Airbnb another casualty of high property prices in Hong Kong, destination that bucks global trend for more non-hotel stays
While the rest of the world experiences a boom in Airbnb listings and capsule dorms, most visitors to Hong Kong stay in hotels, a survey shows. High property prices mean city flats are small, and therefore less attractive
Hong Kong is bucking the global appetite for alternative accommodation as hotels continue to dominate the local market, according to recent research.
As part of Booking.com’s annual Guest Review Awards based on 140 million customer reviews worldwide, the online accommodation booking portal noted a shift in trends in 2017, with apartments taking the lead over hotels as the most widely awarded accommodation for the first time.
Guest houses, B&Bs and holiday homes also featured highly. A third of global travellers say they prefer to stay in a holiday rental over a hotel in 2018, and with 40 per cent of these saying they want to stay in an accommodation type they have never experienced before.
Hong Kong was the only exception to this trend.
A total of 230 properties, of all types, received the award in Hong Kong, with an overall average guest review score of 8.4. Seven out of the top 10 outstanding properties were traditional hotels.