Hotel and Short-Term Rental Players Face Off Over Regulation
Photo Credit: Lisa Jurinka, Vacasa chief legal officer, Brian Crawford, AHLA executive vice president of government affairs, and Philip Minardi, Expedia Group director of policy communications speak with VRM Intel CEO Amy Hinote on stage at Skift Short-Term Rental Summit in New York City on December 5, 2019. Skift
Skift Take
Nobody has found the best formula for regulation of the short-term rental industry. But hotel groups and rental platforms both realize that the outcomes of early battles will set precedents for future laws. This might explain why they are so willing to confront and call each other out publicly.
The hotel industry and rental platforms are taking each other on in the duel for a big piece of the travel market pie — and are not afraid to trade barbs in the process.
As the short-term rental market has grown to disrupt the hospitality industry in the last decade, rental platforms have frequently been at odds with hotel groups. who want to see rentals properties regulated in the name of fairness. Local municipalities have also argued for new laws over concerns that vacation rentals are changing the character of neighborhoods and reducing affordable housing. But the rental market industry is vehemently defending itself against policies they say go too far.
At Skift Short Term Rental Summit on December 5, representatives from both the hotel industry and rental platforms discu
