Airbnb accommodation in Tasmania.

 

 

Airbnb accommodation in Tasmania is, as in so many other destinations, a topic of heated discussion.

 

We have been avid travellers since 1969. When we were young we tented, and then upgraded to campervans. As we got older we opted for the comfort of the better hotels.

 

This year we decided travel less, stay longer and to try self-contained accommodation. We are flirting with the idea of even longer stays in the future so we can have a more immersive experience and live like a local.

 

 

Providers feeling the backlash.

 

But as we speak to the providers of these short-term apartments and cottages, a pattern is emerging. They are all feeling the insecurity caused by the pushback against the Airbnb model.

 

But the reaction against Airb&b is a worldwide phenomena with action at not national and local government

 

The owner of our apartment in Carcasonne observed that it is not a big problem there.

 

Rick Steve’s blog has Carcasonne as the 3rd most visited site in France. But our host explains that many of these are day visitors. Resident accommodation is not under-supplied and there is no concern about holiday lets. Never-the-less he is soon going to sell his apartment. “The writing is on the wall,” he says. “Legislation or at least discussion about potential legislation is becoming commonplace is Europe. We plan to be ahead of the change.”

 

He, like so many of our Airbnb style hosts, is not local. He invested into the area and runs his stable of accommodation properties as income supporting a lifestyle.

 

 

Alarms bells?

 

It is not surprising that locals and local legislation may not see them as interlopers. They move in and they can just as easily move out and relocate elsewhere. They are perceived as having no long-term commitment to the locale.

 

Short-term rentals, including Airbnbs, have long been a flash point in Barcelona. Therefore it was not surprising Barcelona announced a total ban on short-term rentals from the end of 2028.

 

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni described it as “Barcelona’s biggest problem” with residents and workers priced out of the market. The ban will return 10,000 short-term rentals apartments into the housing market.

 

 

Discontent is spreading.

 

But Barcelona is not the only city to be strongly regulating – or even banning – short-term rentals outright.

 

New York City has highly regulated the short-term rental market since September 2023. Similarly many of California’s coastal cities, including Santa Monica, either banned or have highly restrict short-term rentals.

 

Many government authorities are placing taxes on seasonal short-term rentals and holiday homes left empty.

 

It’s all part of a wider theme around the world, Airbnb dominates the short-term rental market with more than 50% of online bookungs. And others, including VRBO, Booking.com and Expedia.com, are being scrutinised at the same time as questions are being asked about who tourism is for, and where the balance lies between benefits for tourists and locals alike.

 

The question is being asked in Australia and Airbnb accommodation in Tasmania is no exemption.

 

However after banning all short-term rentals back in 2014, Berlin later brought them back under tight restrictions in 2018.

 

So the question is …..

 

 

Is there a place for the Airbnb style?

 

Is there a place for the short term rental model? And has Airbnb become so big, so popular that there is no turning back? These ad hoc apartments and houses now account huge part of market.

 

And I have to confess that, to my surprise, we are converted. We are already planning longer more immersive stays.

 

“Short-term rentals give you a chance to stay in a location [that’s] a little more authentic,” says Lucy Perrin. Lucy should know. She is the travel editor and hotel specialist at The Times. “It’s usually a less clinical, more local experience,” she added. And for some travellers, such as families, it may work better than a hotel stay.

 

 

But as hoteliers we do have a gripe with Airbnb.

 

Any man and his dog can turn a container, or a shed, or one side of his house into a self-contained let. And Airbnb has enable them to do it. But if you set up an hotel, the rules, regulations, restrictions and insurances are crippling.

 

The degree of commitment is quite different.

 

Moreover, often these short-term rentals are very hard to find. They are often set up in otherwise uncommercial situations. Stuck in alleyways, far from where you can park your car – think dragging your suitcases along cobblestones for hours. Six floors up with glorious views over old rooftops, but with no lift. All very charming but an agony to access.

 

Sometimes they are on the doorstep of everyday life, but other times in the middle of nowhere. They usually employ no staff, and guests just pick up a key and are on their own.

 

We found that being cut adrift was fine, especially if there was coffee shops and facilities nearby. But getting there was often trying.

 

Nevertheless, we so enjoyed the independence that we have reviewed our operating model at The Woodbridge.

 

 

So welcome the best of both worlds!

 

So we used our experiences to modify operations at Woodbridge to reflect growing trend away from traditional hotel stays. Woodbridge morphed to a rooms-only hotel combining private accommodation with the flexibility of communal lounges with self-contained kitchenette.

 

It is the best of both worlds!

 

The concept has the charm of being ‘at home’. And ‘living like a local’ is easy with pubs, coffee shops and community facilities right on your doorstep.