Come on Airbnb; Enough ALREADY!
Bashar Wali
Human | Hotelier | Traveler | Founder | YPO'er | TEDx'er | CEO'er | Speaker | Lecturer | Board Member | Reimagining the future of hospitality, one hotel at a time, inspired by ~180,000 LinkedIn Tribe.
It's time to play by the rules.
Airbnb is not going away. Despite the fervent wishes of my hotelier colleagues. They are here to stay. Simply because consumers want them. They LOVE them. Hoteliers can’t do a thing about it. And in a free market, we shouldn’t be intimidated by the competition as long we’re playing on a level field.
But, for God’s sake, Airbnb, with a valuation of over 31 billion dollars isn’t it time you put on your big boy pants. It's time to realize that if you want to be around and be relevant, you gotta play by the rules. The same rules that apply to EVERYONE. Get your permits. Collect, file and share your taxes. No more "back dark alley" deals. It's time to rise above and step into the light.
San Francisco just settled a lawsuit with Airbnb. The issue was on how a host could register to meet the City’s requirements. Airbnb’s position was that the process was too cumbersome for their hosts. Seriously! We, normal people, have to go through a mountain of paperwork to get permits. Usually from local jurisdictions with dysfunctional departments that don’t talk to each other. We use archaic carbon copy forms which often get lost in the shuffle. We wait in endless lines to do what is required of us. Deal with it. It is how business is done. For now at least.
If you want us to play in this same sandbox with us, I strongly urge you to quit your crying and abide by the rules of the playground.
#AirbnbSettlesSF
President, Twiddy & Company
7 年Well said. I say that not to bash AirBnB in any way, of course, but to simply offer that many of the regulations AirBnB is not subject to are designed to protect the consumer and minimize risks. One could argue that AirBnB passes risks to the consumer as they compete on prices with more regulated hotels and vacation rentals. I like AirBnB as well, but agree in the importance and safety in a level playing field.
Supporting London South Bank University
7 年Change for good ... is hardly accepted by people in this world. Airbnb found a way to run over all that paperwork and most importantly they are connecting people of different origins. They are creating wonderful travel moments for travellers around the globe which hotels just can't make it happen. Travelling it's not about Room and services, it's more than that. I know that they are doing something good that's why today they are worth $31 billion and people love the company. Learn from them !!
Députée de Chomedey / Porte parole de l’opposition officielle en matière de tourisme , Laurentides et Lanaudière #polqc #PLQ #AssNat
7 年You 're right but in the 21st century maybe it's time the government does the paperwork ,maybe the citizens of the work want thing done differently ! maybe the taxation system is too much , too complcated, maybe we are overtaxed. Taxed when you're born , taxed when you die !!! Maybe Airbnb is the Robinhood for people who can't afford to travel otherwise ! I'm just saying maybe ?! ?
MAC/MAN, HUET, CBSP
7 年Amazing way to travel around, get to know people′s culture and save some cash