In the same week that Airbnb launched its own dedicated luxury homesharing product, it was interesting to hear from a rival about its own adventures in high-end rentals.
Marriott has come at the market from the other side of the divide. As the largest hotel company in the world, it has been pretty cautious in its experimentation so far, only launching Homes & Villas by Marriott International after a substantial pilot.
Speaking at Skift Tech Forum last week, Stephanie Linnartz, the hotel giant's global chief commercial officer, said one of the big drivers for getting involved in the first place was interest from members in its loyalty scheme. And Marriott estimates that about 90 percent of customers booking homes and villas through Marriott are Bonvoy members. That's a significant number.
"We wanted to make Bonvoy stickier, deeper, richer, so it's not surprising the bookings are mainly from loyalty," Linnartz said.
How deep Marriott gets in the alternative accommodations sector will depend on the take-up over a sustained period of time, but for now the company seems pretty happy with how things are progressing.