President-elect Trump named former PayPal Chief Operating Officer David Sacks to be his White House artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency czar. “In this important role, David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness,” Trump said in his announcement Thursday evening. “David will … Read more
Paris has unveiled new regulations tightening restrictions on holiday apartment rentals, hoping to ease a housing shortage with measures including fines of up to €100,000 (US$105,000) for breaches. France’s parliament approved a bill this month allowing cities to clamp down on short-term furnished rentals to combat a lack of affordable housing. The French capital, one … Read more
Croatia is set to become the latest European country to tackle a tourism-related housing price crunch, although some property owners fear the proposed legislation will affect business. A package of draft laws was approved in the Croatian parliament last week, but the final nationwide legislation will only be passed after wider discussion and likely amendments. … Read more
The Colosseum in Rome will be the venue of gladiator fights for the first time in two millennia under a US$1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote “more conscious tourism”. But visitors to the monument, and housing activists in Rome, were sceptical about the value of the arrangement. They cited controversies in … Read more
The mayor of Marseille has announced that all lockboxes and key safes must be removed from properties in a matter of days as part of new measures cracking down on Airbnb rentals amid spiralling house prices. Starting earlier this month, city officials began affixing large warning stickers to properties sporting the lockboxes, which are seen … Read more
Italian anti-tourism protestors have targeted key safes off holiday properties in a bid to deter visitors they say are pricing them out of local housing. Activists calling themselves ‘Robin Hood’ have pulled off several safes from properties in Rome, denying travellers access to their holiday lets. Letters were attached to lampposts around the city under … Read more
As housing protests continue across Europe and the UK due to the impact of short-term rentals, Airbnb has released data showing the cheapest dates for British families to book holidays. This data provides a crucial insight into cost-effective travel options amid rising living costs and heightened concerns over Airbnb’s effect on local housing markets. Airbnb’s … Read more
Thousands took to the bustling streets of Madrid on Sunday in a cry against the ruinous impacts of over-tourism and online accommodation giants like Airbnb, which are blamed for community disruptions across Spain’s capital and beyond. Placards were waved emphatically with the message “housing is a right, not a business,” and calls reverberated for action … Read more
Paul Graham, the founder of famed startup accelerator Y Combinator, coined a new term this week that has taken over social media: founder mode. In an article released on September 1 and publicized on X over Labor Day weekend, Graham separates “founder mode” from the traditional “manager mode” route by noting key differences in management … Read more
A Liverpool house famous for hosting some of The Beatles’ first gigs in the basement has been given a new lease of life, being listed on Airbnb. Mona Best, the party-loving mother of the band’s original drummer Pete Best, opened the Casbah Coffee Club in the English city’s West Derby suburb in 1959, just before … Read more
