Automation In Short-Term Rentals: Is It Killing Authenticity?

We’ve teamed up with Hospitable, formerly Smartbnb, to do an analysis of how guests respond to automation in short-term rentals. Hospitable allows Airbnb hosts to automate many logistics and communications for guests, co-hosts, and vendors.

Since the dawn of the Internet, massive hotel and hospitality corporations have been automating their systems, driving efficiency and cutting costs.

Guests can make a reservation online and instantly receive an email with a confirmation code and receipt indicating their payment was made and booking confirmed.

Changes to reservations, cancellations, and requests can all be made online with no human interaction whatsoever.

Society has become complacent to the impersonal nature of automation.

The short-term rental market was no exception, with management companies creating their own listing websites and software to save time and of course money.

As Airbnb gained traction and secured its foothold in the short-term rental market, and subsequently the hospitality business, it became clear that its users valued the communication and experiences they gained from interacting directly with the property owner, and not a landlord or manager, but host.