What's in a title? "Paris hails victory". No. The city government of Paris hails a victory. Whether that's a victory for the city and its inhabitants is a very different matter.
Surely the government is elected by the inhabitants, right?
Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
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Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#92I wonder if this has a positive or negative effect on tourism within Paris?
I feel like someone first decides on a destination and then decides on where to stay. I don't think a sizable portion of travelers prioritize staying in an apartment or private home over visiting Paris.
I'd argue the two go hand in hand.
When we plan a trip we pull out the bucket list of places we want to go, then pick the week and finally look at prices.
If 4 nights in a hotel is going to cost twice as much in a certain city compared to somewhere else on the list it probally isn't getting picked that trimester.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#93Glad to see this. The same thing (to a worse degree) has happened in Athens, where the supply of rental units has diminished to more than 1/3 (with average rents going 2-3x in a 1-2 year period), as landlords converted units to short-term rentals. This is particularly touchy for Greece, as tourism accounts for 25%+ of GDP, so tourist-friendly regulation has a big impact. OTOH, it's a country with one of the lowest av…
I came to Athens last summer and spent 4 nights in the city staying in an AirBnB style rent. I thought it would be better doing this than giving my money to a generic international hotel chain but you disagree apparently. I find your solution unworkable personally. When I travel I like to have somewhere private I can come back to after a long day, the coach surfing model doesn't appeal to couples.
Unfortunately, most of the owners of Airbnb and other short-term rentals in Greece are non-Greek citizens who got a "golden passport" in the recent years, buying off a huge chunk of the apartment inventory in Athens and elsewhere.
Re: couch-surfing -- probably a bad metaphor on my end. I meant the "rent a room in a house" model that Airbnb offers.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a digital nomad I live my life in AirBnBs (with the exception of the occasional hotel and housesit). Over the last 2 years I have stayed in ~20-30 AirBnBs in Asia and Europe (we were going to do the Americas this year...alas). Without AirBnB I don't know how we would be able to live as digital nomads. Hotels are not acceptable because they lack kitchens and laundries (and laptop friendly workspaces). I understand…
I'm pretty sure there is a lot of options other than Hotels that would cover your needs, that existed long before Airbnb. Just to name a few you can stay in aparthotels , a common thing in almost every country, or you can just rent a regular apartment directly with the owner, instead of doing it through Airbnb. IMO Airbnb does more bad than good and transform centric areas of big cities in amusement park for the tour…
Imagine that you are moving every two months, and you need it down to a standardized process? Here's an example to try: Rent a furnished apartment in Washington DC from April 13th 2021 to June 17th 2021. This is trivial in Airbnb. How would you do it?
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#95I understand that this definitely helps some vested interests (hotel industry, for instance), but the issue transcends a discussion of hotels vs. Airbnb and the cost of housing. I've had the displeasure of living in an apartment building that was used partially for long-term tenants (of which I was one) and short-term Airbnb guests. The experience was terrible. Constant noise, incredibly inconsiderate people leaving…
As a digital nomad I live my life in AirBnBs (with the exception of the occasional hotel and housesit). Over the last 2 years I have stayed in ~20-30 AirBnBs in Asia and Europe (we were going to do the Americas this year...alas). Without AirBnB I don't know how we would be able to live as digital nomads. Hotels are not acceptable because they lack kitchens and laundries (and laptop friendly workspaces). I understand…
> But one of the things the we value as digital nomads is living as the locals live (or as close as possible).
Nah, mate. Nomads living like locals is an oxymoron. It doesn’t come close. I wish Airbnb-ers would stop touting this.
You haven’t seen restaurants come and go. You don’t know the intricacies of local culture and etiquette. If you do speak the language, you don’t speak the lingo. You have never fought with the local municipality over some triviality. You’ve never voted in local elections. There’s no investment from your side. You have no roots in that place. You have no part in that place’s soul and I doubt it has a place in yours. By definition it’s not your home.
If anything, nomads displace people who do want to build a life there.
__Edit__
RE immigrants. I see where that counterargument came from, it may indeed be a fine line. Though it is not what I intended to say. Do note the ”want to build a life there” part.
My line of reasoning is more akin to creating the soul as opposed to leeching off of it.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#96I understand that this definitely helps some vested interests (hotel industry, for instance), but the issue transcends a discussion of hotels vs. Airbnb and the cost of housing. I've had the displeasure of living in an apartment building that was used partially for long-term tenants (of which I was one) and short-term Airbnb guests. The experience was terrible. Constant noise, incredibly inconsiderate people leaving…
The house behind ours in our little community was an AirBnB rental and it was a constant source of issues. Like you said, these weren't lower-income people causing these issues, but young professionals here for outdoor recreation (skiing, mountain biking, etc). There was zero regard for the families living all around them and eventually the town passed a bylaw to deal with short-term rentals. Long story short, everyo…
Tourism economy comes with tourist problems.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#97This doesnt seem to be controversial. And TBH i believe the airbnb-airlines-instagram tourism boom party is over. Post covid, with rising unemployment, remote work, and relocation to more livable places, people aren't going to be chasing cheap flights for more selfies.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a digital nomad I live my life in AirBnBs (with the exception of the occasional hotel and housesit). Over the last 2 years I have stayed in ~20-30 AirBnBs in Asia and Europe (we were going to do the Americas this year...alas). Without AirBnB I don't know how we would be able to live as digital nomads. Hotels are not acceptable because they lack kitchens and laundries (and laptop friendly workspaces). I understand…
> Without AirBnB I don't know how we would be able to live as digital nomads. Holiday home rentals have been around way longer than AirBnB, allthough I do admit that AirBnB makes the rental experience much easier. These days, lots of flats are still on other booking engines too such as Booking.com or HomeAway.
Yep, though in the context of this article AirBnB is just the biggest target. The problems that people are complaining about (justly) are no different if the short-term rental offered on Booking.com.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#99I understand that this definitely helps some vested interests (hotel industry, for instance), but the issue transcends a discussion of hotels vs. Airbnb and the cost of housing. I've had the displeasure of living in an apartment building that was used partially for long-term tenants (of which I was one) and short-term Airbnb guests. The experience was terrible. Constant noise, incredibly inconsiderate people leaving…
As a digital nomad I live my life in AirBnBs (with the exception of the occasional hotel and housesit). Over the last 2 years I have stayed in ~20-30 AirBnBs in Asia and Europe (we were going to do the Americas this year...alas). Without AirBnB I don't know how we would be able to live as digital nomads. Hotels are not acceptable because they lack kitchens and laundries (and laptop friendly workspaces). I understand…
they're suite hotels or what they call extended stays in america. that come with all those amenities. I used to be a proponent of airbnb but then noticed in NY how affordable housing all lost out due to airbnb. so yeah airbnb should be limited to maybe 2 weeks a year for a property.
Re: Paris hails victory over short-stay rents
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hotels have staff that supervise guests. They often have their own security, and have a lot of regulations on what they can and can't do. Airbnb units often don't have anyone supervising their visitors.
Hah, that's funny. I had a horrible night at a hotel in Ireland, where the room next door was partying and the attendant was just powerless to stop it (he tried).
Yeah, I suspect the more important function of a hotel is to isolate visitors from residents. In that case, your hotel probably (mostly) worked.