Airbnb Shakes Up the Paris Luxury Hotel Industry
Airbnb is becoming increasingly popular in Paris, and luxury hoteliers are getting worried. The home-sharing site has about 50,000 offerings in Paris, whereas in 2012 it only had 7,000 in all of France. Roughly 380 to 400 of those properties are offered at over €500 a night, and about 40 of those charge over €1,000. On top of that, these unique vacation pads offer a more unique experience and sometimes more sleeping accommodations, Reuters reports. Airbnb says they're completely different from luxury hotels, but luxury hotels aren't quite convinced. Not only do they offer a more unique experience, but they are not saddled with the taxes hotels have to pay. Many Airbnb destinations also offer the same perks like maid service. Still, some argue that in a city where being seen can sometimes be a top priority for tourists, ultra-luxury hotels will always be in demand. [Reuters]
