Page 55 - Port Douglas Magazine 29

Th e Pines at 11 Oak Beach Rd, Oak Beach

THE RISE OF HOME SHARING

We speak to Rob Whyte, director of Boutique Collections, about the
increasing role played by home sharing in the accommodation sector
Th e tourism industry has expanded exponentially “For the most part, tourists and travellers During events such as the FIFA World Cup and
across the world in modern times. had tended to stay in pubs and hotels, which the Olympic Games in recent years, crises in
During this period, many challenges have been developed sameness in their locations, styles and short-term accommodation for thousands of
identifi ed - and subsequently overcome - so facilities,” Rob says. visitors and spectators have been alleviated by the
that travel and tourism are major elements of “Motels provided a new and diff erent experience availability of rooms in private homes.
the global economy and the mainstay of the and, in the 1990s, boutique hotels began to In fact, in a televised interview following the
economies of small nations. appear.” FIFA World Cup in Brazil, founder and CEO
Among the challenges has been the task of “Boutique hotels provided a chance for the of Airbnb Brian Chesky cited the use of Airbnb
providing accommodation to the millions of traveller to stay in accommodation located away during the World Cup as an example of the
people who need to spend the night away from from the centres of towns and cities with their sharing economy’s growth.
home in a safe, clean and secure place. own unique, more personal and less predictable He said that out of the sporting event’s 600,000
“As people become more settled in towns and styles.” estimated visitors, 120,000 – or one-in-fi ve –
cities and society becomes more affl uent, homes More recently, the internet has enabled small stayed in Airbnb accommodation.
are more comfortable and are oft en larger than businesses to access marketing tools at a very low He also added that Brazilian authorities consulted
the space needed for living on an everyday basis,” cost, by joining websites shared by other similar the company prior to the event due to concerns
says Rob. businesses, says Rob. that the available accommodation would not be
“Th e opportunity to earn extra income by “Sites such as VRBO and Craigslist paved the able to cope with the large amount of visitors.
utilising space that is surplus to the occupier of way and now there are many sites off ering all the “Th e advantages for owners and visitors are
real estate has been recognised for a long time, in various styles of accommodation globally.” obvious, while Governments also benefi t by
forms such as boarding houses, guest houses, bed “Airbnb is an example of a site that has grown saving the capital cost of building accommodation
and breakfast accommodation, house swapping rapidly and avails itself of individual and which would be underutilised once the event is
and the renting out of a spare bedroom,” he says. privately-owned premises to fi ll a need in the over,” Rob says.
Rob says an increase in availability and social accommodation market worldwide, with 6+ “So, what developments are foreshadowed to
acceptability of accommodation in private homes million homes listed.” satisfy underlying accommodation needs for the
has led to a greater level of trust between owners “It’s a remarkable statistic, given that it is said that future?”
and potential guests, as well as a wider interest in there are 16 million hotel rooms and 2.2 billion “Th ere can be little doubt that home sharing will
accommodation that can off er a more local and homes worldwide.” play an increasing role.”
personal experience. theboutiquecollection.com.au