Alternative Accommodation

PhocusWire's in-depth coverage of the alternative accommodation sector, featuring news, analysis, interviews, research and more on home-sharing, short-term rentals, timeshare, homestays and other property types.

News / Online

Airbnb rebrands top tier to Airbnb Luxe, adds dedicated concierge services

By Mitra Sorrells | June 25, 2019

Airbnb is renaming its luxury tier of properties as Airbnb Luxe and is providing a dedicated concierge with each booking. Read More

News / Online

VIDEO: Awaze on a vacation rental sector that is growing up

By Kevin May | June 19, 2019

Henrik Kjellberg explains how the wider vacation rental market is adapting to consumer trends, what Awaze is doing to protect itself from the competition and where the sector needs to evolve Read More

News / Online

MagicStay raises €3M to expand business travel accommodation rental service

By Kevin May | June 19, 2019

The capital from representatives at Simmons & Simmons and Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking brings the total put into the vacation rental booking platform for corporate travelers... Read More

News / Online

GuestReady eyes future acquisitions with new $6M Series A funding

By Mitra Sorrells | June 18, 2019

GuestReady is planning future expansion boosted by a new investment of $6 million. Read More

Interview / Online

Sounding Off: Another major OTA arriving is the least of the hospitality sector's worries

By PhocusWire | June 14, 2019

Understanding and meeting the changing customer is going to become the single most important investment that hotels and chains make in the years ahead, after asset improvements and other infrastructure... Read More

News / Online

Booking.com talks up importance of reviews in travel decisions, especially for rentals

By Linda Fox | June 14, 2019

The OTA's survey of 21,500 travelers globally reveals that 53% of travelers have decided not to book accommodation because of negative reviews about a host. Read More

Opinion / Online

The A-to-Gen Z of travel loyalty

By Craig Brennan - SwitchFly | June 14, 2019

The next generation of consumers don’t want one-size-fits-all rewards. They want to be recognized as individuals and they want rewards that are relevant to their needs and to their travel journey. Read More

News / Online

Airbnb gets into multiday tours game with launch of Airbnb Adventures

By Jill Menze | June 13, 2019

The adventures, numbering more than 200 at the outset, are available either exclusively to Airbnb or provided by small local operators. Read More

Opinion / Online

What happens to rate parity when Airbnb is an online travel agency?

By Gino Engels - OTA Insight | June 11, 2019

As lines blur between platform and provider, there are some real questions around rate parity and price competitiveness in this brave new world. Read More

News / Online

Google shuts Trips app, everything migrates to broader Google Travel platform

By Kevin May | June 6, 2019

The search giant quietly updated the app's help page this week to reveal support for the product will cease after almost three years in the market. Read More

Opinion / Technology

IoT, asset management and transforming the short-term rental experience

By Michael Driedger - Operto | June 5, 2019

One of the greatest challenges for the international vacation and short-term rental industry today is providing a product with the level of consistency and standardization that guests increasingly... Read More

News / Distribution

OYO talks up hospitality chain growth as it expands distribution strategy

By Kevin May | June 4, 2019

OYO Rooms now has distribution deals in place with every major online travel agency around the world. Read More

News / Distribution

How Airbnb threatens to disrupt traditional hotel pricing strategies

By Jill Menze | June 4, 2019

A study pitted flexible-capacity Airbnb against the fixed-capacity lodging industry to uncover how the sharing economy has changed hospitality. Read More