An Airbnb host who had to refund a $2,400 booking because a neighbor saw a mouse wound up making even more money when he went viral

Mountain spas. Dog-sledding. Hot springs. Mulled wine by a roaring fire. Many ski resorts offer much more than just skiing. If you're looking for a winter weekend break filled with fun and cozy activities, you don't need to hit the slopes to enjoy the charms of a ski resort.

Airbnb launched its Host Clubs in 2016, in part to help with local campaigns against regulatory clampdowns. Now, it is seeking to expand these clubs.

Booking Holdings Chief Financial Officer David Goulden said this week that the flagship Booking.com brand launched its short-term rental business as a supplement to hotels “15-plus years” ago, which is roughly around the time Airbnb got going in San Francisco.

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Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, who left his full-time role at the company a year ago, has sold more than $1.37 billion worth of his Class A shares since that time, including more than $1 billion so far in 2023, according to regulatory filings, Bloomberg reported. Gebbia still chairs the non-profit Airbnb.org, but more importantly, he retains the bulk — but not all — of his Class B shares, which now give him 19.8% of Airbnb’s voting power. Together with his two other co-founders, CEO Brian Chesky (30.6%) and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk (26.9%), they control 77.3% of Airbnb’s voting power.

Staying in hostels has always been something of a social thing given that you might end up staying with six or seven strangers in a bunk-filled room, and many properties have live entertainment and community events. But Dublin-based Hostelworld has integrated its own social network into its business to such a degree that is materially helping its financials.

“Casa Maria Luigia is a home and a hotel…imaginary and real,” writes Lara Gilmore in Slow Food, Fast Cars, the book she co-authored with chef Massimo Bottura, her partner in life and fine dining. Together, they’ve created such restaurants as the three-Michelin-star destination Osteria Francescana. But Gilmore began her career writing about art, and Slow Food, Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia - Stories and Recipes (out from Phaidon on December 6) marries a number of genres, from cookbook to essay collection to exhibition catalog and beyond.

With critics questioning Airbnb’s growth momentum, Airbnb announced Tuesday that Chief Financial Officer Dave Stephenson will become chief business officer, a newly created position, and VP of Finance Ellie Mertz will become CFO March 1.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways called for reasoned debate based upon facts. He also warned against action which would restrict competitive choice for millions of US and international air travellers in markets which the US airlines have chosen not to serve.

As part of the expanded partnership announced in September 2023, Air France-KLM and Etihad Airways customers now have access to more than 60 new routes beyond Abu Dhabi, Paris and Amsterdam.

Etihad Airways will fly its much-loved A380 on the popular Abu Dhabi – New York JFK route from 22 April, 2024

If the government expectations come to fruition, the image of the French “bon vivant,” sitting at a street cafe with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other, is in the process of finally changing.