Hotel Industry and AirBNB

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The New York Times has this article today all about the hotel industry groups that are diligently working hard [and in some places, have succeeded] to bootstrap AirBNB:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/16/technology/inside-the-hotel-industrys-plan-to-combat-airbnb.html

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A very interesting article and I’m sure that many hosts, including me, can argue at length about the ‘disruptive effects’ of Airbnb.

What amuses me is that the group involved includes Marriott and Hilton as they were the original disrupters of the hospitality industry. Coincidentally, I wrote an article about this just yesterday.

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Here in Hawaii where legislators are now deciding on whether to allow Air to collect taxes, the hotel industry put forth the so called Hilton bill … Where all hosts are required to get a special license, meet all code requirements, like ramps and sprinklers and also pay 4% additional tax on top of the 13.45% we are supposed to collect. Needless to say I hope this draconian bill flops! Another version of the tax collecting bill will require Air to give the government entities or private information.

The hotel lobby is strong in Hawaii. One of these bad boys could pass conceivably.

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Here in “private property is sacred” Texas a bill is being proposed to protect homeowners from local regulations limiting STRs.

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I’d consider this a pandemic update to OP’s article:

NYT 5.23.20 Hotels vs. Airbnb: Has Covid-19 Disrupted the Disrupter?

“I do think hotels may have a near-term advantage,” said Henry Harteveldt, a lodging industry analyst and the founder of Atmosphere Research Group, predicting that hotels will have the edge on hygiene and standardized social-distancing policies.

“VRBO is deflecting responsibility and pitting homeowners against renters which I find appalling,” … “Customers will not forget how they were treated and I will be exclusively using Airbnb going forward… We did not even receive our cleaning fee back for a property we did not stay in. I understand this is a terrible time for everyone (homeowners included) but VRBO had an opportunity to do the right thing and instead they chose to absolve themselves of all responsibility.”

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That was an interesting article.

I agree that in general hotels may have an advantage but “hotels” competing with a single room like mine isn’t an apt comparison. I have flexible policy. And there is no way a hotel will be more hygienic than my set up. I’m not really interested in attracting new folks to use Airbnb. I just hope it survives and when i reopen savvy guests will see my 590+ 5 star cleaniness ratings and draw their own conclusion.

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Our state succeeded in making us register and collect occupancy tax. Fortunately Airbnb is doing that for us. They left the building requirements up to local municipalities.

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I agree with you and another aspect is isolation; If someone is concerned about not being around a lot of people, they will opt for listings like yours (and mine) where they don’t have other guests to pass in the hallways, lobby, etc.

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Guests who have been out at the casinos and bars and then touch all the doors, buttons, railings, vending machines. Things like all you can eat breakfast buffet or a bell hop don’t seem so appealing now. And I don’t care how many stickers they put on my door, that’s not a guarantee of no virus.

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hmm, friends of mine canceled a reservation on VRBO and got a 100% refund

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I believe that VRBO put the onus of refunds on the hosts, so I would extrapolate that the VRBO host opted to provide the full refund to your friends.

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