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Saudi short-term rental platform Gathern raises $72m Series B
Saudi Arabia: Riyadh-based short-term rental platform Gathern has secured $72 million [SAR 250 million] in Series B funding, valuing the company at over $266 million [SAR 1 billion]. The round was led by Sanabil Investments, with participation from STV, Nuwa Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, and Pinnacle Capital. Founded in 2017, Gathern has become one of the […]
Airbnb eyes ‘AI-first’ future with autonomous trip-planning agents
US: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has outlined plans for the company to become an “AI-first application”, with autonomous agents able to plan trips, manage bookings and provide real-time support. The announcement, made during Airbnb’s Q2 2025 earnings call on 7 August, followed the release of results showing double-digit revenue growth and steady global demand. Chesky […]
US short-term rentals outperform hotels in Q2, according to Key Data
US: US short-term rentals outperformed hotels across every region in Q2 2025, according to the latest Vacation Rental Market Index from Key Data. The report, which tracks performance across 13 million listings, found STRs achieved an average revenue per available rental (RevPAR) advantage of nine percentage points over hotels. The findings point to a sector […]
HostGPO partners with Amazon Business
US: HostGPO, a group purchasing organisation serving the short-term rental industry, has entered into a strategic partnership with Amazon Business to provide members with new procurement benefits. The agreement will give HostGPO members access to discounts of up to 40 per cent on products, in addition to 50 per cent off Amazon Business Prime memberships. […]
Over 10,000 European hotels join legal action against Booking.com
Europe: More than 10,000 hotels across Europe have joined the collective legal action against OTA Booking.com, expanding on a case first reported in June. The claim challenges the platform’s long-standing “best price” clause, also known as a Platform Most Favoured Nation (PMFN) clause, which required accommodation providers to display the same or lower rates on […]
Airbnb research finds STR caps unlikely to improve long-term rental supply
US: New research from booking platform Airbnb indicates that placing caps on short-term rentals is unlikely to lead to a significant increase in long-term rental housing supply. The study, based on a survey of Australian hosts, found that 88 per cent said they would not convert their listings into long-term rentals, even if local governments […]