Unregulated short-term lets and private properties listed on Airbnb in Bristol have delivered a £800,000 blow to the city’s hotels and B&Bs during the Cricket World Cup, according to their pressure group.
The Bristol Hoteliers Association, which represents 40 hotels in the city providing more than 4,000 beds for tourists and business guests, says the unfair competition from the growing craze for short-term lets is putting many businesses at risk – not just those providing accommodation but also restaurants. 
Bristol has the highest density of Airbnb properties in the UK outside of London.
The association took its concerns to Bristol City Council last year – and has now raised it again with Destination Bristol, the city’s destination marketing organisation and often the first place visitors go to for information.
Association chair Nadine Rees said reports that Airbnb operators in the city would share an £800,000 windfall on the back of the Cricket World Cup were the ‘last straw’ and proved there was not a level playing field.
She said: “Airbnb operators don’t pay tax. They don’t have to comply with the strict regulations the hospitality industry abides by. They don’t provide jobs for Bristolians.
“Legitimate businesses pay business rates and VAT – short-term letting hosts do not. Listed hosts are not regulated and do not have to undergo the rigorous safety checks Bristol’s hoteliers are required to do.”
Bristol’s County Ground hosted three ICC World Cup matches – although two were rained off – and with games also taking place at Taunton and Cardiff, many cricket fans made the city their base.
Destination Bristol chief executive John Hirst said: “We work with many different partners with the aim of improving and increasing the value of the visitor economy and experience in Bristol.
“Our hotels are key to the success and enjoyment of our visitors stay in this region, and we are keen to support them with their challenges.
“The emergence of Airbnb is creating some new and unexpected challenges. Destination Bristol are very keen to work with the Bristol Hoteliers Association to look for solutions which hopefully will result in a level playing field for hotels and for Airbnb.
“We will also be liaising with Bristol City Council to look for opportunities to review the current issues and I remain optimistic that we can find a viable solution.
“We agree that competition is good, but everyone should be given equal opportunities.”
Last year’s BHA chair Imran Ali took the hoteliers’ case to City Hall to present a four-point plan aimed at bringing Bristol’s burgeoning short-term lettings operation close in line with the stringently regulated hotels sector.
He called for an optional, ward-based exclusion zone in which short-term letting operators are required to hold a licence granted by the city council and are restricted to 170 days per year; the introduction of a Host’s City Levy for all registered hosts based on the model drawn up in Bristol’s twin city of Porto and also in Lisbon; for all Airbnb and short-term letting operators to be Health and Safety compliant and for mandatory listing of all short-term letting sites such as Airbnb.
Nadine Rees added: “We’re happy for competition – but it has to be on a level playing field. If nothing is done, hotels and B&Bs will start a long journey towards diminished trading- harming the city’s business profile.”
