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.

Video: Wildest dreams didn't predict success of Booking.com
News / Online
Video: Wildest dreams didn't predict success of Booking.com
By Kevin May | January 16, 2018
Depending on who you ask, Booking.com is either the finest example of an online travel success story or a giant of the industry that hotels love to hate. Read More
Research Spotlight: Airbnb looking back and forward
News / Online
Research Spotlight: Airbnb looking back and forward
By PhocusWire | January 12, 2018
Close to a decade since its foundation and $4.4 billion in funding later, Airbnb is one of the genuinely disruptive brands in the travel industry. Read More
UK-based Snaptrip raises £2.1M, acquires Last Minute Cottages
News / Startups
UK-based Snaptrip raises £2.1M, acquires Last Minute Cottages
By Jill Menze | January 12, 2018
With a recent investment round tallying £2.1 million, Snaptrip has acquired Last Minute Cottages and is expanding its footprint in the United Kingdom’s holiday rental market. Read More
CityStasher expansion funding
News / Startups
"Airbnb for luggage" expands in Europe following $1.1M funding
By Mitra Sorrells | January 11, 2018
London-based startup CityStasher, which describes itself as the “Airbnb for luggage,” has raised $1.1 million in seed funding. Read More
hotel-revenue-management-2
Opinion / Distribution
Emerging technologies are outsmarting the hotel revenue model
By Rom Hendler - InnoVel | January 10, 2018
Just when hoteliers thought they’ve mastered the art of working with online travel agents, there seems to be a sense of déjà-vu. Read More
Video: Three approaches to running a travel startup
News / Startups
Video: Three approaches to running a travel startup
By Kevin May | January 9, 2018
One has taken in around $450 million funding. Another hasn't brought in any outside capital investment. The other a modest $1.5 million. Read More
Report: Luxury hotel brands must navigate shifting online ad landscape
News / Online
Report: Luxury hotel brands must navigate shifting online ad landscape
By Mitra Sorrells | January 9, 2018
Luxury hotel brands need to reexamine their digital marketing budgets as Google continues to grow its presence in travel search and online booking. Read More
Investigation: Hotels and online agencies battle on three fronts (Part Two)
Opinion / Distribution
Investigation: Hotels and online agencies battle on three fronts (Part Two)
By Robert Cole - RockCheetah | January 8, 2018
Logically, hotel reward program members have always booked a disproportionate amount of business. Read More
Investigation: Hotels and online agencies battle on three fronts (Part One)
Opinion / Distribution
Investigation: Hotels and online agencies battle on three fronts (Part One)
By Robert Cole - RockCheetah | January 5, 2018
Don’t be fooled, despite the occasionally cordial "partnering" rhetoric between the major hotel brands and OTAs, this is an existential battle. Read More
Expedia knows how online travel makes you feel
News / Technology
Expedia knows how online travel makes you feel
By Jamie Biesiada - Travel Weekly | December 29, 2017
On the reflective side of one-way glass sits a test subject in a soundproof room, multiple sensors applied to her face, wearing high-tech glasses that track her eyes' every movement. Read More
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Hotel issues to sharpen
Opinion / Distribution
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Hotel issues to sharpen
By Dori Stein - Fornova | December 28, 2017
2018 will be another busy year in the distribution space, as hotels and online travel agencies continue to dance and spar. Read More
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Our view on Online
Opinion / Online
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Our view on Online
By PhocusWire | December 21, 2017
The state of online travel as we leave 2017 and enter 2018 couldn’t be more fascinating and yet still fairly difficult to gauge. Read More
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Our view on Distribution
Opinion / Distribution
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Our view on Distribution
By PhocusWire | December 19, 2017
Airline distribution was always a complex - but fairly unexciting - discipline until a few years ago. Read More
OTA Insight brings in $20M round for hospitality tech
News / Technology
OTA Insight brings in $20M round for hospitality tech
By Kevin May | December 18, 2017
Hospitality data intelligence provider OTA Insight has secured a major funding round - $20 million - in a bid to grow the company faster on a global basis. Read More
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Travel Moment and Customer-Centricity
Opinion / Distribution
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Travel Moment and Customer-Centricity
By PhocusWire | December 15, 2017
With 2018 around the corner, Phocuswright and PhocusWire are presenting snapshots of the 12 trends we think will be significant next year across six installments. Read More
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