Note From the EditorThe lines between traditional and alternative accommodations are still blurring, as Marriott, AccorHotels, and Airbnb showed us this week. Marriott International is finally wading into the world of homesharing with a six-month pilot program, using one of its own brands to market carefully selected homes. At Skift Forum Europe in Berlin Thursday, AccorHotels CEO Sébastien Bazin said his company should have expanded into the sharing economy 15 years ago. He also offered an explanation for Accor's recent spending spree, along with the expectation that some 20 percent of investments will be unsuccessful.
For its part, Airbnb — also represented at Skift Forum Europe — appears to be scaling back one earlier ambition. Jeroen Merchiers, managing director of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said flights are not a big priority right now. Also not on the to-do list: looking to get big hotel chains to list rooms on the site. It's probably wise, then, that Marriott and Accor are doing their own things. — Hannah Sampson, News Editor |
No comments:
Post a Comment