In addition to approving Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Maplewood Planning and Zoning on Wednesday approved a massage studio, and weighed in on bed and breakfasts—specifically the online B&B service, Airbnb.com.
City Public Works Director Anthony Traxler said he had become of aware of three Maplewood houses that were listed on Airbnb. He said B&Bs are prohibited in Maplewood, and asked the commission if they might want to reconsider the ban.
Member, Sandi Phillips, said she is in the hotel industry, which she said is concerned about Airbnb because neither the guests or hosts can be confirmed by the other. She said she knew of one instance where a guest had damaged a host’s home.
Traxler the city can’t tell what’s taking place because Airbnb hosts don’t have a business license, and it’s hard to tell the occupancy load of a house. He said it’s different than when someone rents part of a house and a permit is needed.
In the end, there was no change made to the B&B ban, and Traxler said the Airbnb hosts would be notified.
I used to live in a very touristy city and when my apartments went condo, most of the other apartments in my building were bought by owners planning on only doing vacation rentals. I had my doormat taken, came home to drunk people passed out in the hall and had to explain the parking rules at least weekly to someone. Unless you’ve lived next to a short term rental “home” you don’t know how bad it can be. This service doesn’t prevent any of this.
Sounds like you’re letting your uniquely bad encounters mar your entire perception of the home sharing economy. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but that is not the norm.
I’d have to cast my lot with the folks in favor of B&Bs, Air and otherwise. I have used both and will again. I truly am surprised to learn that they are banned in Maplewood. Why? Many of the places my wife and I have stayed are spectacular inside and out and immaculately clean as well. I hope this antique piece of legislation can soon be modified to accommodate folks who want to operate and use B&Bs.
Well said.
Friends, who regularly appear at their daughter’s booth at our Maplewood Farmer’s Market, have a B&B in another state; they first told me about airbnb. A retired teacher and businessman, they are enjoying being hosts and having the extra income. I am surprised to learn about this policy forbidding B&B’s in Maplewood. Given our lovely large historic homes in easy walking distance from the shops and cafes, I would think those who have worked so hard to create the wonderful “Main Street” area we now enjoy would be delighted to include B&B’s in our fair city.
I would rather not have unlicensed hotels operating in random homes in my neighborhood. And I don’t want any B&Bs near my house, period. Living in a tourist area is a royal pain. I’ve done it. Never again. But if you want B&Bs, you need to promote their growth in the right neighborhood, to minimize the disruption to residents. Eureka Springs, Ark., does a good job of this. Airbnb is new and shiny, but their business model is chaotic and does not respect neighbors.
Does anyone know the restrictions for airbnb in Brentwood or Brentwood Forest? I used to see a listing for a full rental that is no longer found. The region is trying to foster a tech startup industry yet problems with current business models such as lyft, uber and airbnb gives the sense of curmudgeonly resistance.
I am a huge fan of Airbnb and have had great experiences with them. They have remarkably great customer service and facilitate far more information sharing between hosts and guests than traditional hotel booking mechanisms do. Given that there are no hotel accommodations in Maplewood I would think that we would want to encourage responsible Airbnb listings. The guests who use a service like that are the people who are going to shop in historic downtown maplewood, eat at our locally owned restaurants, and spread the word about our great community.
This antiquated aversion to the sharing economy does our city no favors, Maplewood should be embracing it as best as we can. I hope it’s very clear to P&Z that their member who works in the hotel industry is biased. In response to her opinion on Airbnb, it’s the users business how they vet one another. Airbnb gives host and guests the ability to screen one another based on review history and have phone conversations before accepting a booking. I definitely do not know of any hotel that does that. They provide protection for up to $1,000,000 to a host if damage occurs.
Certainly there are a few bad apples just about anywhere you look, Yelp pretty much depends on scathing reviews for their business model. It just takes a little bit of common sense to avoid a bad experience.
I agree, I was a bit confused as to why Sandi Phillips would care about the damage an Airbnb guest could do to a host’s home. It is the host’s liability to make sure they are welcoming responsible guests into their room. Airbnb accounts for this, and hosts can make guests go through certain ID verifications before accepting them. It’s actually a much more thorough process then what you would see staying at a hotel.
But of course, Sandi is probably biased because she works in the hotel industry and has been taught to see Airbnb as a threat. I hope that Maplewood makes the wise decision to see it as a benefit; it would, after all, help Maplewood become more of a “destination” and the sharing economy seems aligned with Maplewood’s forward-thinking towards business.
I read the Airbnb Million dollar protection guarantee, and there are a number of restrictions that apply. For instance cash and securities are not covered. Neither are “Common Areas”. Jewelry, artwork and other items are only covered on a limited basis. They recommend that you might want to remove such items before allowing guests to stay, or to be sure that your homeowners insurance cover such items. I imagine if you tell your homeowners insurance that you are using your home as a part-time B-N-B, they might raise your rates accordingly.
While I have no real objection to companies like Airbnb, or Uber, I understand the city of Maplewood wanting to look out for it’s citizens and it’s businesses. While we currently don’t have a hotel/motel, the time might come when we do. If that happens, let’s be sure that the rules we ask them to follow in terms of licensing and permits are the same for everyone, B-N-B’s included.
Im glad to see that the initial comments on this topic are hitting the bullseye of why this ban is so ridiculous. The policy being cited on letters to these homeowners is extremely antiquated. There is definitely conflict of interests going on. There is such a simple solution to this. MW should just tax it and make money on it. The visitors will spend money in downtown MW so business benefit. The homeowners get money and will likely put some of that back into the house so the community benefits.
I agree with these comments. Why aren’t B&Bs allowed? Specifically, as this could be a solution for the Woodside conundrum.
I agree with Kevin’s comments above.
I was not aware of a ban on B&Bs in Maplewood but believe it is a missed opportunity. Why are B&Bs prohibited in Maplewood and how long has this been the case? Our city is growing and becoming much more of a destination.
I’d encourage this to be revisited and a much broader discussion – not just as it relates to Air BnB (which, I know many people who believe it is a terrific service).
Considering the notable lack of hotels in Maplewood, bed and breakfasts could help position Maplewood as a home base for out-of-town guests visiting the St. Louis Metro Area. With a beautiful housing stock, a great downtown, proximity to regional attractions and access to two interstate highways, the City is well-positioned to function in this capacity.
The zoning code is vague on the subject (there is no definition of a bed & breakfast) and therefore subject to the narrow interpretation of a conservative P&Z, particularly P&Z members who work in the hotel industry and could potentially have a conflict of interest on this particular subject matter. If only Maplewood had a comprehensive plan to guide growth and development and update the zoning code…
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