‘Airbnb for refugees’ gaining popularity in Germany
In a bid to aid the rising number of refugees entering Europe, almost 800 people in Germany have offered accommodation to those in need via online platform ‘Flüchtlinge Willkommen’, which has been deemed ‘the Airbnb for refugees’. The site is now operational in Austria and Germany, although only 26 refugees have been successfully placed as of yet.
An "Airbnb for refugees" has sprung up in Germany and Austria as locals in the two countries offer spare rooms for refugees who are in desperate need of accommodation. The organization, *Flüchtlinge Willkommen,*or "Refugees Welcome," has seen over 780 Germans offering rooms already. Aamna Mohdin reports on a successful pairing: "Achim, a 63-year-old German bus driver, fled from East Germany to the West and is now eager to help refugees going through similar struggles—people like Atif, a 22-year-old Pakistani refugee. The pair are unlikely roommates, but they have one important thing in common—both know what it is like to lose their homes." (Qz)

Emirates has become the first airline to allow Apple Pay for ticket purchases. Customers in the U.S. and U.K. now have the option to use the mobile payment service when booking with the Dubai-based airline, and Emirates plans to roll it out to other countries as the service expands. According to the official press release, "Emirates will offer Apple Pay within its app, available on the App Store. Online booking is as simple as the touch of a finger with Touch ID, removing the need to manually fill out lengthy account forms when confirming flight tickets." JetBlue also has a partnership with Apple Pay, though only for onboard purchases. (BTN)

Hotels.com has released its Hotel Price Index results for the first half of the year 2015. Although for U.S. travelers, prices paid in New York dropped 6 percent, from $261 per night to $245 per night this year, New York still leads with highest average hotel night rate. Internationally, the largest rate drops so far this year were seen in Kuala Lumpur (24 percent drop, from an average rate of $117 to $89) and Istanbul (17 percent drop, from $158 to $131). Further declines for rates in London, Rome, and Paris may be a result, in part, of currency fluctuations in the area this year. (Hotels.com)

Banksy's Dismaland theme park may not be all that subversive, reports Stuart Husband. "Despite the presence of hucksters from as far afield as Portugal, Japan, and California, Dismaland taps into a very British strain of blunt-instrument satire, heady belligerence, and resolutely lowered expectations. It's a scabrous joke at everyone's expense, including Banksy's; for all the jokes directed at capitalism, its success can't help but reinforce the commodified nature of his brand." (Condé Nast Traveler)

The New York Palace Hotel has a new owner, and a new name. South Korea-based Lotte Group closed on the $805 million property yesterday, and the 55-story Midtown hotel is now the "LOTTE New York Palace." The company also owns hotels in Russia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Guam, and is in the process of building hotels in China and Myanmar. (TRD)

JetBlue is stretching its wings to mentor small and start-up sustainable food companies with a new program, named "BlueBud." The first BlueBud mentorship has been awarded to Harlem-based Hot Bread Kitchen, a bakery with a work force of foreign-born and low-income women, and which trains them for "professional careers in the culinary industry through hands-on baking training and classroom-based education." JetBlue already partners with GrowNYC, a nonprofit that supports local agriculture and farmers’ markets, for stocking the airline's JFK Terminal 5 market. (brandchannel)