Airbnb and Booking Set to Benefit From EU Agreement on Short-Term Rentals

Holland America Line has seen record-breaking Black Friday bookings for the second year in a row in the United States. The cruise line saw a reported 20% more Black Friday bookings than last year and 23% higher for the period from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday.

Hawaii is looking for ways to help those displaced by the Lahaina wildfire in August, and Maui mayor Richard Bissen has proposed tax incentives to turn short-term rentals into long-term housing.

One way or another, you probably won’t be renting an Airbnb or VRBO on Maui anytime soon.

After a recent trip to Jamaica to experience some of the extraordinary villas, the staffed difference, and one-of-a-kind excursions, the Villas of Distinction team has some tips and favorite things to share to help make your next vacation to Jamaica the best ever:

Among big-name travel and transportation brands, Expedia Group, Airbnb, Uber and Disney have pulled their advertising off X, formerly known as Twitter.

Global Reformbnb is an international group of hotel associations that works to ensure hotels compete on a level playing field against short-term rentals, which often operate without the same tax, regulatory, and safety standards that apply to hotels. The group also focuses on solutions related to online-booking sites.

The acquisition operation has benefited from the expert guidance of the consulting firm Bluebull, an investment banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions for technology companies, and the specialized law firm Cuatrecasas.

This was the year the short-term rentals  industry saw it all — the good, the bad and the ugly.  

An Airbnb host who said he initially lost thousands of dollars after a booking was canceled at the last minute shared the story on TikTok and went viral. When he was later reimbursed alongside extra profit he made from a new booking, he pledged to give away hundreds of dollars to those who showed him support.

New Hotels in the Cayman Islands for 2024 Scheduled to open in Q2 2024 is Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman. The 282-room 10-storey beachfront property will provide an upper midscale experience featuring multiple restaurants, a 6,700 square foot ballroom, a pool deck and a rooftop bar. Indigo’s restaurants and bars around the world are known as a favourite destination for visitors and locals alike. With sustainability in mind, the hotel is being built to LEED standards, which ensures high-performance buildings that have less of an impact on the environment. Hotel Indigo will use a geothermal/ice storage combination and will feature insulated glazing throughout to reduce energy consumption. The latest in Cayman real estate developer, Dart’s, hospitality portfolio, Hotel Indigo is expected to generate several hundred jobs when it opens. In 2022, Dart launched its Hospitality Training Programme, which provides Caymanians with the opportunity to obtain first-hand industry experience via a three-month work experience within the Dart hospitality portfolio.

Revisiting Panem, the dystopian country in which The Hunger Games novels and movies are set, in prequel film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes offered director Francis Lawrence an opportunity to present the world through a new lens. Set 64 years before those earlier works, the new film (based on a 2020 novel of the same name) showcases the familiar country just 10 years post-war—the thriving political Capitol, 12 outlying districts. As part of reconstruction, the Capitol has introduced the series' titular competition.

With the majestic domes of the Royal Pavilion as its backdrop – lit in magical neon colours if you go after dark – this real ice rink is a popular highlight of Brighton’s yuletide offering, and the only one in the UK powered by renewable energy. Families are warmly welcomed, with penguin skate aids available for £5 and a beginners’ rink where young skaters can safely build confidence on the ice. Rinkside, a covered bar and café and outdoor terraced areas offer mulled wine, mince pies, cakes, snacks and a decent children’s menu – and a great place to sit and watch if you don’t want to risk the ice yourself.Adults and children aged 12 and over £18, concessions £15, 12 and under £14, royalpavilionicerink.co.uk; family room, B&B, from £179, queenshotelbrighton.com