Home sharing

Another phenomenal sharing success has been Airbnb. This matches people with spare bedrooms and empty homes to those needing a place to stay. It has over 3,000,000 lodging listings in 65,000 cities and 191 countries. It includes luxury apartments in top city centres and beach fronts, spectacular accommodation on boats, or in castles, as well as make shift beds in shared bedsits.

A quick search on line shows there are nearly 300 listed places in Tianjin, ranging from a mattress on the floor for less than 100RMB a night for two people, to over 3000 RMB a night for a 6-bedroom detached house. The house, empty while the owner is working abroad, boasts bedrooms with verandas overlooking lawns, sitting rooms with home theatres and antique furniture throughout.

More typical, is a spare room like that of Ms Liu and her husband Bob. They've been Airbnb hosts for several months after moving into the area. They have a guest room for when family or friends stay, but it's often empty. Ms Liu says she was a bit nervous at first, but it's been a completely positive experience. Although they live on the outskirts of the city, people stay for many previously unimagined reasons; "We had one student from the nearby university stay for a week," she tells me. "She was struggling to revise for her exams in the noisy dormitories." Her husband says "We've also had people looking for places to watch golf and play bridge. There's a whole world of things going on around us that we've discovered through our guests."

It’s not just the lower price compared with conventional hotels that’s attractive. Guests get a unique experience, meeting local people who know about the best restaurants and places to visit and advice on local amenities. Feedback from guests shows they appreciate the hospitality and the time shared with the hosts. The personal interaction allows travellers to get closer and deeper into a local culture than would be possible from a hotel or a tour group. The hosts too, develop a network of likeminded spirits that introduce reciprocal experiences. Ms Liu said one of their first guests was a vegan chef who runs a retreat in Wales. As a Buddhist herself, Ms Liu hopes to return the visit in future.

In the sharing economy space has become a commodity, empty driveways in congested cities are being rented out as car parking spaces. Co-pilot’s seats on private jets can be booked as super taxis and houses empty during the day can be used as office spaces. This is the idea behind a crop of companies that wants to adapt the Airbnb model to the needs of people looking for a temporary place to work. Vrumi and rival officeriders connect homeowners to business people, creating a network of "on demand" daytime workplaces that make the most of "idle assets" - homes that sit empty and unused for much of the day.