Fabri: 'Less security with self check-in in short rentals'

After the recent ruling of the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio that annulled the obligation to identify guests in short-term rentals, as provided for by a circular of the Ministry of the Interior, the confrontation between the hotel and non-hotel system rises in tone. "This ruling surprises us and raises concern, because it risks affecting the security of citizens and the country," explains Elisabetta Fabri, president of Confindustria Alberghi. "The issue of security is all the more central for those realities lacking a stable garrison. We want to understand how we intend to achieve sustainability and security in our cities without a clear regulatory framework, both at national and municipal level, that definitively regulates the now rampant phenomenon of short-term rentals, as many international cities have already done. The sustainability and protection of our centres concern tourist activities, but even more so the communities of residents'.

The crux of the matter is the possibility for those who choose short-term rental hospitality to access accommodation completely anonymously via self check-in. This will entail a greater risk in terms of security. "It means that accommodation can be occupied anonymously and without supervision. This affects not only the safety of the guests themselves, but also that of the residents and neighbours,' emphasises Raffael Mooswalder, director of the HGV, the South Tyrolean Hotel and Public Housekeepers' Association, who, among other things, criticises how this widens the gap between the two systems. While accommodation establishments have to fulfil numerous legal obligations, short-term rentals increasingly benefit from a legal grey area", This is also why the HGV is calling for clear and uniform national regulations to guarantee security, transparency and fairness in the accommodation sector.