With more than two million people staying in Airbnbs every night, peer-to-peer vacation rentals have become a disruptive force the travel industry cannot ignore. A new study from Clever Real Estate reveals Airbnb is becoming the preferred lodging choice of vacation goers everywhere.

After survey 1000 travelers who have used both Airbnb and hotels in the past 12 months, Clever found that 60% of travelers prefer Airbnb over hotels when traveling for vacation.
However, hotels remain the preferred option for business travelers: 68% of business travelers said they’d rather stay in a hotel than an Airbnb when traveling for work.
Here’s what you need to know about the modern traveler.

Key Insights

• Airbnb is becoming the preferred choice of vacationers — 60% of travelers who use both Airbnb and hotels prefer Airbnb over comparable hotels when going on vacation
  68% of business travelers prefer staying in hotels when traveling for work, and they’re more likely to have a negative experience at an Airbnb
• It doesn’t look like the supply of Airbnb hosts will slow down: 54% of homeowners said they’d consider renting out their homes with Airbnb or a similar vacation rental app, and 82% believe that Airbnb is a good way to make money from their property
• While public sentiment towards Airbnb remains positive, 58% of respondents said they were concerned about hidden cameras, and 7% said they’ve stayed in an Airbnb and discovered a hidden camera
• Marriott’s Homes & Villas luxury rental service is making a splash among high-end travelers: half of luxury travelers have heard of the Marriott’s new service, and they’re intrigued by the benefits of Marriott’s rewards program

Analysis
Despite similar levels of satisfaction with hotels and Airbnb, vacation travelers are making the switch to Airbnb. David Guttentag of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality identifies five core reasons visitors choose Airbnb: affordability, access to amenities and larger spaces, having authentic experiences, novelty, and host interactions.

Our study confirms that travelers prefer Airbnb because of household amenities (53%), better prices (53%), experiencing the local culture (39%), and having an authentic experience (38%).
While hotels appear to be losing ground among vacation goers, the majority of business travelers would rather stay at a hotel than an Airbnb when traveling for work. Business travelers know what to expect from hotels, and hotels can provide services and accommodations Airbnb cannot. In fact, 90% of Airbnb’s revenue came from tourism and personal travel in 2017, indicating the company is still struggling to tap into the business market.

Business travelers know what to expect from hotels: they’re looking for top-notch service amenities like a front desk, gym, pool, etc. and convenient booking. Business travelers were also more likely to say they had a negative experience at an Airbnb, indicating they’ve become accustomed to the way hotels operate and the role they serve.

Hotels should stick to the basics to attract business travelers. WiFi (85%), free parking (70%), complimentary breakfasts (69%), and housekeeping (59%) rank as the most important amenities business travelers are interested in.

More information about the study can be found here.

Author Bio:
Thomas O’Shaughnessy is the Head of Research at Clever Real Estate, the free online service that connects top-rated agents with home buyers and sellers at a discount rate. Contact thomas@movewithclever.com with questions about the report.