From Home-Sharing to World Domination: How Governments are Reigning in Short-Term Rentals and What The Future Holds for Hotel Companies

What started as true “home-sharing” has morphed into an explosion of commercial-scale short-term rentals in every city and community across Canada. The commercial businesses hiding behind online rental platforms, like Airbnb, are a direct competitor to hotels, yet none of the same laws, regulations and taxes apply to them. This phenomenon is impacting communities, housing markets, crime rates, and congestion.

Through the important work of the Hotel Association of Canada and its provincial and city hotel association partners, we now have the attention of governments at all levels. Laws and regulations are being modernized clear across the country as cities grapple with the impacts on communities, workers, and hotel businesses. The good news is that every government regulation developed to date has consistently sided with the hotel industry as our calls for fair rules are embraced. But this movement is long from over.

In this session we will explore which big cities are likely to see a crack down in 2020, what the federal government plans to do about taxation, what wins have been achieved to date, how the industry will continue to fight a multi-front battle and importantly, what the landscape looks like for hotels in the future.

Get informed on all the developments and the potential impacts on your hotel today, and beyond.

Moderator - Alana Baker