Airbnb acquires Montreal-based luxury vacation rental site

It’s being reported that home rental service Airbnb dropped around US$300 million in cash and stock to buy upscale vacation site Luxury Retreats. Airbnb won’t disclose financial terms of the deal, though. The figures mentioned above were from a report by Bloomberg. Airbnb has over three million homes for rent in over 50,000 cities and has expanded its business bit by bit. In the past year, it started letting travelers book day trips and excursions through the site. Now, they’re moving into the luxury space with this acquisition.

Luxury Retreats has over 4,000 homes in 100 locations around the world. They offer more upscale villas for the affluent crowd and include a concierge service. The company will stay in Montreal at the moment and act as a standalone brand but over time their listings will be integrated and highlighted in Airbnb’s own platform.

Source: CNET

Airbnb now allows your neighbors to complain against unpleasant guests

As Airbnb gives its customers a glimpse at local life, that also means they’re immersed into the life of living in the neighborhood, even for a short period of time. And not all guests meet certain standards of a certain area. That’s why Airbnb is giving the people that live around your Airbnb place a chance to complain with the new Neighbors feature. The complaints can be anything from excessive noise, inappropriate activities, to misuse of common areas.

Once reported, Airbnb will study the case and match the address description with a possible listing on their service. If it matches, they will then inform the host without naming the neighbor about the complaint. If they want to meet up with the host, that can also be arranged by the service by giving their contact information to the host. We’re not sure how mediation will work though. That might be an entirely different issue altogether. 

Source: Airbnb

Airbnb launches new products to inspire people to live like locals in places they are visiting

Beginning today, Airbnb is rolling out an updated app, with a range of new features, and launching a global brand campaign that will encourage people to change the way they experience the world around them.

“Our hosts offer more than just generic hospitality - they welcome travelers from around the world into their communities. Today is the start of an exciting journey to help people not just go somewhere, but truly live there.”

With over two million homes, Airbnb is already one of the world’s largest accommodation providers; more than 80 million people worldwide have already had a unique experience by staying in someone’s home when they travel. Having opened the doors to homes around the world, these new developments will go further in helping travelers live like a local in the neighborhoods around them.

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AirBnb's latest vacation booking is a harsh reality

By Sonya Davidson

Winter can be a very long for many of us here in Canada. Like many of you, I've been eyeing vacation options. A warm destination is very appealing especially when we are expecting a snowstorm to hit us. A vacation can't come soon enough! While we all do our travel research as incentive to get us through the day or week, we understand that not everyone an afford a dream vacation. 

Engage and Change, a charity that focuses on giving back to the homeless and less fortunate within the Greater Toronto Area has partnered with AirBnb, to show Canadians what reality is for many on our streets in the dead of winter. 

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