[ctdonath]

A subset of a set isn't necessarily representative of the set.

I just AirBnB-rented a house for a week, $75/night plus $150 cleaning, 2 bedrooms + living room + kitchen + private screened-in outdoor pool. Loved it. Will seriously consider not doing hotels any more.

A friend likewise did a week-long vacation via ABB, different house each night. Stayed in a yurt, farmhouse, log cabin, etc - nifty places, interesting or isolated locations, which hotels absolutely cannot replicate without unattainable pricing.

AirBnB exists to connect you to people renting what you want. That's it. Hotels exist to provide a dense collection of cozy rooms with rapid comprehensive service. That's it. They exist for different purposes. Like many industries, the rise of a non-sequitur competitor pushes the longstanding players to revisit their core purpose - and fighting to destroy that competition often serves only to undercut their own real talents.

The options are there. Choose what fits you. Don't try to close down options for others just because those options don't fit your needs. ABB doesn't work for you in NYC? then just get a hotel. Don't deal with it by slashing my options to get unique/exotic housing which can't be replicated by hotel chains.

[metaphorm]

you're ignoring the situations where ABB is problematic and discussing only the situations where it is working well. nobody has a problem with ABB working well. the problem is the impact it has on residential areas in already housing-crunched cities. a secondary problem is health and safety regulation disparities.

if we're going to be discussing ABB let's actually discuss the reasons why it is controversial. there are very good reasons why ABB ought to be more strictly regulated in certain areas. The yurt, farmhouse, and log cabin rentals that your friend enjoyed aren't really the issue here and I haven't seen any significant effort to shut down those types of ABB rentals.

So please, focus on what matters here. There is a narrow but important subset of ABB rentals that is problematic and that is what the regulatory debate is focused on.

[ctdonath]

Zoning laws and renting contracts apply. Prosecute accordingly.

Parent post was complaining about customer-hostile rental agreements, and high prices. I focused on that.

My read on the OP is that hotels are just trying to crush the competition period, using/abusing whatever laws to squeeze ABB out of the area, if not ban 'em entirely, solely for monopolistic intentions.

I have little sympathy for housing-crunched cities. Supply of square footage is limited, demand becomes extremely high, and the only "friction" available to limit occupancy is price. Let the price drive creation of new [sub]urban areas, relieving pressure on prior areas and attracting new viable productivity.

Most areas have suitable health & safety regulations; adjust accordingly to enhance health & safety, not as an excuse to drive out competition.