World's largest holiday let firm set to shake-up Jersey's tourism offering

Thursday 20 August 2015

It is the fastest growing accommodation provider in the world, covering 190 countries, offering bedrooms in owners' homes, private apartments and even entire houses - and now it's hit Jersey.

Since Airbnb launched in 2008 its listings have doubled every year and out of the million plus properties listed on the site, there are now 32 properties available for rent in Jersey.

Prices for Airbnb rentals in Jersey range from £39 a night for a double room overlooking Gorey pier, to £825 a night for a four-bedroom granite farmhouse.

A spokesperson for Visit Jersey said: “From a tourism perspective we welcome the option of people having lots of different types of accommodation on the island. Airbnb is growing in popularity with people so we would encourage it. Provided people are working within the law with what they are doing we would welcome it for diversifying the range of accommodation on offer in the Island.”

The accommodation on offer in Jersey is diverse. In the centre of the island you can get the top floor at 'Kevin and Vanessa's' house, with its own shower room and kitchenette, for £40 a night. 'Danny' will let you stay in his gorgeous newly-renovated cottage for £50 a night, while 'Matt' offers a double en-suite room in his St Brelade's bungalow for £65 a night.

Spend £70 a night and you can get a spacious private room with its own bathroom in a country house in St Mary's, a king-sized room in an interior designer's top floor apartment in St Aubin's, or a double room with its own luxurious bathroom 10 minutes walk from town.

Listings indicate whether hosts have been identity-checked, a process which involves sending Airbnb a copy of your passport or driving licence and linking to the site through a recognised social media account such as LinkedIn or Facebook.

According to a study by the University of Boston, published in the Economist, if Airbnb grows at its current rate, by 2016 it will take 10% of trade from budget accommodation providers.

Last summer Airbnb was fined 30,000 Euros for breaking tourist laws in Barcelona. In New York the company has had problems with tenants breaching long term letting contracts, while in San Francisco, where the company was founded and is still based, short term lets without a permit have been outlawed.

Other places are more welcoming: Amsterdam has declared itself an Airbnb-friendly city, Paris has changed its regulations to permit short-term rentals and the UK is also reforming rules that could prevent tenants offering their properties. 

Airbnb is now valued at $20 billion, it has 12 offices around the world and hosts nearly one million guests a night.

A Visit Jersey spokesperson added: “It's great for people to have new places to stay, however, it's not as simple for hosts as simply deciding to rent out a room. They need to make sure they are doing everything correctly, for example by checking with the planning department and the population office, to ensure they are within the law.”