Airbnb, without a doubt, has served travelers with their accommodation at an economical cost while providing them an experience that's more than just staying in a rented house. And that has threatened the hotel industry. Currently, the latter has found a way to combat Airbnb with a national campaign to reduce the rental's market share.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association has lobbied officials and lawmakers that Airbnb has to follow the same procedures as that of hotels. In some cities, the hotel industry has been nudging their governor to set high fines for hosts that violate laws, so that they could benefit from it.
In an interview with the New York Times, Troy Flanagan from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, said, "Airbnb is operating a lodging industry, but it is not playing by the same rules." He also stated that they are trying to "bust the myth" that Airbnb helps hosts make money. "Homesharing is not what this is about."
The hotel association has prepared a document to sketch the progress and steps to take down Airbnb. It shows how serious the hotels are in eyeing the rental company as a threat to their existence. They would like to lobby politicians to enact a law that would reduce the number of Airbnb's listing, and would research to generate enough information that Airbnb hosts do not collect hotel taxes and do not follow safety and security regulations like hotels do.
Meanwhile, the American Hotel and Lodging Association would focus in five cities, namely: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, and Miami. Other than politicians, they would work with housing and neighborhood groups, and hotel labor unions to combat Airbnb, according to 6sqft.com.
However, the hotel association has denied that the plan to counter Airbnb is not about the financial aspect of the former. Currently, Airbnb has amounted $30 billion and has served over 150 million travelers around the globe.
