Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

AirBnb

Greek Tax Authority to Deploy Revenue Robots On Airbnb Hosts

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Bad news for Greek property owners intent on squelching on Airbnb revenue taxes. Authorities are proceeding with pre-announced cross-inspections in efforts to ferret out tax-evading property owners leasing out their accommodations. In the latest news Greek tax men will use “search robots” deployed by the revenue authority. The move may put an end to the Airbnb bonanza that has supported thousands through tough times in Greece. 

Skinning the Frugal Travel Cat in Greece

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This morning I was reading a report on Ekathimerini about relative hotel stay value in Greece, when I recalled a personal “economic parallax” we ran into last year. While generalizations and statistics can help travelers to narrow their holiday choices, it pays to dig deeper than the media “suggestion box” if you want real deals. Here’s a look at the Ekathimerini comparative, in contrast with what a simple Airbnb hunt can provide.

New Startups Fill Great Hospitality Hiring Void

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Getting a leg up on hiring qualified people in the hospitality space, a couple of new startups are hoping to solve the problem of connecting skilled hospitality workers with the businesses that need them on-demand. Here’s a brief take on how apps and services are intersecting the hiring space too.

Airbnb Raises Another $1 Billion for Possible Expansion

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Home rental company AirBnb has just got another $1 billion (£821 million) cash injection to be used for expansion. The company, which disclosed the funding in a securities filing on Thursday, raised the money in a financing round that began last summer. The company is now valued at soem $31 billion, but this filing did not list new investors.

Airbnb Really Is the Big Bad Wolf

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The hotel industry is in a nightmare of dire concerns over a beleaguered hospitality market. Airbnb and the impact the so-called “sharing economy” is on every hotelier’s mind, and understandably. The industry is for all intents and purposes, lost in a forest like Little Red Riding Hood trying to figure how much business the Big Bad Wolf […]

On the Coveted Loyal Guest: Hospitality’s Holy Grail

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For some hoteliers loyalty programs have been a secondary consideration in the trend toward mobile tech, but in reality, the game is the same as always. The loyalty program is in a metamorphosis.

Airbnb to Sell Experiences Now

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In the news of Airbnb, the mighty vacation property rental platform is gradually rolling out a new homepage design. Set to coincide (supposedly) with the launch of City Hosts, the new simpler design is said to be focused on experiences as a key message. Whether or not Airbnb’s PR department is working overtime to get “juice” out of the paradigm “user experience” trend or not, this remains to be seen. As for most of the changes rolled out by Airbnb, the new homepage has been released as an A/B tests and thus is not yet live for 100% of the traffic.

Airbnb’s Rocky Road to Vacation Bookings Supremecy

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Airbnb announced recently collaborations with a number of tech companies, in order to boost the company’s business conversions. API tests last year with the likes of Live Rez, BookingPal, Kigo and LeisureLink, as well as other connections, promise Airbnb hosts a billboard to reach even more guests. Tech connectedness is certainly Airbnb’s forte, as is the shared economy, but there’s some trouble brewing too. Here’s a look at what’s up with travel’s most forward thinking company this month.

Vote for Airbnb’s best hosts led by VanGos Tsourlakis

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Everybody knows about Airbnb by now. What started as a vacation rental website like 1000 others, has now taken the hospitality world by storm. The world’s leading vacation stay booking destination is now paying tribute to the hosts that make guests’ holidays special. Join me in celebrating my friend VanGos Tsourlakis today, by voting for […]