It is also sought that only one registration in the RNT is granted per individual, and that there are no establishments in the name of companies. In addition, the hoteliers consider that the Sectur should have as a requirement have condominium approval where the space for rent is located.
With these measures, the hotel sector seeks to regulate the platforms in various terms, such as security – after the death of three tourists on Airbnb due to a gas leak in Cuajimalpa–, but also to find an “even floor” in terms of competitiveness.
Short-term hosting platforms “have grown at a resounding force. It comes because of the technological change in the reservation, but also because of the lack of regulation in service,” said Luis Barrios, president of the National Association of Hotel Chains (ANCH) at a press conference.
Airbnb announced at the end of October a strategy in conjunction with the government of Mexico City to attract more digital nomads through a strategy of joint tourism promotionwhich would target neighborhoods and locations beyond the most demanded, such as Rome and Polanco.
Although the hotel sector in the city is still trying to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, for Airbnb the story is different.
In Mexico, short-term stays grew 30% in the first quarter of the year compared to 2019, according to company data. In addition, the Anáhuac Tourism Research and Competitiveness Center (Cicotur) expects that sales from this scheme will exceed 150 million dollars during this year.
“The number of quarters of two brands is a third of the hotel offer in the city. It is not a small phenomenon, it is quite strong competition”, said Francisco Madrid, director of Cicotur Anahuac.
For hoteliers, a level floor would also translate into compliance with other obligations, such as having a liability insuranceas requested from all tourist service providers.
In total, the sector ensures that the opening of a hotel takes around 170 procedures which are done over a three-year period, while listing a room or house on Airbnb takes around 30 minutes.
At the legislature level, efforts will be made to bring these petitions to a vote, but to date there has been little progress. Frida Guillén, president of the Tourism Commission of the Congress of Mexico City, refers that there is a project to implement some of these regulations; nevertheless, its scope is still being discussed with other commissionssuch as science and technology. But the problem is notorious.
“Obviously there is unfair competition,” said the official.