The battle between Airbnb and hotels will heat up in Albany this week

The fight between Airbnb and the hotel industry could come to a head this week in Albany as the two rivals both attempt to secure the passage of opposing bills.

The hotel industry plans to launch a seven-figure campaign this week supporting a bill that would require people who advertise apartments on home-sharing sites in the city to include details on location for city agencies, while Airbnb plans to hold a rally in Albany on Tuesday supporting a bill that would allow for short-term rentals in city apartments, according to the Daily News.

Manhattan Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal introduced the bill that the hotel industry is backing last year, and Staten Island state Sen. Andrew Lanza recently signed on as a sponsor. The Hotel and Motel Trades Council is the main organization behind the campaign supporting the bill.

Brooklyn Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and state Sen. John Bonacic are backing the opposing bill, which would let apartment residents rent their units out for less than 30 days, ban hosts with multiple city or state violations, set up a mandatory registration system for hosts and ban hosts from having multiple listings in New York City on home-sharing sites. Airbnb helped write the bill.

The popular site also has actor Danny Glover on its side, who told the Daily News that home sharing was “a bridge to financial stability.”

The city has cracked down on Airbnb listings recently, fining multiple landlords last year for illegal listings in neighborhoods ranging from Midtown to Bushwick. Although the company seems to be constantly butting heads with the hotel industry, a recent analysis found that Airbnb may have actually helped keep hotel bookings steady, as room rates could have skyrocketed without the startup given the relatively slow construction rate for new hotels. [NYDN] – Eddie Small