Latest news with #hosts
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
Antipasto-gate: How a $40 salad sparked viral small-town drama on TikTok
Southern small-town drama has made its way to TikTok. If you're not familiar with antipasto-gate, read on. The saga began on July 4, 2025, when a woman named Nicole attended a party she had been invited to by her son's friend's mom. The event was hosted by a local couple who, according to Nicole, had been informed she would be attending. As a newcomer to the town and appreciative of the invitation, she brought along a homemade antipasto salad. But when Nicole and her son arrived, she says they were immediately met with hostility. Called a 'stranger' by the host's mother, she was made to feel so unwelcome that she eventually left in tears. 'I don't normally post things like this, but I am absolutely humiliated,' she says through tears in a video posted to TikTok. 'This is why you don't make friends in your thirties.' The perfect storm of TikTok's appetite for drama, the 'you can't sit with us' relatability, and the wasted salad ('It was like, probably a $40 salad,' according to Nicole) helped the incident go viral. The original video now has over 35.3 million views. 'I'd recognize this salad anywhere lol. I've been so invested in this drama,' one user wrote in a dedicated Reddit thread. Memes, comedy sketches, explainer videos, and AI depictions of the scene have since circulated. 'There's a Netflix meeting somewhere right now discussing a mini series!' one comment read. Unsurprisingly, the hosts of the party soon found themselves in the crosshairs of TikTok backlash. In a since-deleted video responding to the criticism, they insisted they weren't 'mean people.' 'We just didn't want her in our house, OK?' they say. Both online and off, things have gotten messy. Nicole received threatening messages from neighbors, with some suggesting the sheriff should get involved. Her underage son was reportedly doxxed. One viral video even claims the party host lost her job as a result of the drama. What once would've remained small-town gossip, antipasto-gate is now a textbook example of how TikTok's viral discourse cycle works: someone posts a personal grievance, internet vigilantes doxx those involved, and suddenly a local spat becomes the internet's topic of the day. For those caught in the eye of the storm, the best strategy is often to stay quiet and wait for the internet's attention to shift to its next villain. Nicole, meanwhile, has continued sharing updates on her account—including a highly requested tutorial for the antipasto salad.
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Airbnb Lets You Add a Private Chef to Your Rental. Your Host Might Not Like It.
Airbnb ABNB -1.20%decrease; red down pointing triangle not only wants to rent you a vacation home this summer—it wants to help you add a private chef or massage session. The hosts who own the condos, cottages and houses aren't so sure.
Skift
7 days ago
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb to Introduce More Guest-Friendly Cancellation Policies
Airbnb guests will welcome these policy changes, for sure. Many hosts, on the other hand, undoubtably will think that Airbnb's policies are once again leaning too heavily against their interests. Airbnb is introducing a series of new cancellation policies October 1 that are more guest-friendly than in the past and may get pushback from some hosts. Among the new policies: Transition to Firm Cancellation Policy Airbnb is migrating hosts that have so-called Strict cancellation policies to Firm policies, which are more flexible for guests. The Strict policy gave guests the ability to cancel within 48 hours after a booking to receive a full refund. After that grace period guests got partial or no refunds. The new Firm policies enable guests to cancel and get full refunds until 30 days before check-in. They get 50% refunds if they cancel between seven and 30 days before check-in. Hosts were no longer able to select Strict cancellation policies for new listings after July 1, 2025. They can opt-out of the change for existing listings. Hosts were informed of all the changes several weeks ago. Limited Cancellation Policy A new Limited cancellation policy allows guests to cancel their reservations up to 14 days before check-in and they are eligible for full refunds. 24-Hour Cancellation Grace Period For stays of fewer than 28 nights, guests will be able to cancel up to 24 hours after a reservation is confirmed and get a full refund as long as that confirmation took place at least seven days before check-in. Why Airbnb Made the Change 'We are updating our cancellation policies to be more flexible because over 40 percent of guests say free cancellation is one of their top needs when choosing to book a stay, and globally, hosts who have moved from a Strict to Firm cancellation policy earn 10 percent more money, on average," Airbnb said in a statement. "The majority of global hosts have the option to opt out of the migration.' In another move, Airbnb is testing a new feature, Reserve Now, Pay Later, which enables some guests in the U.S. and Canada to make a reservation without paying anything at the time of booking. If it's an eligible booking, guests will see the option during checkout. Reaction Amber Carpenter, vice president of product and growth strategy at Wheelhouse, an enterprise revenue management platform, thinks the new policy will pay off for hosts in the long term. "Airbnb's latest policy updates reflect a broader industry shift toward guest-first experiences, starting at booking and rooted in trust and flexibility," Carpenter said. "Rather than resisting this trend, individual hosts and property managers have an opportunity to elevate the guest journey through diverse marketing efforts — including strong direct booking channels — and thoughtful revenue strategies. When trust leads, financial performance follows." Hospitality executive William Graf posted on LinkedIn about the demise of the Strict policies (although hosts will be able to keep them for existing listings.) "No point in confirming a $50k Christmas to New Years booking on Airbnb if the guest can cancel without penalty 30 days out," Graf wrote. "Why take this lever away? Why not let guests vote with the wallets?"
Skift
02-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb Tests 'Reserve Now, Pay Later'
With Reserve Now, Pay Later, Airbnb doesn't go as far as some hotels where you pay when you arrive. But it is more hotel-like. Airbnb is testing a new feature, Reserve Now, Pay Later, which enables some guests in the U.S. and Canada to make a reservation without paying anything at the time of booking. If it's an eligible booking, guests will see the option during checkout. "If you choose Reserve Now, Pay Later, the Airbnb Platform will notify you during checkout of the amount, currency and when the payment of the Total Price is due and payable," according to an update to Airbnb's payment terms dated June 26. "On the relevant due date, Airbnb Payments will automatically charge the original Payment Method you used to make the booking." For example, if the booking for this loft in Chicago for September 11-13 were eligible, you'd be able to book it today without paying anything. But the host offers free cancellation only until August 12, so Airbnb might tell you it had to be paid in full before then to avoid a fee. Prior to these tests, Airbnb guests have either paid the total price at the time of booking or some properties have allowed a partial payment up-front with the balance by a specified date. There has been no announcement about the Reserve Now, Pay Later feature, and Airbnb will likely talk about it later in the year, according to a source familiar with the program. Airbnb is testing the feature because affordability is a top priority for guests, the source said. Airbnb is trying out new ways for guests to pay for their stays. Reserve Now, Pay Later is different than buy now, pay later schemes on other websites where bookers finance their vacations and pay in installments. When Bookings Get Cancelled Airbnb didn't comment on the Reserve Now, Pay Later test so it's unclear under what criteria bookings would be eligible for the program. If the guest doesn't complete the payment by the due date, Airbnb will cancel the booking, the updated payment terms stated. The host's experience does not change under the new feature because in the event of a non-payment or cancellation, hosts would receive any payout that their cancellation policy calls for, the source said. Airbnb Payments would collect any amount due from the guest, according to the terms of Reserve Now, Pay Later.
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Who wins and loses with Trump's tax bill?
Smart when you need it, fun when you want it — with hosts who feel like friends.
