Tom PowellHOTELIERS are in uproar over a ‘discriminatory’ draft bill that aims to regulate hotels and B&Bs in Andalucia for the first time.
Under the new regulations, a property will need to have a tourist licence if it puts up guests for more than 30 days in a year.
Legitimate B&B and hotel owners insist this is far too lapse and should be for anyone who rents for five days and over during the whole year.
Otherwise, they claim, ‘registered’ businesses are at an unfair advantage to people who rent rooms and homes ‘on the side’.
The five days rule demanded by Andalucia’s Hotels and Apartments Federation (FAHAT) is currently in place in Madrid and Barcelona.
There are many people who don’t want to stay in your crappy, overpriced dumps and prefer to self-cater in a private apartment or house. So your pathetic lobbying won’t gain you any extra trade, (because that is the motive for your peevishness) Quite the opposite, you will simply push people to Portugal or France.
You are absolutely correct Stefanjo, all these hotels are trying to do is snuff out the competition.
Another small victory for Airbnb. But Kike Sarasola (who owns Room Mate hotels) may have the answer in the middle ground – apartments for rent (BeMate) that also have concierge service, key pickup etc. If you’re thinking of renting out property for greater than 30 days, whichever route you go, you will need to get the correct license.