Paris - 20,000 AirBnB-ers in one day

£400 a night

That's over 10 stays for each and every hotel in Paris.

So when are hoteliers going to start taking notice, and, even more importantly, reacting?

Denial

Here are some of the things hospitality professionals are saying about AirBnB:

• They are downmarket
• They don't provide the level of service we do
• They are in the wrong area
• They are not covered by the same insurance as we are

...and we are not going to argue those points here, just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Reality

The truth of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of AirBnB-ers (who are no longer student backpackers - the average price for a night in Paris is over 80 euros) are choosing to stay at an airBnB because they like the experience. how do we know this? Because AirBnB gets them to write reviews.

AirBnB hosts know they will only get a great review if they go the extra mile, so they do. They provide a great concierge service: they tell their guests about local restaurants, site-seeing opportunities, transport and nightlife, and they make sure the rooms are prepared to their guests' specific requirements.

How to compete?

Hotels must become more guest-friendly. banish the days of 'a nod from the doorman and keys handed to the guest with nothing more than a smile.' Greet your guest, spend time to understand their requirements, help them to get the most from their stay.

Hotels that do this will have nothing to fear from AirBnB, but those who continue in denial will suffer.