Hotels and Airbnb Encroach on Each Other's Turf

With moves taken by Marriott International and Airbnb, accommodations offered by hotels and private owner services are getting less clear-cut. Both are in what appears to be quite possibly the beginning stages of offering types of lodging hitherto thought of as uncharacteristic of them.

That means the lines between hotels and "home stays" are blurring, says Lorraine Sileo, senior vice president of research for Phocuswright, which tracks the travel industry.

"You really do need to think of it as 'lodging,' because that is where this convergence is happening, and I don't think we're going to have these definitions a few years from now," she says.

This week, Marriott and Airbnb made moves that illustrate that convergence. Marriott expanded its luxury home rental business to over 100 markets, and Airbnb said it would partner with RXR Realty to develop 10 floors of Rockefeller Center into a boutique hotel-like service. —Yuki Noguchi, National Public Radio

Photo of Homes & Villas by Marriott International courtesy of Marriott International