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 / Startups

SendSquared raises $1M for guest communications platform

By Linda Fox | August 11, 2021

SendSquared will put the seed funding toward product development and expanding its sales, marketing and product teams. Read More

Interview / Startups

STARTUP STAGE: Buoy helps vacation rentals maximize revenue through data

By Linda Fox | August 10, 2021

Buoy uses an in-house developed buoyancy point algorithm and dashboard enabling vacation rental owners and managers to make data-informed decisions on pricing. Read More

News / Online

Expedia Group Q2 revenue tops $2B driven by U.S. hotel and vacation rental bookings

By Mitra Sorrells | August 5, 2021

Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern expressed concern about growing uncertainty due to newer COVID variants. Read More

News / Online

Tripadvisor hits $235M revenue, beats internal expectations

By Kevin May | August 5, 2021

The user review and travel search service posted total revenue across the business of $235 million, up by almost 300% from just $59 million in the corresponding quarter in 2020. Read More

News / Startups

Urban short-term rental company Frontdesk raises $7M

By Mitra Sorrells | August 5, 2021

Frontdesk plans to continue its aggressive growth plan, with an aim to double its portfolio before the end of this year and turn profitable in 2022. Read More

News / Distribution

Booking Holdings hits $22B in bookings as latest quarter rides recovery

By Mitra Sorrells | August 5, 2021

Room nights booked in the second quarter were 157 million, up from 99 million in the Q1 of this year and a 458% increase from Q2 2020. Read More

News / Online

Will standardized rentals work for business travelers?

By Mitra Sorrells | August 2, 2021

A subset of alternative accommodations - ones that provide a standardized experience for travelers - could become more popular with business travelers coming out of the pandemic. Read More

News / Online

Vacasa plots public listing through SPAC merger

By Kevin May | July 30, 2021

Trading under the ticker VCSA, publicly listed Vacasa is forecast to have a valuation of $4.5 billion as a result of the IPO and will generate $485 million in cash proceeds. Read More

Interview / Technology

Sounding Off: Do the right thing on sustainability - from big moves to small

By PhocusWire | July 30, 2021

If a brand can inspire just one customer (or thousands) to do the right thing when they return home, by the way it behaves on the smaller things, then it's a strategy worth implementing. Read More

News / Technology

VIDEO: Booking.com on overcoming the travel payments mountain

By PhocusWire | July 29, 2021

During the PhocusWire Pulse: Progress in Travel Payments session, Daniel Marovitz, SVP of booking.com's fintech arm talks about the ambitions for the unit. Read More

News / Technology

PhocusWire Pulse: Progress In Travel Payments

By PhocusWire | July 29, 2021

We look at issues and trends ranging from delayed payment programs, fintech divisions in major travel brands, credit cards, customer trust and much more. Read More

News / Startups

WiT Startup Pitch to offer $250,000 of AWS credits and support

By WiT | July 29, 2021

WiT’s annual Startup Pitch is back, bolstered by the continuing collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, for the fourth year running. Read More

News / Online

Refunds, enhanced cleaning drive booking decisions - not price

By Jill Menze | July 28, 2021

According to a new report from Expedia Group, price is not the primary driver behind traveler booking decisions. Read More

From Our Partners / Online

How to reach the next generation of travelers reigniting the industry

By Google | July 28, 2021

As travel bounces back, industry leaders are keenly focused on next-gen travelers, who have emerged as a critical audience for post-pandemic excursions. Read More