Regulation tips

If you search for short-term rentals on Booking.com, Vrbo and, to a lesser extent, on Airbnb in New York City for stays after Tuesday’s deadline mandating that hosts be registered, you’ll still find numerous listings that seemingly flout the rules.

The European Commission said on Monday it had designated Booking.com’s parent company, Booking Holdings, as having “gatekeeper” regulatory status under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The move came as part of a broader effort to rein in tech giants such as Google and Apple.

New York City’s Office of Special Enforcement says it has now decided on 90% applications from potential short-term rental hosts as part of regulations that kicked in last September. 

More than four months since New York City cracked down and limited short-term rentals, Airbnb claims the city hasn’t delivered on the benefits it promised to Big Apple residents.

With revenge travel - taking a trip that was cancelled during the pandemic - still prompting soaring visitor numbers, some popular destinations took steps to crack down on overtourism in 2023.

EU countries and European Parliament lawmakers are set to agree on light touch rules for Airbnb next week, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The implementation of New York City’s host registration law last month has enabled one landlord to win a temporary restraining order against both Airbnb and a host from listing a short-term rental in an Upper West Side apartment building that put itself on the Office of Special Enforcement’s banned building list.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on October 7 a bill to ban mandatory hidden fees — also called junk fees — starting July 1, 2024.

Hilton said on Thursday that it would “quickly” act to “ensure mandatory fees are displayed upfront on all Hilton websites and apps.”

What impact would Airbnb’s diminishing New York City footprint have for hotels? One major hotel operator in the city believes the shortfall will contribute to a significant “tailwind” for hotels in 2024.