AccorHotels buys luxury home rentals company onefinestay

LONDON - AccorHotels, Europe's largest hotel group, said on Tuesday it bought British high-end serviced home rental company onefinestay as it fights the rising challenge of online home-sharing company Airbnb and booking websites like Expedia. The world's fifth-largest hotel group, undergoing a reorganization initiated by Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin, said it paid 148 million euros (118.3 million pounds) for onefinestay and pledged to invest a further 64 million to help the company grow worldwide. Onefinestay, which was launched in London in 2010, has a portfolio of 2,600 properties in London, New York, Paris and Los Angeles, AccorHotels said in a statement. -Reuters