Now Marriott is advertising private homes for holiday rental, does it signal the death of disruptors like Airbnb?

Business giants are striking back. By blurring distinctions between themselves and thriving fringe operations, smaller companies may have finally reached their peak

A sign marks the location of a Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott hotel on November 30, 2018 in Chicago (Getty)

Marriott is going into home rentals and Airbnb is going to run a hotel. That, in a nutshell, sums up the convergence that seems to be starting in the hospitality/accommodation business.

But how far will it go, and are there implications for other areas which have been disrupted by the new technologies?

Viewed in isolation, the Marriott initiative makes a lot of sense. It is the biggest hotel group in the world, with brands ranging from the Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, Westin, Meridien and so on. But despite being so huge there are sizeable cities where it does not have any hotels, for example in Bordeaux in France.