How Can Airbnb Guests Live Like Locals if Hosts Are, Well, Corporations?
Photo Credit: An outdoor common area in a London listing on Airbnb. A study found that most lists on Airbnb in the UK were from hosts who have multiple listings. Airbnb
Skift Take
The professionalization of Airbnb may mean cleaner bedsheets and more front desks. But it may also contribute to higher home prices to the detriment of housing-squeezed neighborhoods — and a brand identity that is in dire need of a reboot.
In addition to its regulatory woes, Airbnb confronts a vexing problem — what's the company's identity?
In contrast to its original raison d'être more than a decade ago of matching travelers and local hosts to enable guests to get to know a destination like an insider, these days the property host may more resemble an impersonal corporation than a neighborhood fixture.
The direction of Airbnb — particularly as it is now focusing on increasing its roster of traditional hotels — was confirmed Monday in a study by The Times of London (subscription) that found that securing a reservation with a host that's renting out just a single property on Airbnb is very hit and miss.
The Times headlined its story, "Investigation: how Airbnb has been hijacked by agencies making a huge profit."
In fact, The Times analyzed Inside Airbnb data and concluded that 20 percent of Airbnb hosts in the UK have more than 10 listings, and more than half of ho
