Hotel CEOs’ Views on Homesharing Evolve Even as Industry Remains Critical
Photo Credit: Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, speaking at the Skift Global Forum in September 2017. Skift
Skift Take
Now that AccorHotels, Hyatt, and Marriott have started getting into homesharing, what does that mean for the hotel industry's crusade against it? Can AH&LA continue to fight Airbnb when some of its members are now actively participating in the short-term rental space?
During Marriott's first quarter earnings call earlier this month, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson suggested that his company would deliver a "better product" for homesharing than its peers, Airbnb included, thanks to Marriott's strong brands, service, and loyalty.
It was a marked contrast from what Sorenson and his fellow hotel CEOs have said previously with regard to homesharing and to Airbnb, and it hinted at a future where it won't be uncommon to have traditional hotel brands advertising their own short-term rentals.
To date, Marriott, Hyatt, and AccorHotels are all active participants in the growing private accommodations market, as are Choice Hotels and Wyndham with their respective vacation rental businesses.
One hotel industry holdout, however, remains.
Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta, speaking on Hilton's first quarter earnings call in April, said that while Hilton has "spent a huge amount of time over the last few years looking at" the homesharing space, the company has
