December 2020
December 2020 was the month Airbnb went public. Its shares were priced at $68.00 on 9 December and closed their first day of trading at $144.71. A week earlier the company had blocked one-night New Year's Eve bookings of entire homes by guests without positive reviews in seven countries. Governments tightened travel as Covid-19 spread: California restricted out-of-state lodging reservations, and England's new tier 4 told residents not to stay overnight away from home. Scotland set a licensing timetable for hosts.
A look back, written in October 2026 from sources published in December 2020. Stay Gazette opened in July 2026.
Host Life · 3 December 2020Airbnb Blocks One-Night New Year's Eve Stays for Guests Without Positive ReviewsAirbnb stopped guests with no history of positive reviews from booking an entire home for the single night of 31 December 2020 in seven countries. Stays already booked stood, and hosts were told to update their house rules.By Tammy Brooks · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
The Money · 10 December 2020Airbnb Goes Public at $68 a Share and Closes Its First Day at $144.71Airbnb's shares more than doubled on their first day on the Nasdaq. U.S. hosts who took up a reserved-share offer at $68.00 could sell at once, while the 86% of hosts outside the United States had no access to it.By Dana Whitfield · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Pictures on this page. 1. Photo: NYE2014 - Sydney Harbour by Ian Rose, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). 2. Photo: Condé Nast Building Times Square by Kidfly182, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).
What else was reported in December 2020
- 3 December 2020California's Department of Public Health issued a Regional Stay at Home Order on 3 December 2020 under which, from 5 December, no hotel or lodging entity in the state could accept or honor an out-of-state reservation for non-essential travel unless the guests quarantined there for the required period. California Department of Public Health
- 4 December 2020San Diego's Planning Commission gave unanimous approval on 3 December 2020 to a plan, still subject to a City Council vote, to license short-term rentals, charge a license fee and require a two-day minimum rental. Both the short-term rental industry and a neighborhood group opposed it, San Diego Jewish World reported. San Diego Jewish World
- 10 December 2020The Scottish Government said on 10 December 2020 that existing short-term let hosts would have until 1 April 2023 to apply for a license, with the licensing scheme due to come into force on 1 April 2021 if Parliament approved it. Its consultation had drawn more than 1,000 responses. Scottish Government
- 15 December 2020The European Commission proposed the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act on 15 December 2020, new rules for online platforms and marketplaces operating in the European Union, with fines of up to 10% of worldwide turnover for gatekeeper platforms that did not comply with the second. European Commission
- 19 December 2020Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on 19 December 2020 that the parts of London, the South East and the East of England then in tier 3 would enter a new tier 4 the next morning, and that tier 4 residents must not stay overnight away from home. GOV.UK (Prime Minister's Office)