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☆ Squatters took over a Beverly Hills mansion worth millions for 5 months
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Squatters who took over a Beverly Hills mansion for five months seemed to take the saying literally. The squatters made money off of the home by hosting parties with entrance fees from $500 to $1,500, Curbed reported. According to Curbed, Yamout purchased the home in 2021 from Notre Dame Properties, which is allegedly "controlled" by Uwaydah. AdvertisementYamout took legal action against the squatters, filing an unlawful detainer lawsuit to evict them, Curbed reported. Gargiulo told Curbed that he has no regrets about living in the mansion or the headaches he brought the residents of Beverly Grove Place.

Persons: —, Morgan Gargiulo —, Gargiulo, John A, Woodward IV, LeBron James, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Woodward, didn't, he'd, Adel Yamout, Yamout, Damon Dash, Munir Uwaydah, Michael, Harry, Harris, Donald Trump, I've Organizations: Service, Beverly Hills, Beverly, Los Angeles, Row Records, Notre Dame Properties, Uwaydah, Business Locations: Los, Los Angeles, Beverly, Beverly Hills, Beverly Grove, Woodward, California

☆ Vacation Rentals: How to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Travelers choosing to stay in a vacation home instead of a hotel may have to spend more time searching for sustainable lodgings, but ultimately they will have more control over their environmental impact. The following are steps short-term renters can take to shrink their carbon footprint. Search for sustainable rentalsThe nonprofit Sustonica validates short-term rentals based on sustainability standards, including conserving water and minimizing waste. Instead, travelers will find its logo on certified listings on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. Booking.com, which lists vacation homes as well as hotels, allows travelers to search for listings with sustainability certifications from more than 65 organizations doing third-party reviews of practices ranging from renewable energy sourcing to recycling.

Organizations: Homes

☆ Digital Markets Act: Apple, Google and Meta at risk of ‘heavy’ fines as Europe launches new probes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The European Union has launched investigations into Apple, Google and Facebook parent Meta on suspicion that they are failing to comply with a new landmark European law designed to promote competition in digital services. The European Commission said it “suspects” that various practices by all three companies “fall short of effective compliance” with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into effect earlier this month. If the probes find a “lack of full compliance,” they could face “heavy fines,” said European Commissioner Thierry Breton. The practices the European Commission is investigating include what it calls Meta’s “pay or consent” approach. Last October, Meta (META) launched a subscription service, called “Subscription for no ads,” allowing European users of Facebook and Instagram to pay up to €12.99 ($14) a month for ad-free versions.

Persons: “, ”, Thierry Breton, Elon Musk’s, Meta’s, Meta’s ‘ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Apple, Google, European Commission, Digital Markets, Microsoft, Commission, Meta, Facebook, CNN

☆ Malaysia's $100 billion ghost town really wants to draw in tourists. It's not working.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Forest City, a luxury development in Malaysia, is banking on tourism to shed its ghost town image. AdvertisementWendy Noble lives 15 minutes away from Malaysia's Forest City, across the border in Singapore. Country Garden, the largest developer in China, spent $100 billion building Forest City. "Forest City is able to attract the weekend tourists," Adilah said, referring to tourists like Noble and Nemis. Forest City Golf Resort's lobby, with a miniature figure of the development.

Persons: it's, —, Wendy Noble, Ree Nemis, Noble, Marielle, Nemis, Adilah Zain, Adilah, Sultan Ibrahim, Shawn, Gary, We've, Chandran Organizations: Forest City, Service, Malaysia's, MARA Technological University, Garden, Bloomberg, BI, Forest, Challenge, Hotel Locations: Forest, Malaysia, Malaysia's Forest City, Singapore, Forest City, China, Johor —, Malaysian, Monaco, Challenge Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Forget the Magnificent 7 — Top tech analyst Mahaney recommends the ‘Electric Eleven’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A new cohort of stocks may be emerging to steal the crown from the "Magnificent Seven," according to Evercore ISI. This basket of stocks includes several names from the Magnificent Seven — and could grow to bring in additional stocks, Mahaney said. Mahaney included Magnificent Seven members Amazon , Alphabet and Meta in his new Electric 11 lineup. On Monday , Morgan Stanley reiterated Meta at an overweight rating, while Goldman Sachs stood by its buy rating for Amazon. In February , Bank of America reiterated its buy rating on the name and lifted its price target to $91 from $78.

