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locAl Monday 18 deceMber 2017
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Hotel Hustle

Column by: Shanella Pantophlet

Airbnb: Aruba’s ally or enemy?

I’ve recently been on an extended vacation and during these
longer trips, I usually stay at an Airbnb rental apartment. The
reason being, they are just more convenient as far as the loca-
tions I want or need to be in, they are overall cheaper than a 3
or 4 star hotel and in my opinion when you’re on vacation for
an extended period it’s nice to have a kitchen so you aren’t
tempted to eat our every night.

In recent years Airbnb has become increasingly popular in many
places around the world and it is starting to make its presence
known in Aruba. I remember for much of 2016, with the crisis in
Venezuela (Aruba’s second largest source of tourism capital)
escalating, seeing reports of the decline in hotel stays with a
marked increase of apartment or home rentals mainly through
Airbnb. While the interest in travel to the Island did not wane
amongst Venezuelans, affordability was a growing issue that
Airbnb rentals seemed to be the answer to. In my personal ex-
perience and doing comparative research many times renting
through Airbnb has been more economical than a hotel stay,
especially for extended travel periods as is the trend amongst
our Latin American guests.

The Aruban government, Aruban Tourism Authority and Aruba hotel association all highlighted Airbnb as a negative impacting source on our
Tourism Industry (currently our largest contributor to the local economy) due to the loss in RevPAR (revenue per night on rooms). Especially
considering that when hotel rooms are rented the taxes go back to the government, which in turn contributes to infrastructure and other
needs to keep Aruba ahead of the curve in this ever changing industry.

Airbnb rentals have their drawbacks, hotels are strictly regulated and have to meet various safety standards. Homeowners listing their houses,
apartments or rooms for rent do not have to adhere to these same standards nor do they have to pay taxes on the money received from this
income. Instead of trying to fight it, the Aruban government should try to regulate Airbnb by creating a registry, allowing people to get permits
for short term rentals of a month or less and doing inspections to make sure that these places meet safety and hygiene standards.

Tourism is our bread and butter on the Island and we need to make sure that no matter where our guests stay we can keep them as safe as
is reasonably possible. Legalizing and regulating Airbnb rentals would help in that mission as we could crack down on those looking to scam
potential clients and also make sure that only a certain amount of properties can be used for this type of rental, so the market isn’t over satu-
rated with people looking to make a quick buck and jeopardizing locals looking for long term rentals.

Airbnb is a successful worldwide company which continues to expand its market share, by now including unique experiences. Imagine how
successful local businesses could be by partnering with Airbnb to offer their services through the website. Our goal shouldn’t be to fear the
new, but to grow with it and make it work to the advantage of the Island and our number one economy.q

Aruban born and bred Shanella Pantophlet is passionate about tourism. That is the world she studied and works in, so we might as well call
her a specialist. Luckily for Aruba Today Shanella also loves to write. And together with the fact that the majority of our readers are tourists,
we found ourselves a perfect combination for a column: Hotel Hustle.