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The concept of Hospitality Services, also known as “accommodation sharing”, “hospitality exchange”, and “home stay networks”, refers to centrally organized social networks of individuals who trade accommodation without monetary exchange. While this concept could also include house swapping or even time share plans, it has come to be associated mostly with travelers and tourists staying with one another free of charge. Since the 1990s, these services have increasingly moved away from using printed catalogs and phone trees to connect users towards Internet websites. These have grown exponentially since 2000 and as of March, 2008 over 1,000,000 people are registered users of these networks^[1]. These vary in operational structure, place different emphasis on graphical vs. textual formatting, and cater disproportionately to specific geographic regions. However, not all networks are listed here. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... A social network is a map of the relationships between individuals, indicating the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds. ...

History

In 1949, Bob Luitweiler founded the first hospitality service called Servas Open Doors as a cross national, non-profit, volunteer run organization advocating interracial and international peace. The next earliest began in 1965 when John Wilcock set up the Traveler's Directory, originally as a listing of his mutual friends willing to host each other when traveling. This later became the Hospitality Exchange in 1988 when Joy Lily rescued the organization from imminent demise. Hospitality Club is the direct successor Hospex, the first Internet-based service, operating out of Germany since 2000. CouchSurfing is currently the largest hospitality exchange organization and was founded in 2004. Just as all the individual services have their own individual creation stories and organizational histories (often including demise and resurrection), many also have specific niche markets that they cater to including students, activists, religious pilgrims, and even occupational groups like police officers. However, the trend in recent years points to a greater consolidation of users in networks without a specific group, value, or lifestyle affiliation. An unofficial Hospitality Club logo represents two people with arms over each others shoulders in friendship and waving for you to join them in the shape of the letters HC. It was designed in 2004 by Canadian Glenn Gobuyan in a style reminiscent of cave paintings to illustrate that... The CouchSurfing Project is a free international Internet-based hospitality service. ...

How they work

In essence, these systems employ reciprocity – users gain access to other users’ information only by posting their own. Required fields normally include name and contact information, though newer services encourage users to include more detailed personal material, including likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, and even photographs. Of course, more information included tends to improve the chances that someone will find them trustworthy enough to host or stay with while traveling. It is very much akin to social networking sites. This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Benefits

Monetary savings

Staying in private homes means that travelers can save lots of money on accommodation that they would usually be spending on hotels or hostels. Used over a long period of time (2 to 4 weeks), this strategy can cut overall travel budgets in half, or even more combined with hitchhiking. These savings can then be passed on towards more generously patronizing local establishments or simply staying abroad for longer periods of time. Youth hostel in Rome. ... For other uses, see Hitch hike. ...

Local economic sustainability

Many tourist vacations today are sold in package form, often including flights, hotels, rental cars, sightseeing tours, and coupons for chain restaurants and bars. While this makes purchasing more convenient, it also puts more money in the hands of large multinational corporations exploiting the synergy strategy of marketing their products in the context of their subsidiary companies operating in other markets. Many years ago, this might have been termed collusion; today, however, it is the norm. This comes at the expense of locally owned independent businesses. Accommodation sharing helps to break apart this monopoly and hopefully redirects some of the tourist revenue back to the local or national economy. Synergy (from the Greek synergos, συνεργός meaning working together, circa 1660) refers to the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted by knowing only the separate effects of the individual agents. ... Next big thing redirects here. ... A subsidiary, in business, is an entity that is controlled by another entity. ... This article is about the economic term. ...

Ecological sustainability

While this is especially important in more rural travel venues where hotels are often built in very picturesque, though fragile environments, every night stayed at a local’s home means that much less demand for such hotel rooms. Also, if accommodation sharing does in fact increase the length of average stays, it may reduce the amount of trips to and from different locations and back home again, thus reducing the overall fuel expenditures in the process.

Local contact

Ostensibly, one of the primary reasons we travel is to experience what life is like for people living in other countries. Making interpersonal connections and fostering understanding of different cultures may in the long run also be important to international relations. However, even in our increasingly globalized world supposedly rife with diversity, in many popular travel destinations we find tourists milling around “tourist enclaves” where the companies they patronize back home have set up shop to cater to their desires while they are abroad. Sociologist George Ritzer has referred to this phenomenon as the "McDonaldisation of society" and the more recently, the "globalization of nothing". The location of hotels near these centers only fosters more convenient envelopment of the tourist dollar. During hospitality exchanges, hosts want to show off their local knowledge and exciting “off the map” venues. Not only may travelers get a distinctly different experience, but they will also get a feel for the everyday lives of local residents. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... George Ritzer (born 1940) is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. ...

Reciprocity

These systems foster richer and more convenient travel experiences not so much on the premise of altruism, but on the basis of social exchange theory. Implicit in the agreement to host travelers is the ability to ask to be hosted by them in the future. If one enjoys having interesting guests in their home, this works out well for both parties. It works comparatively better if you are visited by travelers from a locale you find particularly attractive. Thus, hosting someone from New York City in Gainesville, FL seems to be an unbelievable opportunity. Moreover, if you are a Westerner visiting someone in a developing nation, your stay might be the only way that this individual or family could afford a trip to a rich nation. This may mean more than just a relaxing vacation for such disadvantaged parties. For the ethical doctrine, see Altruism (ethics). ... Social exchange theory is a social psychological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Gainesville is a city located in Alachua County, Florida, most known for the University of Florida, home to the Florida Gators football team. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...

