Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152980
B M & T ••• July/August 2019 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 32 Airbnb will continue to become a popular option among homeowners looking for supplemental income. 7% of Airbnb Users Said They've Found a Hidden Camera in Their Rental. Our study found that consumer sentiment towards Airbnb is generally positive. Only 12% of respondents associate Airbnb rentals with being uncomfortable and 10% with being unsafe. However, travelers are unsettled by the recent hidden camera scandals Airbnb has been involved in. 53% of respondents said they have privacy concerns stay- ing at a vacation rental like an Airbnb, and 58% said they're concerned about hidden cameras within their unit. While these incidents might appear to be one-off, freak incidents, we found that 7% of respondents had found a hid- den camera within their unit. 7% might seem a little high, but a recent survey from IPX 1031 Exchange[6] actually found that 11% of Airbnb travelers have discovered a hidden camera in the prop- erty they rented. It's possible that Airbnb's laissez-faire, share-economy business model attracts voyeuristic (read: creepy) hosts. It's worth noting that 52% of respondents indicated they'd experienced some type of refund policy violation since using Airbnb. The most common violations are fairly benign – misleading listing descriptions and dirty towels – but they can become quite serious, e.g., 9% of respondents indicated they found an animal within the rental. These incidents don't appear to be deterring travel- ers: 72% of respondents say they plan on staying at an Airbnb within the next 12 months, and 71% of respon- dents believe Airbnb has a positive impact on the global tourism and travel industry overall. Airbnb's value proposition is strong for vacation travelers, and potential safety and privacy concerns don't appear to be dissuading them once they've gotten their toes wet with P2P vacation rental model. Marriott's Premium Rental Service Is Making a Splash Among Luxury Travelers, but It's Not an Answer to Airbnb In late April, Marriott announced a new vacation rental service called Homes & Villas, which offers 2,000 luxury homes in more than 100 cities. Marriott will offer unique and/or eccentric rentals, such as Italian villas and Irish castles. While only 36% of Clever survey respondents had heard of Homes & Villas, 50% of "luxury travelers" — i.e., those who indi- cated they stay at high-end hotels or vacation rentals —