Persons: Mark Mahaney, Mahaney, Morgan Stanley, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Aaron Kessler, Uber Organizations: ISI, Seven, Research, Tesla, Meta, Amazon . Bank of America, Booking Holdings, Seaport Research, Bank of America Locations: China, Monday's

☆ Sweeping EU rules for tech giants take effect today. Here’s what’s changing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The new EU regulations force sweeping changes on some of the world’s most widely used tech products, including Apple’s app store, Google search and messaging platforms, including Meta’s WhatsApp. Its broad obligations affect six of the world’s largest tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. While the law could increase demand for tech companies to extend EU-specific features to other markets, few platforms have shown signs they plan to do so. Tech pushes backBut some tech companies have pushed back on the DMA, warning that it could lead to unintended consequences. “The changes the DMA requires will inevitably cause a gap” between EU users’ security and the security Apple users enjoy outside the EU, it added.

Persons: Meta’s, Apple, Bing, Elon Musk’s, “ Fortnite, ”, Agustin Reyna, “, Apple’s, ” Apple, Reyna, ” BEUC, Tim Sweeney, Meta —, Daniel Friedlaender, CCIA, Friedlaender, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: Washington CNN, Apple, Google, Union citizens, Big Tech, Spotify, Netflix, Digital Markets, Meta, Microsoft, European Commission, EU, YouTube, Epic, Consumer, Tech, Games, CNN, Computer, Communications Industry Association Locations: United States, Europe

☆ Help! My London Rental Apartment Vanished and I’m Out $3,100.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dear Tripped Up,Last May, I reserved a two-bedroom apartment in London for eight days through Booking.com, using a credit card to hold the reservation. I sent the equivalent of $3,100 dollars to the account of a man named Nyholm Peik, which I now know was a foolish thing to do. Soon afterward, Booking emailed to tell me the property was no longer available. Airbnb was just hitting 100,000 listings (compared to seven million today) and most people still thought Vrbo was a typo. Plus, I had wired money for a rental apartment via a similarly dubious-sounding website, rentflat.com.br, in Rio de Janeiro the year before without a hitch.

Persons: Nyholm, Sylvia, Kali Muthu, Airbnb, Vrbo Locations: London, Booking.com, Sylvia , New York City, Rio de Janeiro

Its price target of $4,380 suggests nearly 18% upside from Friday's close. "We expect numbers to reset lower (again) with the downward revision a negative catalyst for the multiple, and the margin story likely being pushed out to 2025," wrote analyst Christian Carlino. Analyst Anthony Powell accompanied the move by raising his price target to $204 from $194, implying a potential 15% rally for the stock. The investment firm upgraded the airline stock to market-perform from underperform, boosting its price target to $32 from $26. His price target of $338 per share implies upside of just 5% from Friday's close.

Persons: Bernstein, Evercore, Piper Sandler, Brian Mullan, Mullan, — Jesse Pound, Aaron Kessler, — Michelle Fox, JPMorgan downgrades Holley, Holley, Christian Carlino, Carlino, HLLY, hasn't, — Lisa Kailai Han, AvalonBay, Anthony Powell, Powell, AVB, Lisa Kailai Han, Joshua Shanker, Morgan Stanley, bullish Tesla, Tesla, Adam Jonas, Jonas, Russell Quelch, Quelch, MSCI, Arun Viswanathan, Viswanathan, Rosenblatt, Hans Mosesmann, Mosesmann, Michael Linenberg, Linenberg, David Vernon, David Raso, Raso, Assuredness, Fred Imbert, ~$ ~$ Organizations: CNBC, Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Deutsche Bank, JetBlue, Caterpillar, Foods, . Restaurant, Seaport Research, Booking Holdings Seaport Research Partners, Booking Holdings, JPMorgan, Barclays, Bank of America, AIG, of America, Tesla Network, RBC, Ball Corporation, Markets, Ball Corp, Aerospace, BAE Systems, Ball, Micro Computer, Super Micro Computer, Micro, ASM, Spirit Airlines, Bernstein, Spirit, Boeing Max, ISI, CAT Locations: Southwest, Friday's

