Airbnb in Medellin and what it means in 2019
As Medellin begins to prosper and bring in visitors by the thousands. Companies such as Uber and Airbnb are going through a rough patch in the city of eternal spring.
These Silicon Valley giants have left their footprint all over the world. And their platform business model is really something to admire. Both companies facilitate the exchange between homeowners/drivers and travelers/riders. Without spending millions in building luxurious hotels and buying a fleet of vehicles. Such a business model is thought of as innovative and many believe this is the future of the world economy.
Taxis and hotels however aren’t gonna go down without a fight, especially not in Medellin.
Airbnb in Medellin
When Airbnb first took off in Medellin a few years ago. There were only a handful of listings, all of which were located in El Poblado (the upscale neighborhood in Medellin).
Here we are 4 years later. And there are hundreds of listings in Medellin on Airbnb all of which receive numerous bookings per month.
Airbnb has had multiple legal issues in Colombia but no matter how many times they find themselves in court. The powerful hotel industry hasn’t been able to bring down this California based company. If anything, we, the people will be the ones to drive Airbnb out of Medellin.
The Problem
Being an actual city known for business and Eco-friendly tourism. The upscale neighborhood of El Poblado is full of high-rise apartments in residential areas. Many of these penthouses are owned by wealthy locals who instead of having these places empty. They opted to use Airbnb to make use of their luxury apartments.
Tourists here on bachelor parties and guys’ trips rent these places and the ones who don’t trash the apartments, aren’t mindful of their neighbors and have created a negative stereotype for young American males here on vacation.
Neighbors who are mostly families and elderly couples occupy these high-rises and more often than not, run into young women in skimpy outfits on the elevator in the afternoon when bringing their children back from school or in the morning when driving to work. Such families are sick of calling security on these apartments and signing petitions to ban short term rentals which put Airbnb at a disadvantage.
Recently…
Nothing much has been done about Airbnb and the hotel industry is infuriated to the point of working with the police and the general public. This puts pressure on Airbnb listings located in residential areas which mean relying on Airbnb alone won’t be enough for your dream Medellin vacation.
The Medellin VIP Solution
Many people are skeptical about booking through a third party as opposed to Airbnb due to the trust factor and Airbnb is more flexible in terms of refunds. Nowadays with listings in residential areas being closed down and short term rentals, there are no guarantees that your rental will be available by the time you fly down for your weekend trip.
There is nothing worse than getting a last-minute phone call saying you won’t be able to stay at the place you paid for. Which is why we suggest you contact a trusted third party company such as Medellin VIP. We work with a network of penthouse apartments all over the city and we will ensure you get the best accommodation option for the price.
The Airbnb problem might be resolved this week, the next, or possibly in the next few months. For that reason, we suggest you double-check a listing with us and we will provide you with the best solution to ensure the Airbnb problem in Medellin won’t affect the best trip of your life.
