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 / Distribution

Google, Airbnb and the evolving distribution landscape

By Mitra Sorrells | February 15, 2018

Airbnb and Google made notable announcements in the first week of February – the former opening its platform to hotel distribution and the latter rolling out updates to expand and simplify travel... Read More

News / Online

Why small property owners see OTAs as a "necessary evil"

By Jill Menze | February 15, 2018

The codependent nature of small property owners and their booking partners has its upsides, but primarily, it’s viewed by the underdogs as a “necessary evil.” Read More

News / Online

TripAdvisor has revenue elsewhere to thank as hotel growth remains flat

By Mitra Sorrells | February 14, 2018

TripAdvisor turned in modest 5% growth in total revenue for 2017 but a notable 24% increase in revenue in its non-hotel category. Read More

News / Startups

Peer-to-peer RV marketplace Outdoorsy drives away with $25M

By Mitra Sorrells | February 13, 2018

Outdoorsy, a sharing economy startup connecting owners of recreational vehicles with interested renters, has raised $25 million in Series B funding. Read More

News / Distribution

QOTW: Something about the beginning of a new battle

By PhocusWire | February 9, 2018

Quote from Airbnb in its plea to hotels. Read More

News / Online

Expedia ticks modest growth in 2017, now charting "new direction"

By Mitra Sorrells | February 8, 2018

Expedia Inc.’s revenue increased 11% in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to a year prior – up to $2.32 billion – but the diverse online travel company still missed analysts’ expectations by $40... Read More

News / Online

MakeMyTrip narrows losses amid revenue boost

By Kevin May | February 8, 2018

Indian online travel agency giant MakeMyTrip reduced losses and saw a significant jump in revenue in last quarter of 2017. Read More

News / Distribution

Booking.com leads the way as top hotel channel

By Kevin May | February 7, 2018

Some 72 million reservations have been analysed to discover what are claimed to be top revenue-generating booking channels for hotels. Read More

News / Distribution

Airbnb officially opens up platform to hotel distribution

By Kevin May | February 7, 2018

Airbnb is to allow hotels and other accommodation providers to list on the site for the first time through an official third party distribution network. Read More

Opinion / Distribution

Online travel agency fightback: Tactics to lure direct bookings

By Max Starkov - HEBS Digital | February 6, 2018

As the travel planning journey continues to become increasingly more complex, hoteliers need to be looking for more impactful ways to engage and retain their best potential guests. Read More

News / Distribution

Research Spotlight: OTAs, the big getting even bigger

By PhocusWire | February 5, 2018

Competition to online travel agencies no longer comes from fellow OTAs and traditional suppliers. Read More

News / Online

QOTW: Something about one-size-fits-all customers

By PhocusWire | February 2, 2018

Quote from Feargal Mooney, CEO of Hostelworld. Read More

Opinion / Distribution

An insider's tale on hotel website conversion rates

By Jean-Louis Boss - Fastbooking | February 2, 2018

The conversion rate of a hotel website is determined by so many factors that one shouldn’t be fooled into trying to meet an industry average. Read More

News / Technology

Airbnb IPO ruled out for 2018, CFO departs

By Jill Menze | February 1, 2018

Just days after Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky outlined the company’s plans toward moving into the next century, it was announced that Laurence Tosi is stepping down from his position as chief financial... Read More