Hotel Revolution: How Technology Fuels the 'Sharing Economy,' Challenges the Hotel Industry and Transforms Space

The Sharing Economy is a disruptive force in many industries, particularly travel, consumer goods, transportation, finance, and employment. A driver in this transformative system is the home-sharing online platform, Airbnb. As an impactful innovation, it provides a certain unique set of options that traditional hotels do not. In contrast to traditional hotel experiences, it o¬ffers better access and affordability, endless options to bookings and locations, personal customization, a unique and meaningful experience, and a relationship between users and hosts. This research investigates the key components of the sharing economy business model’s success, and applys it to the hotel environments that are adapting to the future. The research looks specifically at spatial comparisons between Airbnb listings and hotels, human feedback and expectations, experiential values that have been created by this technology, and regulations that may be necessary.