☆ Celebrities are paid a shocking amount for 30-second Super Bowl ads
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Elizabeth Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Los Angeles CNN —After Ben Affleck appeared as a Dunkin’ drive-thru worker in a Super Bowl commercial last year, the breakfast chain’s sales exploded. “They sold more donuts the next day than any other day in their history,” an individual close to the Dunkin’ Super Bowl campaign told CNN. Affleck was paid close to $10 million dollars for last year’s Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial, three sources with knowledge of the partnership told CNN. It’s rare for someone that you think of as a true movie star to be paid less than a million.”Most Super Bowl shoots are usually one to two days, the agent added. Even though we’ve got over 30 celebrities in the Super Bowl this year, we had over 70 offers.

Persons: Ben Affleck, Dunkin, “, Affleck, ” Scott Murphy, Dunkin ’, Affleck’s Dunkin, Matt Damon, Larry David, Sam Bankman, David, Michael Lewis, Jennifer Aniston, ”, David Schwimmer, Uber, Chris Pratt, Pringles, Jason Momoa, Martin Scorsese, Tim Curtis, Peter DeLuca, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John Travolta, Jennifer Beals, Tina Fey, John Cena, Usher, it’s, we’ve, Curtis, ” Curtis, “ You’ve, —, Aniston, Schwimmer, Jelly Roll, David Beckham Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Bowl, “, CNN, Boston, Equity, Eastern Congo Initiative, Artists Equity, Super, Hollywood, WME, Mobile, Super Bowl, BMW, CBS Locations: Hollywood, Victoria

☆ ‘Destination Dupes’ and Other Ways to Save Money in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While others focus on New Year’s resolutions, my family and I come up with a dream list of where we want to go. In 2024, more than half of American travelers plan to go where the cost of living is less expensive than their hometown, according to the online travel agency Booking.com. Sixty percent said they would look for “copycat vacations” or cheaper alternatives to expensive places. Frugal strategies — like traveling in off- or shoulder seasons, going where the dollar is strong and sampling unsung destinations — help make the most of your budget. The following destinations offer fresh and affordable incentives to visit in 2024.

Persons: ”, Brett Keller Organizations: Booking.com Locations: Thailand, Cook, South Korea

☆ These are the 10 most welcoming cities for 2024—only 1 is in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Booking.com released its 12th edition of the Traveler Review Awards which includes their list of the most welcoming places in the world for 2024. To determine what cities made the list, Booking.com used more than 309 million verified customer reviews from their site. The destinations on the list were chosen because they have an above-average number of properties with exceptional reviews for hospitality, according to a press release shared with CNBC Make It. Like in 2023, this year's most welcoming places span five continents.

Persons: Booking.com Organizations: CNBC

☆ Best travel destinations to visit in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Cnn Travel Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +32 min

cdwheatley/iStockphoto/Getty Images Angola: Beyond the capital city of Luanda, pictured, Angola has some jaw-droppingly spectacular scenery and cultural treats. David ChiaFF/Alamy Stock Photo Mérida, Mexico: Yucatán state's capital city showcases a blend of Mayan and colonial heritage. Pavel Tochinsky/The Image Bank RF/Getty Images Morocco: This North African country is home to nine UNESCO sites, including the historic city of Meknes, pictured. Panama City is also the only world capital with a tropical rainforest within its city limits. And a historic city forever entwined with the famed Camino de Santiago.

