2012), including 500 castles and 200 treehouses.

The company unveiled some impressive growth numbers today, including the fact that of the 4 million people who have used the online and mobile service since 2008, 3 million used it in 2012 alone. Among the 300,000 listings now available to rent are also 4,000 cabins, 1,000 boats, … Read more

When heading to a city like London on a budget, a service like Airbnb can be a godsend: with dozens and dozens of available apartments to choose from, a traveler can easily find a place to stay that's much less expensive than a hotel, and which offers privacy, a sense of home, and maybe most important of all, a kitchen.

Last year, I went to London on business and decided the visit was long enough to merit getting a place through Airbnb. But I hadn't been to the English capital since I was a teenager and had no … Read more