Airbnb’s foray into selling hotel-style experiences and services has drawn a muted reception from leaders of the hospitality industry. Some have downplayed the threat. However, some analysts warn hotel companies that they risk losing out in the race for lucrative ancillary revenues.
Airbnb aims to offer a marketplace for a range of services, including massage, spa treatments, and personal training. This is something that many hotels offer, but short-term rental properties don’t.
Delivering consistent quality will be one of the challenges.
Hilton’s Chris Silcock, the president of global brand and commercial services, said, “They’ve been down this road before, but what they’re attempting to do is very difficult.”
Silcock said Hilton doesn’t want to copy Airbnb’s marketplace model.
“We’ve not gone down that road because we’re in the hospitality business, where people serve people. And that’s easier to do when we have a building that we can guarantee customers in and can hire or contract people to deliver quality.
