AirBnB and Mariott Would Have the Same Price in Stock

As my dearest Fernando Gallardo would say, “Collaborative economy is changing our lives” and I think he is right. The first thing collaborative economy does is destroy monopolies, for example the taxi one. Currently in New York there are more UBER than taxi drivers. UBER users consider their cars to be cleaner, the driver to be more educated, and also find an advantage in the way of paying the tip, since it is already included in the price, which is paid directly from a person’s credit card. Uber has stirred up the world of “appearance” and “luxury”, especially in cities like New York, in which appearance counts, and arriving anywhere with a driver in a suit has been one of the reasons for the quick implantation of Uber.

But the consequences of Uber are more than those, such as those from “renting houses.” In the big apple, the subletting concept has been sophisticated, and now it is called AirBnB. The second great revolution is the tourism topic. Thanks to this website, thousands of people are able to rent a room, an apartment, or a house directly, without intermediates. This affects a lot of people who do not wish to pay the high prices of hotels and their linked touristic taxes.

Two weeks ago, the company announced that it had closed a new round of finances valued at 1,000 million dollars, which would value the company in 24,000 million dollars, which is more than what Marriott International, the giant luxury hotel which is valued at 21,000 million dollars, capitalizes on stock. This assessment also involves doubling the value of Expedia (14,000 million dollars).

This year, AirBnB hopes to earn 900 million dollars, an enormous increment if we look at its billing in 2013, which was 250 millions of dollars. In 2020, AirBnB hopes to earn 10,000 millions of dollars. Is it a luxury company? The data is overwhelming. Founded in 2008, AirBnB is present in 190 countries, and thanks to its website, more than 35 million people have found a place to rent “outside of the regular market”.

Only in New York, according to the data published by the company, this activity would have generated close to 1,150 millions of dollars and created 10,000 working stations, derived from the consumption of tourists, which is a 40% more in the neighborhoods where they are located, and thanks to it, many small businesses have found their way to succeed.

Anyways, the state of New York demands AirBnB more than 33 million dollars in non-paid taxes, since they are non-regulated hotels and the owners of the houses do not pay taxes. The money paid to the owners is undeclared. This process is in the tribunal and will take some time to solve, but today many people choose this alternative instead of hotels.

In the social networks, there are many reviews, such as: “you feel like at home, and the prize is reasonable” or “the luxury of sharing the culture of the city or neighborhood”. This kind of rent has fixed prize which is not the same for every house. Sometimes it includes breakfast, and you can choose whether to have a roommate. In New York, depending in the area, you can rent an apartment starting from 500 dollars a weeks.