BRATTLEBORO — Vermont's first Short-Term Rental Summit will be held in Brattleboro May 19-20.
With more than 6,000 Vermont hosts operating short-term rentals, the summit will be an opportunity to learn, be inspired, and connect with other hosts and industry experts.
The goals of the summit are to celebrate the phenomenal success of short-term rental homes in Vermont; to support hosts in building sustainable business skills; and to further develop hosts' hospitality skills.
“Everyday short-term rental hosts shine as ambassadors in our community and for our state,” said Stephanie Bonin, executive director of the Downtown Brattleboro Association, in a news release.
“The hosting platforms encourage and help welcome visitors who might otherwise have not heard about our small communities,” Bonin added. “They are a promotional megaphone that we simply couldn't afford otherwise.”
Online platforms like Homeaway, Homexchange, and Airbnb help attract more than 300,000 visitors to Vermont each year, resulting in over $7 million in rooms and meal taxes (both local and state) and providing more than 4,000 host families supplemental income.
These online platforms are part of a growing nationwide “sharing economy” and participants at the summit will learn how rural areas stand to benefit from experiences in Vermont and other states.
“What we're finding, generally, is that people don't feel the need so much to own an asset. What they really want is the use of the asset,” says Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar, a national car-sharing platform and advocate for the sharing economy. “We're moving from an ownership economy to a use economy.”
Chase will be the keynote speaker on Sunday, May 19, the first day of the summit.
“This summit will be the first opportunity for hosts to learn about self-regulation requirements and safety standards,” says Lisa Ford, a Guilford Airbnb host and organizer of the summit.
The summit will feature concurrent sessions covering topics such as state policies and regulation, safety and insurance issues, and how individual communities engage with short term rentals to increase housing stock and improve their local economy.
Airbnb and Expedia staff will discuss their advocacy roll for hosts. while hospitality experts will share tips for improving guest experiences.