Marriott takes aim at Airbnb dominance, expands into home rentals
While homesharing giant Airbnb extends its reach into the traditional hotel market, Marriott International is headed in the opposite direction.
Marriott plans to push further into homesharing after testing home rentals in Europe last year.
It will soon begin taking bookings vis its website for 2,000 home rentals in 100 cities across the U.S, Europe and Latin America.
It is focusing on higher end properties starting at about $200 per night for a one-bedroom apartment.
The service will expand its footprint in many new markets with rentals in 40 cities that do not currently compete with an existing Marriott brand hotel.
Marriott is partnering with rental management companies to manage housekeeping and maintenance.
Marriott is hoping the scale of its Bonvoy guest loyalty program and luxury portfolio will lure customers.
"One of the challenges you see with home-sharing is there’s too much inventory without quality filters or brand assurances. There’s inconsistency across the brand experience," said Stephanie Linnartz, Marriott’s global chief commercial officer.
Still, it has a long way to go to match the scale of Airbnb, even just within the luxury segment.
Airbnb has six million listings worldwide.
Airbnb has just announced a collaboration with a real estate developer to introduce a 200-suite hotel in Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan.
It also acquired last-minute booking service Hotel Tonight last month.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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