TAA: Action needs to be taken on the growth of 'quasi-hotels' across Sydney

Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA) CEO Carol Giuseppi stated (14-Mar-2018) the rapid conversion of residential properties into commercial tourist accommodation "without any transparency or controls needed to be addressed immediately". According to the body, there are more than 11,000 commercial residential property listings on Airbnb across metropolitan Sydney, up 42% year-on-year. Ms Giuseppi said this segment of the economy is "morphing into actual commercial operations which compete directly with existing hotels, costing jobs and affecting investment in one of the most vital sectors in NSW". Ms Giuseppi said TAA had no issue with individual operators renting out rooms in their own homes, but had real problems with quasi-hotels springing up across metropolitan areas. [more - original PR]