Persons: you’d, Tengguo Wu, Gabriele Thielmann, Turkey's, Gary Ennis, Matevz, Bill Bachman, Christian Kober, Gonzalo Azumendi, David ChiaFF, Pavel Tochinsky, Terry Kelly, Raul Rodriguez, iStock, Anton Petrus, –, — Karla Cripps Turkey’s, — Barry Neild, Mana Kaasik, — Maureen O’Hare, — Maggie Hiufu Wong, Deb Snelson, Glen Arbor, Marnie Hunter, — Forrest Brown, — Forrest Brown Angola Cristo, Eric Lafforgue, it’s, King, Eric Carr, John’s, Saint John, New Brunswick —, —, Tuul, Bruno Morandi, — Julia Buckley, Groenewald, Alamy, — Lilit Marcus, Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, — JB, Bogdan Lazar, — Tamara Hardingham, Gill, Hercules, Francesca, Lazarus, ”, David Casanova, Megan Sequeira Casanova, “, Kuka y Naranjo, medina, Gordon Sinclair, Yvette Cardozo, — FB, Pierce Ingram, Stefan Tomic, Fujairah, who’ve, Samarkand —, It’s Organizations: CNN, United, CNN Travel, Getty Images, Town, Getty, Northwest, Saint, New Brunswick Tourism, UNESCO, Heritage, Alamy, Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, Galicia, Tercera Orden, Parque, Bank, Wakulla Springs, Texas, United Arab Emirates, AP, Rock, of Culture, Estonian National Museum, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest Michigan, Bear, Farm, Riders, Lubango, — BN Saint John, Canada Tourists, St, Saint John City Market, Historic, Saint John Arts Centre, Carnegie, Carnegie Library, — KC, Korea, Folk, Netflix, South Korea, Adriatic, Nacional Glaciares, Australian Sea Lions, Panama, Spain Santiago de, Spain Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Islas, Camino, Mexico People, YouTube, US State Department, Morocco, Regis Hotels, Resorts, — FB Texas, Travel Texas, Krause, Gruene, Fujairah, Icefjord, FS, Tuul, ” Locations: United States, Sumba, Indonesia Sumba, Indonesia, Bali, Getty Images Tartu, Estonia, Tartu —, European, Tainan, Taiwan, Northwest Michigan, Traverse City, Lake Michigan, iStockphoto, Western Balkans, Culebra , Puerto Rico, Flamenco, Culebra, cdwheatley, Angola, Luanda, , New Brunswick, Fundy, New Brunswick, New Brunswick Tourism South Korea, Korea Albania, Albania, Chile, mauritius, Western Australia, Greece, Macedonia, American, Panama, Spain, Camino, Santiago, St, John's, Mexico, Parque Hidalgo, Morocco, Meknes, Florida, Spicewood, Anton, Greenland, Denmark, AP Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Indonesian, Sumela, Turkey's, — Barry Neild Tartu, Estonia Tartu, of Culture Tartu, Tartu, “, Baltics, — Maureen O’Hare Tainan, Taiwan Tainan, Taipei, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest, Lake, Traverse, Leland, Glen, perusing, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, transdinarica.com, —, Puerto Rico, It’s, — Forrest Brown Angola, Lubango, Barra, Cabo Ledo, — BN Saint John , New Brunswick, Canada, Hopewell, Newfoundland, Saint, Canada’s, Korea Andong, South Korea, Sanga, Korea, Seoul, Busan, Andong, Albania Albania, Berat, Montenegro, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, — Julia Buckley Chile, Atacama, Patagonia, Coral Coast, Geraldton, — Lilit Marcus Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece's, Hemis, Athens, Vergina, Veria, Naousa, Greece’s, Thrace, Philippi, Kavala, Panama . Panama City, Gill Galicia, Spain Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Galicia’s, Santiago de Compostela, Cabo, Fisterra, Galicia —, Singapore, John’s, Paseo, Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán, getaways, there’s, Marrakech, Rabat, Fes, Resorts Morocco, Wakulla, Ginnie, Fredericksburg, Texas, Marble Falls, Meanderers, New Braunfels, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Wadi, Nuuk, Ilulissat, West, FS Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, China, India, Khiva, Uzbek, Sentob, Tashkent

Travelers are looking to cruises in 2024 because they are still cheaper than land-based alternatives. With occupancy levels approaching pre-pandemic levels, operators plan to hike prices in coming months. "Overall the market is extremely strong, especially the top end of the market in terms of the most high-end luxury cruises," said Bob Levinstein, CEO of cruise marketplace Cruise Compete. Even as travelers have canceled or postponed planned vacations to the Middle East, cruise bookings will still hit record levels in 2024, said Truist Securities analyst Patrick Scholes. Prior to the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, industry-wide bookings for 2024 were about 25% higher than in 2019 for bookings in 2020.

