Recently in Chongqing, conflicts arose among homeowners, other residents, and short-term rental guests, even sparking small-scale social incidents that served as a warning for the sharing economy, especially shared homestays. As the homestay industry is still in a phase of growth, how can it avoid problems and develop better and faster? To address this, research institutions in the homestay sector, policy-making bodies, and leading platforms represented by Xiaozhu Short-Term Rentals gathered to discuss the topic of building a shared future.
Researchers noted that China’s sharing economy differs significantly from that of other countries in many overarching aspects, making the development of shared homestays a long and challenging journey. Currently, efforts should primarily focus on three key directions. First, how to establish and adapt to the new business of shared accommodation...
From the first point of view, regulatory authorities need to keep pace with the times, embrace innovation, and avoid overcorrection. As for the second point, Pan Caifu, Vice President of Xiaozhu Short-Term Rental, believes: "This is a crucial stage for us practitioners right now. We must set aside competition and move forward—or back—together. On one hand, we need to raise brand service standards and practice self-discipline; on the other, we should work collectively to encourage the government to be more prudent and inclusive toward us. Whether it's the regulators or the businesses, the ultimate goal of our efforts is to ensure the healthy, orderly, and sustainable development of the industry, and ultimately achieve the third objective—establishing a user safety-first protection mechanism in the shared accommodation sector. This will make shared homestays truly convenient and beneficial to the public, turning them into outstanding representatives within the sharing economy."
Currently, Xiaozhu Short-Term Rental listings are spread across China and abroad. As one of the earliest brands to invest in the shared homestay industry in China, Xiaozhu has achieved solid results in everything from property planning and host guidance to platform technology and service support. However, considering the shared homestay industry as a whole, the strength of any single platform is ultimately limited. Only when the entire industry straightens out its development issues, removes obstacles, and engages in healthy, market-driven competition among platforms—under clear macro policies—can the industry enter a virtuous cycle. This will allow this emerging sector to gradually mature and become more refined, making shared homestays a new choice for business and leisure travel in the future. This will also serve as a positive stimulus to the traditional hotel industry and play an active role in energizing resources and competition in this area across society.
The sharing economy will see widespread implementation in the future and become a key pillar of the domestic economy. In the face of new developments, regulators, practitioners, and consumers alike should break away from traditional mindsets and adopt a dialectical perspective. When encountering new challenges, we should study them together and blaze a good path through practice. Throughout this process, we must remain confident about the future, the government, the industry, the general public, and the platforms themselves. By staying committed to the right direction and riding the prevailing trends, development is bound to become smoother.