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> A hotel working with Airbnb is like BlockBuster working with Netflix to share customer data. The hotels groups aren't as fucking stupid as Blockbuster was, th

by jimmy1 8y ago

> A hotel working with Airbnb is like BlockBuster working with Netflix to share customer data. The hotels groups aren't as fucking stupid as Blockbuster was, though. I don't feel like this analogy applies, however. You can make the argument that hotels are better than AirBnB. It depends on what you value. If you are business traveler (or heck maybe even not), you probably prefer a hotel because you know you are getting a consistent product and experience each time and there is more avenues for you to have your grievances resolved, and quickly -- i.e. "my room stinks I need a new one now" or if you even mention bed bugs the county health department will be there faster than you can post that AirBnB complaint. If you are a vacationer trying to stay in some obscure location and need somewhere to stay, you probably value AirBnB more.

chadash 8y ago
I think this misses the point of the analogy. Airbnb and netflix are both new competitors to hotels and blockbuster respectively, which are (or were) the entrenched players. Whether hotels are better or worse than apartment rentals doesn't matter. The point is that generally, companies don't want to share data with or help out their competition.
- jimmy1 8y ago
  > Whether hotels are better or worse than apartment rentals doesn't matter It absolutely matters. Blockbuster in it's later years was not only entrenched, but also a bad experience. People were tired of being price gouged with late fees. Netflix was a better experience, even if you got your DVD a couple days later. > companies don't want to share data with or help out their competition. We share data with our competition all the time. It may help them, but it also helps us as well. You must decide if the business value it brings you is greater than the perceived data it brings them. Obviously you don't want to share market secrets, but sharing some logistical data doesn't seem too harmful. You aren't sharing the "secret sauce" Sometimes competitors make the best friends.
repsilat 8y ago
Really it's more like movie studios/rights-holders letting Netflix license their content. To me it's a bad move if - Airbnb are going to "create their own content" and try to kill the hotels eventually (very unlikely), or - Airbnb take too large a cut (possible).

by jimmy1 8y ago

chadash 8y ago

I think this misses the point of the analogy. Airbnb and netflix are both new competitors to hotels and blockbuster respectively, which are (or were) the entrenched players. Whether hotels are better or worse than apartment rentals doesn't matter. The point is that generally, companies don't want to share data with or help out their competition.

jimmy1 8y ago
> Whether hotels are better or worse than apartment rentals doesn't matter It absolutely matters. Blockbuster in it's later years was not only entrenched, but also a bad experience. People were tired of being price gouged with late fees. Netflix was a better experience, even if you got your DVD a couple days later. > companies don't want to share data with or help out their competition. We share data with our competition all the time. It may help them, but it also helps us as well. You must decide if the business value it brings you is greater than the perceived data it brings them. Obviously you don't want to share market secrets, but sharing some logistical data doesn't seem too harmful. You aren't sharing the "secret sauce" Sometimes competitors make the best friends.

repsilat 8y ago

Really it's more like movie studios/rights-holders letting Netflix license their content. To me it's a bad move if - Airbnb are going to "create their own content" and try to kill the hotels eventually (very unlikely), or - Airbnb take too large a cut (possible).