Tagged: vacation-rentals

Airbnb Scam Warning: AI-Altered Photos Used to Accuse Guest of Causing $16,000 in Damage

Airbnb has had to apologize and issue a refund to a guest after a host allegedly used AI to create fraudulent photos in support of a claim that the guest had caused a whopping $16,000…

Leaving Airbnb: How to Find a Safe, High-Quality Vacation Rental on Your Own

Even giants can fall if they grow too big. The problems with Airbnb are legion, and not getting much better.Many travelers want to find a new method for finding vacation rentals.…

A Home Rental Exec Reveals His Best Hack for Finding Cheap Vacation Rentals

Carl Shepherd was the co-founder of the major vacation rental platform HomeAway, which is now part of the behemoth known as VRBO. But that doesn't mean he feels any loyalty to his…

Find Vacation Rentals—But From Someone You Know: Meet Trustr, A New Rental Site

According to the National Association of Home Builders, there are 7.5 million second homes in the United States, which is 5.11% of the total number of homes. Yet even in this age of…

Why Cape Cod Summer Rentals Could Be Cheaper This Year

During the Covid-19 pandemic, while you were optimistically purchasing (and not using) resistance bands for your (unused) home gym (i.e., closet), rich people were apparently buying…

NYC Hotel Rates Are Shocking Now! Here's Why, Plus How to Pay Less

A perfect storm has hit the hotel market in New York City, driving prices to historic highs. The ascent began, partially, in spring of 2022, when Governor Greg Abbott of Texas started…

Expert Advice for Spotting Vacation Rental Scams Online

Why is it that only pests seem to have no trouble following the adapt-or-perish rule of evolutionary survival? Koalas and North Atlantic right whales are barely hanging on, but rats,…

What to Do to Avoid Getting Scammed if an Airbnb Host Asks You to Cancel a Booking

Let's say you've made an Airbnb reservation for an upcoming stay that's been confirmed and paid for. Then before your trip, you receive a digital message from the vacation rental's…

How Airbnb's Revamp Could End Up Doubling Your Vacation Costs

This week Airbnb announced what the vacation rental giant is calling its “biggest changes in a decade.” That’s not hyperbole. Alas, the changes don't involve reining in fees (we…

Stay in the Home of Maker’s Mark Whiskey on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

The Samuels family of Nelson County, Kentucky, traces its whiskey-making lineage back eight generations to an ancestral distiller who supplied liquid courage to the troops in George…

In Idaho, You Can Spend the Night in a Giant Potato

On a farm near downtown Boise, a 6-ton replica of Idaho's most famous agricultural product is now available for overnight stays. The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is a 28-foot long, 12-foot…

Beach House From HBO’s “The Undoing” Is Available on Airbnb

The Long Island beach house that plays a pivotal role in HBO's The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, is available for rent via Airbnb. Located in East Marion, New York,…

Holiday Travel in 2020: Safer Places to Go, Places to Stay, Road Trips

It sometimes feels like Covid-19 stripped us of the most precious parts of our humanity. Thanks to the virus, theater, dance, and music performances are too dangerous to attend, as are…

Pauline Frommer: A Worthy Vacation Rental Search Aggregator Has Arrived

Fewer travelers may be hitting the road right now, but among those still traveling, the top accommodation choices have shifted dramatically from a year ago. As I wrote last week, more…

Airbnb Limits Home Rentals to People Under 25 to Combat House Parties

I wrote yesterday about the fact that Airbnb may be shrinking because of the current crisis. It looks like the hospitality giant is also intentionally shrinking its client pool in…

HomeAway to Go Away—What That Means for Your Rental

Expedia Group is dropping its HomeAway platform for vacation rentals. Instead, the online travel company is focusing its rental business on the similar Vrbo brand. Starting next…

COVID-19 Cancellation Policy Finder for Airlines, Cruise Lines, Hotels, and Other Travel Operators

LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 3, 2020 CLICK HERE for our ongoing live blog of COVID-19 coverage with updates on the latest developments. For customers who need to cancel or change vacation…

WWI Hospital Converted to Vacation Rental in English Countryside

In the 19th century, England's small "cottage hospitals" brought medical services to rural villages. Previously, small town folk often had to travel to distant cities for treatment for…

Vacation Rental Law Hits Hawaii Hard—How to Navigate Tough Rental Regulations

Long before Airbnb was a twinkle on founder Brian Chesky’s browser, New York State had a law severely limiting short-term rentals. Called the "Multiple Dwelling Law," it has, in its…

This Airbnb Scam Is Costing People Thousands: How to Protect Yourself

If you've ever booked a vacation rental, this will seem perfectly normal at first. You find a good listing, maybe on Craigslist or maybe on another vacation rental site. It's exactly…

WW2 Tower Converted to Vacation Rental in Channel Islands

During World War II, the Nazis occupied the Channel Islands, a string of isolated spots floating between England and France. Using forced labor, the Germans built concrete…

Bar for Hangover Sufferers Opens in Amsterdam, Vacation Rentals on Expedia, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Happy Halloween, everybody! Today's update begins with a story to strike terror in the heart of hotel executives . . . * EXPEDIA TO BEGIN SHOWING VACATION RENTALS WITH HOTEL SEARCH…

Good News in Air Travel, Bad News in Air Travel, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning! Hope you had a nice holiday weekend. In today's travel roundup, we've got good news and bad news related to air travel. Let's start with the good . . . * COFFEE UPGRADE…

How to Shoot Travel Video: 7 Easy Tips

Some moments on the road can't be captured with just a picture, as I discovered recently in Switzerland's Ticino canton when a herd of goats surrounded me with their cacophonous…

Travel Troubleshooter: No Refund for My Colorado Condo

May Tong reserves a condo in Winter Park, Colo., but calls off her vacation about a month before her arrival. The cancellation policy seems to allow for a refund, under certain…