Shawn Sullivan, Airbnb’s representative for Public Policy in Latin America & the Caribbean.
Airbnb’s representative for Public Policy in Latin America & the Caribbean, Shawn Sullivan is open to discussing with government and other stakeholders in the tourism sector any issues being faced with its presence on the island.
Founded in 2008, Airbnb has been a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world.
Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 191 countries.
“I am willing to meet to give them a better idea of our presence on the island and where we are located,” he said.
Yesterday, speaking to members of the media after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Airbnb and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Sullivan pointed out that where many Airbnb properties are located in Barbados, there are no hotels around.
He said that tourism sectors where Airbnbs operate are in fact benefitting from their presence.
“Whenever Airbnb starts growing in a market, we don’t take market share from hotels or traditional accommodations, we end up basically growing it because more and more people are interested in coming. People are benefitting… We have a tremendous impact on local taxi companies, bars, restaurants – every area that makes up the tourism sector benefits when there is a growing Airbnb presence,” he stressed.
“I think it is incumbent upon hotels to compete in the market place. If you look throughout the Caribbean, for example in St. Lucia – the Head of their Hotel Association is an Airbnb host and he is constantly looking for unique ways to partner with us and other companies who do this. Therefore, I think it is important for small- and medium-sized hotels to find a way to kind of open up their services to Airbnb users, because at the end of the day I think that by thinking creatively everybody can win,” he urged.
According to Sullivan, Airbnb does not set prices of the accommodations, as it is set by the property owner.
However, he explained that Airbnb has guarantees in place.
“If someone rents a place through our website and feels unsafe, don’t like it or there is an issue – the person can contact us within 24 hours and we will find either a hotel or a new Airbnb. The owner of the property does not get the money until the guest has checked-in and has been there for 24 hours. That is one way we are able to kind of ensure that if the property isn’t what it was depicted, then people have the right to redress,” he explained.
“Then on the flipside, we provide up to a million dollars host guarantee in case anything is damaged or stolen, etc.,” he told the media. (TL)