Publicis Sapient is hiring a Vice President of Project Management to launch a new home rental platform “n partnership with one of [their] market leading global hospitality clients.” This appears to be a hotel chain with “[a] well-established guest loyalty program.” (HT: @zshanlon who points out this hire is being made during one of their seemingly endless restructurings, so there’s a high bar and thus the project seems real.)
Marriott already has their Airbnb competitor bet, it’s not as good but it’s still new, I’d be surprised if they were making a huge new project bet already. Hyatt entered and left the space in 2018.
Last year Hilton’s CEO said a Hilton hoemsharing brand isn’t something their guests want, but that they could pivot quickly. Now in a Covid world it’s not clear whether guests will prefer hotels or standalone homes.
While this could be a move by Hyatt or IHG, Hilton seems like a reasonable guess here.
In a Covid world, travelers should/will prefer hotels. Hotels understand the importance of performing sanitization and other measures (e.g. giving rooms a 48-hour break between guests). Does anyone believe that individual Airbnb homeowners are going to bother doing all that? I think not.
@ Quo Vadis – I sit now in the Bellagio in Las Vegas now on my 4th room that is actually clean.
Mold in showers… smudges on tables… in the last room sticky entry floor
Hotels are no cleaner, nor better than an Airbnb.
This hotel is only using a single tower… social distancing is shit… rates are so low every unwashed person is here absent good control of their masks.
Just had a family of 6 try and shove themselves in the same elevator with me – had to yell at them. While these are decently sized elevators 4 is a “safe” number.