Editor, RE: “Homestays should be looked at as opportunity” (The New Times, February 16). This is going to kill the hotel business very bad. I do closely check the development of Airbnb in Rwanda, from my residence here in the USA. I can take my entire evening and go through all the comments written by guests when they check out, and unsurprisingly, all the comments are very awesome. The fact that some of the apartment owners are the westerners, who are staying in Rwanda temporarily and want to make an extra buck, and the same time helping their fellows westerners, this makes the guests a bit comfortable and easy to get a free guide. The other important factor is the Rwandan themselves, who have an extraordinary welcome attitudes for foreigners. The third factor is the hotels’ management in Rwanda, which has the very high/fixed room prices. The hotel keeps their initial prices, even when they have 30% occupancy. Josh *************************************** Hotels should not worry because of these new considered competitors. The message is simple: improve your services and create a difference. Why would I pay hotel rates if I am getting almost similar services at Airbnb? Why would I pay cheaply if I am looking for quality services? I believe the targets will be different. Big cities have hostels, but this does not take away hotel clients. It actually brings in healthy competition and the customers have a variety of choices. I am not sure Marriott will have to worry about a small home in Nyarutarama, or Mille Colline worry about an apartment in Kimironko. Regulations need to be put in place definitely to manage the security and standards Rwanda is on, but the new approach should cause no alarm for the hotel businesses. Richard Niwenshuti *************************************** Josh, on the contrary, this will improve the hotel business. Competition is good. We cannot find technology innovation. You either adapt or get disrupted. Video rentals got disrupted by the Netflix and the likes, bookstores got disrupted by the Amazon and the likes, private cabs have been recently disrupted by Uber, and the list is endless. All the above are services that many of us use today. I therefore welcome Airbnb and it is useful especially when planning holiday travels. Kevin Rudahinduka
