Berlin ban on Airbnb short-term rentals upheld by city court
by Philip Oltermann in Berlin from on (#1GJ00)
Website and rival portals face bleak future in German capital under ban that may inspire other European cities to follow suit
Tourists planning to pop over to Berlin for a weekend break may have to give up on the hipster dream of living like a local in a spacious loft apartment, and get back into the habit of staying in an old-fashioned hotel room instead.
Airbnb and other short-term letting agencies face a bleak future in the German capital after the city's administrative court on Wednesday upheld a de facto ban on short-term rentals, in a landmark ruling that could inspire similar restrictions in cities around Europe.