Persons: Queen Mary, Andrew Kelly, Bob Levinstein, Patrick Scholes, Scholes, Jason Liberty, Josh Weinstein, Atle, Kari Dillon, Dillon, InteleTravel, Dave Spinelli, Ben Harrell, Granth, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Cunard Line, Carnival Corporation & plc, Brooklyn Cruise, REUTERS, Travelers, Truist Securities, Cruise Lines International Association, Royal Caribbean, Liberty ., Holdings, Cruisers, Thomson Locations: Brooklyn, Brooklyn , New York City, U.S, BENGALURU, Israel, Caribbean, Oslo, North Carolina, Florida, InteleTravel, Delray Beach , Florida, Royal Caribbean, Bengaluru, Doyinsola, New York

☆ Layla uses short-form videos to help tourists plan their trips. It just raised $3 million with this 8-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Layla has raised $3 million from the cofounders of Booking.com and Skyscanner. The Berlin-based startup uses AI and short-form videos to help people find and organize holidays. Check out the 8-slide pitch deck used to close the round also backed by Paris Hilton. A startup that uses short-form video and AI to help users find and book holidays has raised a $3 million seed round. The startup's goal is to create a platform for users to find their next holiday destination, and plan their trip itinerary.

Persons: Layla, Paris Hilton, Jeremy Jauncey, Saad Saeed Organizations: Paris, Business Locations: Berlin

☆ Pack your jerseys. The era of 'sports tourism' is here
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Randy Mulyanto | Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Sports tourism, as it's called, is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the travel industry, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. "The sport tourism market will continue as long as new opportunities to play and compete exist," she said. Justin Setterfield | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesFor some countries, these events are an opportunity to raise their international standing. Patrick Smith | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesTravel + Leisure Co. and Sports Illustrated Resorts announced plans to open a network of sports-themed resorts in American college towns. Ryan Pierse | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Persons: Lisa Delpy Neirotti, George, Neirotti, Delpy, Justin Setterfield, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dustin Johnson, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Delpy Neirotti, Lewis Hamilton, Kym Illman, Jay Wardle, Narendra Modi, Robert Cianflone, Gianni Infantino, Major League Baseball —, Patrick Smith, GetYourGuide, Ryan Pierse Organizations: Summer, Games, Sports, United Nations World Tourism Organization, George Washington University's, Management, Sport, Padres, NFL, MLB, FIFA, Getty, CNBC Travel, Saudi Crown, Fox News, Adara, ICC Men's Cricket, The Bank of Baroda Economics Research, Narendra, MotoGP, Rugby, Las Vegas, Companies, Major League Baseball, Sports Illustrated Resorts, University of Alabama —, McLaren Technology, U.S ., CNBC, Olympic Games, Olympic Locations: Mexico City, Germany, London, Brisbane, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Qatar, Singapore, India, New Zealand, Indonesia, France, United States, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, U.S, New York

☆ Spain's watchdog clears Amazon, Booking.com, Tripadvisor over fake reviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics centre in Boves, France, October 6, 2021 REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - Spain's anti-trust watchdog on Wednesday cleared Amazon (AMZN.O), Booking Holdings (BKNG.O) and Tripadvisor (TRIP.O) of participating in or facilitating fake reviews on their websites. CNMC, as the watchdog is known had been looking into a complaint lodged by a local association defending consumers. "CNMC found no indication that the platforms have participated in or facilitated the publication of these false opinions," it said in a statement, adding that the companies invested in detecting fake reviews and collaborated with ongoing investigations. The watchdog has, however, detected possible signs of a violation of consumer protection regulations, and therefore sent the complaint to the consumer rights authority. An Amazon spokesperson said his company is acting against fake reviews on its websites.

