As much as hoteliers hate Airbnb, the latter has brought some much-needed disruption for the industry. In today's digital age with millennial spenders, agility and innovation are key. Airbnb has successfully deployed them and stormed into the public eye by providing an alternative to hotels.

As a result, the $1.1 trillion American hotel industry is in the middle of a major shift, one that is more customer-centric than ever. In the last few years, hotel and lodging companies have come up with individual strategies to beat this hitherto-unknown competition — some effective and some not so much. But now they have regrouped, and traditional hoteliers are ready to go to war with Airbnb.

In a spring meeting of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the trade group agreed on a unified and multipronged approach to take on the Airbnb threat at the local, state and federal levels. This will not just include rebranding and introducing new marketing strategies, but it will also involve extensive lobbying and financing for these efforts.

Hoteliers are also going to address the regulatory bodies, since Airbnb — which operates in the lodging industry — doesn't seem to abide by the same rules as hotels. Airbnb hosts quietly run small hotel businesses out of their homes and apartments without having to follow the strict regulations that hotels have to follow at all times. As a result, they have less liability, accountability and face fewer tax implications as well.

Airbnb should do well to anticipate and prepare for trouble. The Federal Trade Commission inquiry into soaring housing prices that are connected to Airbnb has cost both the company and its hosts dearly. Aside from safety and security rules, there are anti-discrimination laws to consider, a matter of concern since Airbnb has faced severe discriminatory charges in the recent past.

Though not stated overtly, the hotel association lauded these efforts by the federal government, showing how serious of a threat they consider Airbnb to be and also how they are now jointly collaborating to contain this threat. No longer a mere startup, Airbnb boasts a presence in 191 countries and 3 million listings, offering stay options for over 150 million travelers.

Airbnb, of course, has another story. They believe their amazingly affordable rates are a sore point for the hotel industry, which is all about financial impact and profit, rather than customer benefits. According to Airbnb, the lodging industry — known for its rampant "price-gouging" — is behaving like a cartel intent on "short-sheeting" the middle class. Their data shows they have helped Americans save millions on their travel expenses, money which would have otherwise gone into the pockets of the hotel industry.

Clearly, this did not go down well with hoteliers.