The sharing economy in hospitality

Remy Rein, senior lecturer at Ecole hôteliere de Lausanne (EHL), examines the opportunities for hoteliers. Attend a hotel conference these days and the issue of the sharing economy is likely to raise its head, in particular competition from short-term rental services via the internet. Airbnb is a classic example of the sharing economy, as the online business brings together homeowners and renters. It’s clear the sharing economy is not going to disappear, so hoteliers should be looking to see how they can join in. The question is: how? Let’s look at some of the opportunities out there. According to PwC research, revenue from peer-to-peer accommodation services is forecast to post compound annual growth of 31 per cent between 2013 and 2025 so the potential growth is attractive.