Hospitality's Climate Change

Dramatic changes are taking place in the way we travel. Community marketplaces like AirBnB have undermined the control of hotels and motels over visitors by connecting people directly to each other. The price is often much cheaper, and the residence is more beautiful (or at least more unique) all while experiencing the comfort of home for a short stay. It is for these reasons that I believe the Adirondacks and websites like AirBnB are suited well for each other and can only result in a further democratization of the tourist economy.

 AirBnB opens the world to families who otherwise could not afford it. In my experience of using the sigh, I have only met interesting people who are willing to share their stories and homes. Since we have spent so much time talking about the limits of land and development in the park, it makes sense that families ought to monetize their extra space, especially since so many are seasonal owners.

As in so many places, traditional hotel and B&B owners in the Adirondacks are pressuring their local governments to make these options less attractive to travelers. In the case of the park, there is a “bungalow exemption” which designates these entrepreneurial units as untaxable with normal hotel taxes so long as they do not provide housekeeping, food or other traditional services(DeMola). This loophole is the only thing which allows private individuals to afford being listed on sites like AirBnB. The demand clearly exists for these alternative lodgings as AirBnB bookings went up in the region last summer by 316%(PRNewswire). Visitors obviously see some merit in staying in a country cabin as opposed to a Marriott, and dissatisfaction with the current hospitality market seems to be a big contributor.

I can only assume that, so long as the loophole remains open, either old-school hospitality will change its act and stop charging $6 for a mini-fridge soda or AirBnB will continue to thrive in the region. The latter I prefer, as it would work to spread out the profits of lodging while bringing tourists previously unable to afford the area.

Thanks to Evan for the peer edits. 

Works Cited

"Airbnb Unveils Top 10 Trending U.S. Travel Destinations For Summer 2014." PRNewswire. N.p., 1 May 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

DeMola, Pete. "Essex County Drawn into Battle between Growing Rifts in Hospitality Biz." Denpubs.com. Denton Publications, 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.