User:BNelson006/sandbox

For other uses, see hospitality service, homestay, homeshare, home exchange, or cohabitation.

Accommodation sharing refers to the connecting of travelers to available homes owned by local residents for the purpose of a temporary stay. The visitor takes up residence for free or for payment generally in the form of money or work on the property. This connection or arrangement between the traveler and homeowner usually takes place through social network platforms. Types of accommodations provided include rooms (private or shared),  apartments, and  houses.

Pre-digital era
The concept of travelers seeking accommodations in homes other than their own has been around for centuries. Such hospitality can be traced back to Ancient Greece when offering your home to a guest or traveler was seen as a way of honoring the Gods. Providing food, lodging, and entertainment to the guest(s) were what was expected of the host. Failure to supply adequate hospitality was understood as punishable by the Gods.

Similar to Ancient Greece, in Classical Rome, providing accommodation for a traveler was a civic duty. It was seen as an unlawful act not to welcome a journeyer into the home. There is even mention of laws in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible regarding treating visitors with respect. A common theme of hospitality can be seen in many stories in both the New and  Old Testaments for even Jesus counted on others opening their doors and providing a place for him to rest during his travels.

Post-digital and web 2.0
The presence of online platforms facilitating peer-to-peer exchanges of services and goods worldwide contributed to the rise of the "sharing economy" in the early 2000s. Arranging accommodations for future trips can now be organized through online social networks, where the homeowner and traveler create profiles respectively and connect through the online platform. Such two-sided networks has changed the dynamic of the traditional hospitality industry as seen with the introduction of rival companies, such as, Airbnb to the long-established hotel business.

In regards to compensation, existing platforms contain differing set ups. While some networks connect users to homeowners providing free accommodations, others only provide lodging for an agreed upon exchange between host and traveler. These exchanges include monetary payment, working on the property, and house swapping, where an agreement is made between parties to stay in each others homes.

Debate
In academic literature there is discussion around whether or not it is correct to call such lodging exchanges "sharing" when the host is collecting compensation from the visitor. Sharing has been defined to include that the giver expects nothing in return. Because of the coordinated exchange that often occurs during an accommodation sharing transaction, certain writers have referred to it as an example of collaborative consumption instead. In the case that monetary compensation is exchanged for the housing, some authors have related such arrangements to renting rather than to a sharing practice.

Examples of social networks

 * Airbnb
 * Couchsurfing
 * HomeAway
 * 9Flats
 * Roomorama
 * onefinestay
 * wimdu
 * wwoof
 * Intervac International