Persons: Pascal, CNMC, Tripadvisor, Maria Luiza Amaral, Inti Landauro, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Booking Holdings, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Boves, France

☆ Indians are spending big on travel, but most of that money isn't leaving the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world famous Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, India was built during the 20th century to commemorate the visit of king George V and Queen Mary. India's travel landscape is changing as the country emerges as a powerhouse in the tourism sector. Their willingness to spend big while traveling is going, but research shows that most Indians are traveling domestically — not overseas. Indian travelers took 1.7 billion leisure trips in 2022 but most never left the country, and only about 1% traveled abroad, according to Booking.com and McKinsey. Here are the top 10 spots for Indians traveling within their own country, according to Booking.com and McKinsey.

Persons: George V, Queen Mary, McKinsey Organizations: McKinsey, McKinsey Mumbai, CNBC Locations: India, Mumbai, McKinsey ., Delhi Bengaluru Mumbai Chennai Pune Hyderabad, Jaipur Kochi Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi

☆ Plaid taps Adyen executive to lead its European operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. financial technology firm Plaid has hired former Adyen executive Brian Dammeir as its new head of Europe, the company told CNBC exclusively. Plaid, which was last valued by investors at $13.4 billion in a funding round, offers technology that enables financial technology apps to retrieve data from people's bank accounts and initiate payments on their behalf. Dammeir told CNBC. Bandourian, a former Booking.com executive, was appointed the company's first head of Europe last year. Payments has been a big focus for Plaid beyond financial data, with payment volumes on the platform having climbed more than 90% in 2023.

Persons: Plaid, Brian Dammeir, Dammeir, Ripsy Bandourian, Keith Grose, Dammeir didn't Organizations: CNBC, San, Plaid Locations: Europe, San Francisco, fintech, Adyen, North America

☆ Airbnb acquires AI startup GamePlanner.AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Figurines are seen in front of the Airbnb logo in this illustration taken February 27, 2022. GamePlanner.AI was co-founded by Adam Cheyer, who was also one of the founders of Apple's voice assistant Siri. The startup will add to Airbnb's existing set of AI technologies that include large language models, computer vision models and machine learning. "AI will rapidly alter our world more than any other technology in our lifetime," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said in the statement. Other travel companies, including Booking.com and Expedia have also made efforts to integrate AI to their existing technologies in an attempt to enhance customer-booking experiences and create more suitable itineraries and suggestions.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, GamePlanner.AI, Adam Cheyer, Siri, Brian Chesky, Priyamvada, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, CNBC, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Booking.com settles Italian tax dispute with 94-million euro payment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Emilio Parodi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Travel website Booking.com (BKNG.O) has agreed to pay about 94 million euros ($100.25 million) to settle a tax dispute in Italy, Genoa prosecutors said on Friday. Italy's Guardia di Finanza tax police alleged in June 2021 that Booking.com evaded 153 million euros of value added tax (VAT) in connection with holiday rentals from 2013 to 2019. Last November, Dutch magistrates accepted a European investigation order (OIE) sent by Italy allowing Italian prosecutors to question two former Booking.com chief financial officers as part of the investigation. Private accommodation sites which are not professionally run often have no VAT number, and Italian tax authorities believe the online travel agency should in such cases act as a withholding agent, collecting tax. In another similar case involving a company's responsibility to collect tax on behalf of tax authorities, an Italian judge on Monday seized 780 million euros from short-term rentals platform Airbnb (ABNB.O).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Booking.com, Italy's, Toby Sterling, Alvise Armellini, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Apple, Facebook, Italian Revenue Agency, Prosecutors, U.S ., Holdings, Union, Thomson Locations: Italy, Genoa, Booking.com, Netherlands, Friday's, Italian, Delaware, Amsterdam

☆ Extended reality is helping solve some of marketing's biggest challenges by creating memorable, immersive customer experiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A range of XR tech is available for marketingMarketers have a range of XR technologies to choose from when developing immersive marketing campaigns. Apple is one company that's "pushing the boundaries" of XR-based marketing, Van Belleghem said. XR to the rescueXR technology is also helping marketers solve many of their biggest day-to-day challenges. XR technology also makes scalability easier, Van Belleghem said, because it provides a "scale that real-life events simply cannot match." Getting XR marketing campaigns rightAn essential first step in successful XR-based marketing is to understand the target audience and ensure campaigns provide value to customers' lives, said Rogers.