Authenticity and adventure

Tourism has always searched for these two qualities, but much like Midas and his golden touch, the reach of tourism has to a large extent destroyed the opportunity to encounter them in most places. Unluckily, the experience has been thoroughly commodified by everyone who wanted to secure their opportunity to make a buck in the process. Accommodation sharing offers a way out of this bind and a viable alternative to having one’s desires manipulated by corporate conglomerates who never had the best interests of the place or the people foremost in their minds. For other uses, see Midas (disambiguation). ...

Drawbacks

Lack of guarantee

There is no contractual agreement between users in these systems. Reservations are made, but if they are for some reason broken, there is no higher authority to which one could plead for a refund or other compensation. The only repercussion will be the poor rating you give that user and your only consolation will be that your warning will deter others from visiting or hosting them. For those who feel insecure unless their travel arrangements are written in stone before departure, this system will not be comforting.

Potential interpersonal conflict or awkwardness

There is a chance that guest and host will not get along. Perhaps there will be scheduling or ideological conflicts. Maybe you will find that hosts or visitors have misrepresented themselves. Perhaps the experience will not live up to your expectations. Intense interpersonal communications in advance and a flexibility once you have arrived is your best bet. These experiences require additional planning and courtesy towards the demands of your host. Thus, your living conditions, length of stay, and overall experience will be circumscribed by the living conditions you enter into.

Digital divide and demographic segregation

The average user is a young white person who speaks English and lives in a developed nation. While there are many users who do not fit this description, the more different they are, the less likely they will be involved. This is especially true for persons living in the developing world who likely do not have easy access to the fundamental prerequisite for using these services: computers and the Internet. Thus, the sample population found in searches of these databases are really much less diverse than a geographical representation of worldwide users might suggest.

Security

There is a distinct possibility that someone will abuse the system and that innocent users (especially women) will get hurt. All services include disclaimers that require users to waive their rights to hold anyone but themselves responsible for any harm that may come to them in using the system. They advise that the best defense mechanism is to only involve oneself with users that have extensive personal information and interpersonal networks within the system that have been verified by others. It does seem entirely plausible that someone clever and patient enough might be able to invent an entire group of complex user identities and build histories convincing enough to fool even more cautious patrons. Still, the difference between these systems and the other social networking platforms popular nowadays on the web (such as Facebook, MySpace, Tribe, Orkut and LiveJournal) is that any agreement reached through the accommodation sharing medium is contingent on actually meeting other people face-to-face. Other web scams are easier because interpersonal interactions rely so much on putative identities that are never actually verified in the real world. However, this does not diminish the greater risk to physical well being that this kind of traveling by definition must entertain. The best advice is to meet unknown persons in public spaces first, and try to meet some of their acquaintances in person before agreeing to a hospitality exchange. Facebook is a social networking website that was launched on February 4, 2004. ... MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ... http://www. ... Orkut is a social networking service which is run by Google and named after its creator, an employee of Google - Orkut Büyükkökten. ... LiveJournal (often abbreviated LJ) is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal, or diary. ...

Example networks

General networks

There are countless websites that serve the idea of hospitality service, with new ones appearing as this phenomenon becomes more popular. While this page is not intended to be a directory listing, here is a small sample of the well-established and long-standing networks:

• CouchSurfing - A very active network with over 500 thousand members in more than 200 countries
• Hospitality Club - A very active network with over 390 thousand members in more than 200 countries
• Servas International - human rights and global peace oriented since 1949. A relatively small network now with over 15,000 members with a very long history.

The CouchSurfing Project is a free international Internet-based hospitality service. ... An unofficial Hospitality Club logo represents two people with arms over each others shoulders in friendship and waving for you to join them in the shape of the letters HC. It was designed in 2004 by Canadian Glenn Gobuyan in a style reminiscent of cave paintings to illustrate that... Servas Open Doors is an international, non-governmental, interracial peace association running in over 125 countries by volunteers. ...

Specialized networks

Some networks offer specialised hospitality services. There are at least 15 (specialised) hospitality services.^[2], here are some examples:

• Lesbian and Gay Hospitality Exchange International [1];
• Warm Showers[2] - Hospitality network towards touring cyclists;
• Pasporta Servo[3] - for Esperanto speakers;
• WWOOF[4] - "Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms", help on the property is exchanged for food, accommodation, education and cultural interaction;
• Homeshare International [5] -- charity organisation providing exchange of housing for help in the home.

Lesbian and Gay Hospitality Exchange International (L/GHEI) is a network of gay men and lesbians who offer accommodation to other members for short stays. ... The Pasporta Servo (Passport Service) is a publication in Esperanto. ... This article is about the language. ... World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (also known as Willing Workers on Organic Farms) (WWOOF) is an organization which facilitates the placement of volunteer workers on organic farms. ...

References

External links

• Article on www.wikitravel.org