We Can Put the Quality Into Homesharing, Say Hotel CEOs
A myriad of topics were up for discussion during a CEO panel at the NYU Hospitality Conference Monday featuring the leaders of Marriott, Hyatt, AccorHotels, International Hotels Group, and Choice Hotels. Chief among them were the Chinese economy and the big elephant in the room — homesharing.
For years hoteliers watched the niche homesharing market grow from afar, observing that lodging offered to customers was predominantly illegal and offered little assurance of a quality guest experience, said Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson.
"We are not permitted to stand away from the business," he told a room of industry professionals, adding that homesharing companies normally outsource the quality of a stay to hosts and renters, thereby absolving them of any blame when something goes wrong.