The All Japan Ryokan Hotel Association, which has 16,000 registered members in Japan, said home-sharing can be risky to travelers because safety and security are not backed by law.
Masato Kiyosawa, executive director of the association, said that to accommodate visitors, hotels need to clear various requirements, including sanitary conditions and disaster prevention preparation.
For example, hotels must have a front desk and rooms must have fire-proof curtains.It is doubtful all of those who share their dwellings through home-sharing websites have cleared such standards, he said.
In addition, authorized hotels must make guest lists and copy visitor passport numbers. This helps authorities keep track of who stayed where in the event, for example, that tourists have an infectious disease or are a terrorist threat.
It is also unclear whether people who profit from sharing their homes are paying taxes properly.