Airbnb Faces an Identity Crisis and 11 Other Hospitality Trends This Week
Photo Credit: An Airbnb homeshare in South Africa. These days an Airbnb property host may more resemble an impersonal corporation than a neighborhood fixture. Airbnb
Skift Take
This week in hospitality news, we investigate how Airbnb has gone professional, weakening its core brand identity in the process. Plus. Booking gives big hotel brands a break on resort fees and the Middle East contemplates a new business strategy to fill empty hotel rooms.
Hotel News Weekly Roundup
Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines hotels. For all of our weekend roundups, go here.
How Can Airbnb Guests Live Like Locals if Hosts Are, Well, Corporations? The professionalization of Airbnb may mean cleaner bedsheets and more front desks. But it may also contribute to higher home prices to the detriment of housing-squeezed neighborhoods — and a brand identity that is in dire need of a reboot.
Will Too Many Empty Hotel Rooms in Middle East Require a New Business Model? Third-party management is a relative unknown in the Middle East’s hospitality landscape. The challenge that white-label companies face is convincing owners and operators to relinquish control.
Booking Holdings Makes Good on Resort-Fee Commission Charges: It appears as