Persons: —, Ludenso, Eirik G, Sol Rogers, Rogers, Steven Van Belleghem — who's, Steven Van Belleghem, Simon Windsor, Van Belleghem, Apple's, Windsor, Arif Miah, Mattel's, Barbie Organizations: XR, Service, Discovery, Ludenso, Puma, Disney, Microsoft, Windsor, Mud

☆ Indian travelers are set to be the fourth largest global spenders by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Indians could be the fourth-largest global travel spenders by 2030, according to a recent report by Booking.com and McKinsey. However, they pointed out that outbound travel only accounted for approximately 1% of total trips made by Indians last year. Based on the report's expectations there will be 5 billion trips made in 2030, 1% of outbound travel will come up to 50 million trips. According to their 2019 research, the U.S., China and Germany were the top three global travel spenders, while India came in sixth. Indian travelers are expected to embark on 5 billion more trips by 2030, and spending on travel and tourism is predicted to hit $410 billion by then.

Persons: That's Organizations: Booking.com, McKinsey Locations: India, U.S, China, Germany

☆ Microsoft's AI boost helped cloud business outpace rivals Amazon and Google in latest quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

That's faster than Google Cloud's 22% growth and more than double the pace of expansion at Amazon Web Services, which reported 12% growth. "Today more than half of all funded generative AI startups are Google cloud customers," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said on the company's earnings call Tuesday. "Our generative AI business is growing very, very quickly," Jassy said. Jassy said companies including Adidas, Booking.com , Merck and United Airlines are building generative AI apps in AWS. Still, Amazon was behind Microsoft in releasing a tool for deploying generative AI.

Persons: Satya Nadella, Mark Moerdler, Sundar Pichai, Andy Jassy, Jassy, Brian Olsavsky, Jefferies, Brent Thill Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, AWS, Bernstein Research, Adidas, Booking.com, Merck, United Airlines, OpenAI Service, Oracle, Skanska, Starbucks, Amazon Locations: OpenAI, Maersk

☆ Sold out hotels and spike in beer sales: How the Cricket World Cup could boost India's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Spectators react in the crowd during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 between India and Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 11, 2023 in Delhi, India. Matt Roberts-icc | Icc | Getty ImagesIndia is once again hosting the Cricket World Cup after more than a decade. "We must remember that the World Cup coincides with the Diwali season. Media and advertisingDuring the last Cricket World Cup in 2019, a global average of 1.6 billion people tuned in. Spectators watch the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Oct. 16, 2023.

Persons: Matt Roberts, Shantanu Bhargava, Lalitya, Avi Mehta, Waterfield, Bhargava, Dhavala, Aditya Suresh, Suresh, Zomato, Prakash Singh, Mehta, —, Radico Khaitan, Shibani Kurian, It's, Tauseef Mustafa Organizations: ICC Men's Cricket, Arun, icc, Icc, Getty, Cricket, Waterfield Advisors, Hospitality, CNBC, International Cricket Council, Macquarie Group Demand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indian Hotels Company, Macquarie Group, Alcohol, Afp, Spirits, Kotak Mahindra AMC, Media, Disney, ICC, Board, Control, BCCI, Ekana Cricket Locations: India, Afghanistan, Delhi, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ahmedabad, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Pune, LSEG, New Delhi, Lucknow

☆ I converted a sheep barn into an Airbnb with $2,000. Now, I manage over 100 listings. Here's how I grew my business and weathered the Airbnb apocalypse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Jamie Inlow saw the Airbnb potential of her neighbor's sheep barn, and the two went into business. A property Inlow manages in Charlottesville, Virginia. In late 2020, the business took a real shift when a local real estate agent sent me a DM on Instagram. My partner and I run this Airbnb business full timeI didn't leave my consultancy job until July 2022 as my husband and I were also building our family home. The stylish interior of a Be Still Getaways property.

Persons: Jamie Inlow, Inlow, —, Airbnb, influencers, messaged, who'd, I'm, Inlow's, We're, we've Organizations: Service, Be, Appalachian State University, Facebook, House Locations: Scottsville , Virginia, Scottsville, Charlottesville , Virginia, Staunton , Virginia, Instagram

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