Airbnb claims £522 million positive impact on London restaurants

People staying Airbnb rental accommodation in London have spent £522 million in local restaurants in the past 12 months. The capital’s eateries have benefited from a £79 million rise in guest spending since the same time last year. Travellers generated … Continue reading →

People staying Airbnb rental accommodation in London have spent £522 million in local restaurants in the past 12 months.

The capital’s eateries have benefited from a £79 million rise in guest spending since the same time last year.

Travellers generated $6.5 billion for restaurants across 44 cities around the world in the year to September, a report by the company calculates.

Guests have spent more than €2.5 billion across ten European cities cited in the report, including Paris, Berlin and Barcelona – €700 million more year-on-year.

The average Airbnb guest spends between $40-$100 a night in restaurants, and with almost three quarters staying in neighbourhoods outside of the main hotel districts.

Local cafes and family-run businesses are seeing this new type of customer with almost half (43%) of all guest spending in neighbourhoods where they are staying.

As many as 56% of guests who saved money by using Airbnb spent more on food and shopping.

Airbnb hosts and guests generated an estimated £3.46 billion for local communities in the UK since July 2016, according to company data.

The report was published as Airbnb forged a partnership with restaurant booking-app Resy, allowing guests to book restaurants direct via the Airbnb app and website.

Airbnb restaurant reservations powered by Resy are now available in 16 of the top dining cities in the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Miami, Charleston, Austin, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Atlanta, New Orleans and Nashville.

Northern Europe general manager James McClure said: “We’ve always known that guests using Airbnb to travel are not only looking to live like a local through the homes they stay in, but also in the things that they do and the places that they eat.

“Local businesses are getting a huge boost in guest spending whenever Airbnb guests are in town, with London in particular coming top in restaurant spending across all the European cities cited in this report.

“This is a testament to the popularity of the city, and of the restaurants in local communities, all of which are getting a much needed boost by welcoming travellers to their neighbourhoods.”