New York City has begun enforcing strict new regulations on short-term rentals and Airbnb’s in the city and it’s already making an impact. The new rules require hosts to register with the city to be allowed to rent on a short-term basis. It comes after ongoing disputes between the city and short-term rental platforms. According to The New York Times, the city claims platforms like Airbnb pushed up rents and helped fuel New York City’s housing shortage, while critics argue this new enforcement effort will lock out cheaper options for visitors.
Jungho Suh is a teaching assistant professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business. His areas of expertise include service management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, entrepreneurship, human resource issues in the service industry, sustainability & ESG reporting in the travel industry, digital platforms in tourism & hospitality, and gastronomy tourism. Suh has published research on a number of topics related to Airbnb’s, including on the role of customer engagement in Airbnb user experience, a cross-cultural study on the social and economic benefits of Airbnb, and Airbnb service quality.
Suh says new regulations like those implemented in New York City will have ripple effects across the travel community.
"NYC’s new 'de facto ban' on Airbnb and other short-term rental/sharing economy platforms is expected to make waves in the local economy and the broader travel community,” Suh says. “This new regulation will create a significant ripple effect on the local, national, and global travel sector, which is composed of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), representing more than 80%, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. In addition, one study shows that more than 90% of Airbnb hosts are individuals or SME entrepreneurs. Furthermore, on the demand side, it is evident that travelers will also face challenges when planning to travel to NYC."
If you would like to speak with Professor Suh, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
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