On: Airbnb a big boost to NYC economy, study finds

[cylinder]

Bunch of garbage. Enabling tourists to stay in different neighborhoods doesn't grow the economy, it just shifts where some of the money is spent from midtown to downtown.

[fennecfoxen → cylinder]

Or from midtown to Williamsburg.

Actually, I stayed in an AirBnB room for something like $20 a night in east Williamsburg while looking for a long-term apartment. It was cheaper than staying with a friend in White Plains and commuting on Metro-North every day. Not tourism $$, but darned useful to people moving to a new city.

[pkfrank → cylinder]

Without arguing the motivations of this "third party" study, you ignore the fact that it finds:

- People stayed longer and spent more

- Money ended up in individuals' hands, instead of a hotel megacorp chain

- Much was outside Manhattan (a distinction from your claim of "midtown to downtown")

[dfc → pkfrank]

Without access to the report it seems that any discussion is difficult. I think the only thing you can say is that OP is "ignoring the fact that metro.us reported HR&A's claims to have made the following findings:"