The creation of short-term home rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo has fully transformed the hospitality industry. The marketplace for vacation rentals expanded and created different expectations for customers when traveling. If the increase in short-term home rentals teaches us anything in the hospitality industry, it’s that customers value experience over all else.
The beauty of short-term home rentals is the personal touch they offer. Renting a home in a particular location provides a sense of locality that hotels can sometimes miss. It becomes as though you live in that location during your stay- with everything from the neighborhood to the home’s architecture all representing the location’s culture.
However, in the hospitality industry, we must capitalize on the missing things in short-term home rentals while also incorporating their benefits to renters.
Home rentals do not offer breakfast, daily clean-up or turn-down service, a lobby area, or a bar or restaurant for socialization. The hotel experience could be much greater if we take advantage of our spaces. When people travel, they desire an experience over all else. Hotels have a place for socialization and relaxation that Airbnb does not offer. We must make sure that we are taking advantage of what we do have. Resorts, especially, offer amenities that cannot be replicated in a short-term rental. Ensure that you are marketing the services that set you apart from not only short-term home rentals, but from other hotels as well.
Nevertheless, short-term home rentals offer locality and understanding for the area around them that hotels often lack. How does a hotel implement locality into its environment? Hotels can curate this by creating a local scene and designing for the local environment. It’s essential to research the city’s culture. Austin has a different feel than Chicago, and Chicago has a different feel than New York, for example.
Consider Dallas. Having a cowboy or country theme in a Dallas hotel when Dallas is not a “cowboy town” would demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge of the city. Fort Worth is more of a cowboy town. Dallas is more of a fashion and cosmopolitan town.
Incorporating local architecture, local art, and design all add to the flavor of the hotel.
Go beyond the stereotype of your city. Go beyond the generic hotel design.
