9flats purchases Wimdu and wants to offer more quality than Airbnb

Munich. Platforms like Airbnb allow the short-term rental of private accommodation. A review by the mathematician and computer specialist Murray Cox in 50 major cities across the globe shows that it's more than that though. Those impacted by increasing gentrification could soon extend not only to tenants, but also to the hotel industry once the boom is over. No wonder then that the discussion round "Airbnb & Co.: The love of the new P2P platforms to the hospitality and housing market" met with lots of interest at the Expo Real hotel conference last Tuesday. Many representatives of the housing sector, from town and city planning and the hotel industry followed the panel discussion very carefully. Yet the real subjects of the discussion were conspicuous by their absence.

Augsburg. Consolidation in the tourism sector continues, and once again leading companies are shoring up their positions towards monopoly. Should Wimdu go insolvent, as one German magazine reported this week, then Airbnb would be the global top dog. Similar things have already happened in long-distance coach travel: Flixbus, the number one in the business, acquired Postbus, the sector's second largest company.

Berlin. Growth of the so-called "Peer-to-Peer" online platforms has been incredibly fast. Three years ago, hyped by lifestyle magazines as casual couch surfing, private accommodation on travels has become a mega million business particularly in major cities thanks to portals like Airbnb, Wimdu, or 9flats. This occurred at the expense of the hotel industry under unequal requirements, complained discussion participants of international hotel associations at a panel in the course of the ITB "Hospitality Day". In contrast, P2P providers were convinced of attracting new types of guests for the tourist industry. There was little room for differing nuances within these two poles on the podium.

Karlsruhe. The German Supreme Court decided on Wednesday that tenants may not sublet their apartment to tourists without the prior consent of the landlord. This is a blow to private accommodation agencies such as airbnb, Wimdu, 9flats and others.