Within the tussle for affect within the nation’s legislative chambers, Airbnb is placing its cash to work, spending almost half one million {dollars} this yr to foyer on federal points referring to tourism, housing and on-line gross sales.
The San Francisco–based mostly start-up spent $480,000 on federal lobbying efforts within the first half of the yr, based on an evaluation by The Actual Deal of disclosures filed with the Home of Representatives. If the tempo holds, the corporate’s full-year spending could be its highest prior to now 10 years.
Airbnb’s most prolific yr of federal lobbying was 2020, when it shelled out $690,000. Airbnb didn’t affirm the figures or present any info on spending in July, August or September.
The Home report doesn’t embody lobbying expenditures on the state and native degree, the place Airbnb is particularly lively as a result of that’s the place most regulation of short-term leases happens. In line with a current report by SFGate, the start-up routinely deploys grassroots campaigns — by way of the mobilization of its hosts — to fight short-term leases restrictions throughout California.
Aaron Peskin, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, described Airbnb as a “pioneer” in getting its hosts to push again in opposition to insurance policies detrimental to short-term leases.
This yr, the corporate has intervened on a number of federal legislative proposals. In its second-quarter report, Airbnb disclosed $260,000 in bills referring to “common discussions” on tourism, fee remittance and H.R. 8152, a knowledge privateness invoice that was launched in June.
The corporate’s representatives, which lobbied federal companies such because the Division of Housing and City Improvement, the Division of Agriculture and the Forest Service, additionally pushed for insurance policies referring to housing, taxes, immigration and catastrophe planning.
Airbnb not too long ago employed Meaghan Lynch, a former aide to Vice President Kamala Harris, as its public coverage supervisor. It is usually represented by Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, the lobbying agency for the Flex Affiliation, a coalition of gig corporations akin to Uber, Instacart, DoorDash and Grubhub.
As Airbnb makes investments on the coverage entrance, its rivals have principally retreated. Expedia Group, which owns short-term rental platform Vrbo, spent $280,000 on lobbying for the primary half of the yr. That was its lowest half-year complete prior to now 10 years.
Airbnb’s spending, nonetheless, is modest in contrast with that of its rivals within the hospitality trade. The American Resort and Lodging Affiliation, an trade commerce group for lodges, spent $1.1 million on federal lobbying for the primary half of the yr. Marriott Worldwide spent $750,000.