Dubrovnik 2018 - Trouble in the Air? Professionalism and Standards in the Short-Let Rental Sector
Keir Jones - ARPM Relocation ⏐ Shelley Lloyd - Celsium Mobility Solutions
The reason we picked this subject was to try and ascertain the climate for Airbnb and other such providers in the mobility marketplace and to discuss whether it’s possible, from a providers standpoint, to embrace and utilise them?
The response was generally receptive as one would expect, and why not? The Airbnb platform is incredibly user friendly, customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive and it affords a wide range of options and costs.
However, the deeper we got into the subject matter the more concerns that were aired, a majority were linked to safety and accountability, although the effects of short term tenants on owner occupiers was among some of the other points raised.
We also discussed that putting convenience and breadth of choice to one side, is using these platforms always the best option for assignee? It is often assumed that Millennials want the freedom of choice and autonomy / right of ownership in the booking process. However perhaps some would feel more valued by their employers if all of this was taken care of and they were staying in serviced accommodation? Although does this more traditional approach lead to potential disappointment when moving from temporary to permanent housing? Does the Airbnb solution give an assignee a more ‘realistic’ view on what they can expect if looking to rent on a permanent basis?
Taking all of the above into account one question seemed particularly pertinent to the mobility marketplace; who’s responsible? Whilst some assignees are happy to take a calculated risk and many employers are comfortable with them doing so, what happens when a DSP or RMC becomes a provider in between? All the culpability and compliance issues suddenly need to be addressed, and this is where the problem lies for now.
There is no doubt that Airbnb has massive transformative purpose and will continue to adapt within the corporate short term sector and find solutions to many of the issues we discussed during the session. In short this is very much a work in progress, and we’re sure that with positive input from all parties it will be a go to solution sooner rather than later.
Keir Jones
Mail keir.jones@arpmrelocation.com
Web https://arpmrelocation.com
Shelley Lloyd