More than two dozen French hotels have launched a lawsuit against the short-term rental platform Airbnb for unfair trade practices and are seeking nearly $10 million in damages, their lawyer said Thursday.
The case, brought by a range of independent hotels and members of large chains, alleges that the US-based platform does not collect or pay tourist taxes and fails to take down ads that don’t comply with regulations on renting out homes, said lawyer Jonathan Bellaiche.
“We know that many people rent out their apartments without authorisation,” he said.
Short-term vacation rental platforms have caused consternation in many cities for taking away business from hotels and reducing the number of apartments available for long-term…