Unintended Consequences: How Chicago’s Airbnb Policies Are Backfiring

Hans Detlefsen | February 14, 2022

By Hans Detlefsen As Airbnb and other short-term-rental platforms have grown during the past decade, regulators and hotel industry associations have fought to limit their impacts. The hotel industry has generally viewed these new platforms as competitive threats. As such, the hotel industry sought to level the playing field by asking municipalities to impose taxes and regulations on short-term rentals that would be comparable to what hotels experience. Overview of Short-Term Rental Policies in Chicago In Chicago, the effort to constrain the short-term rental industry went farther than just leveling the playing field. Airbnb bookings ...