NEWS STORIES FEATURES VIDEOS
Editorial comment
16•09•19 Welcome to the latest Short Term Rentalz weekly newsletter!
• As Serviced Apartment Summit Middle East & Africa [SASMEA] gets underway today, Dubai Tourism has allayed operators' concerns in Downtown Dubai by clarifying the rules and regulations regarding short-term rental activities in the development.
The authority underlined that operators and individual owners will be required to obtain a valid permit to list holiday homes in the Downtown on rental platforms, with the permit number being included in all listings for each specific unit. It comes in response to a notification by property developer EMAAR to Downtown residents about ceasing their holiday home operations by 19 September [Thursday] following the launch of its South Beach premium residential project.
Khurram Shroff, chairman of IBC Group and Gallery Suites, and WeShareProperty founder Sarah Bacon, welcomed the clarifications as the rules would "help to streamline the market" and ease concerns for operators who thought there would be little time to implement the changes.
SASMEA kicks off today at EMAAR's Rove Dubai Marina with the short-term rental accommodation market in Dubai appearing as a recurring topic of conversation throughout the event.
Highlights include a session focussed on "Short-term rentals: the end of 'alternative", a quick fire Q and A with Hadi Moussa, GM - MEA and Central Eastern Europe, Airbnb, and a 'deep dive' into the local holiday home market by Ali Manzoor, Partner, Knight Frank MENA.
Speakers taking part in the conversation are GuestReady MD Reem Al Khatib, Maison Privee co-founder Paul Mallee and Airbnb's Moussa. I will also be conducting video interviews with hospitality leaders from OnePerfectStay, Knight Frank and more on the day.
In other industry news, Airbnb is continuing to invest heavily in its Experiences programme this week as it closes in on a $20m funding round in travel and exploration website Atlas Obscura and unveiled its Record Holders Collection for guests to try out activities with Guinness World Record holders. Both moves will play a part in the platform's aim to bring its global community of travellers together to participate in unique experiences and harness the talent and knowledge of experts.
It also echoes what AJL Consulting CEO Simon Lehmann said in my master lease model piece from last week, when he suggested brands such as Sonder and Lyric were benefitting from changes in customer behaviour as demand for greater choice and experiences grows.
Lehmann said: “As hospitality offerings converge, consumers are looking for choice and places to stay that are individual from an experience point of view."
If you have a story you want us to tell the industry, please click here and get involved with the community by commenting on our news stories on our website.
Paul Stevens, news editor
UPCOMING EVENTS
International Hospitality Media is the premier specialist in online publishing; conference, exhibition and events, and advisory services for niche growth sectors of the hospitality industry. The company publishes three industry-leading b2b websites - BoutiqueHotelNews.com and ServicedApartmentNews.com and ShortTermRentalz.com which keep their respective sectors up to speed with news, comment and opinion.
Our conference experience spans four continents and covers high growth segments including boutique, lifestyle and hybrid hotels, serviced apartments / aparthotels and extended stay, and vacation rental. Our events are renowned for their intense focus and attract quality industry leaders, brands and independents, providing unparalleled networking and learning opportunities. We also organise bespoke educational events and investor breakfasts to bring owners, operators and investors together. 'Providing an inspirational community to connect people through world class online platforms and events' © 2019 International Hospitality Media. All Rights Reserved.
Confirmation of your subscription opts you in to receive future updates on the event listed above, in addition to relevant communications from our partners. You can opt out at any time.
##footer## |