It’s hard to believe, but in 2019, less than half the travelling public had tried a short-term rental. Flash-forward 18 months and short-term rentals have led the hospitality industry out of the pandemic due to their emphasis on private spaces and in-room amenities like kitchens. In fact, while the wider hotel industry won’t bounce back to 2019 numbers until 2023, the short-term rental market is set to exceed 2019’s numbers in 2021.
Now the big question is: which marketing and distribution platforms are going to overperform in 2022?
Here are the Top OTA's and Short-term Rental Platforms that will Drive Revenue in 2022
The Big Guns
Airbnb continues to aggressively add more inventory, and traditional hotels are taking notice. Many are adding their own listings to Airbnb to test the water and see if they can generate demand. And in most cases? They’re shocked by the amount of revenue they were missing out on.
Similarly, VRBO (part of the Expedia Group) has also seen excellent numbers throughout the pandemic, and they’re increasing their supply in leisure markets.
Meanwhile, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Booking.com are all seeing challenges from the slump in corporate travel. In response, they’ve started to target traditional leisure markets – similar to Airbnb and VRBO. Gone are the days when a property would appear on Airbnb or Booking.com, but not both – today’s property operators need to ensure their inventory is on all of the major channels.
Of course, that can cause headaches for organizations that are already understaffed and feeling a financial pinch – how do you optimize your listings for each platform, sync availability, and deal with the unique pricing structure that each platform requires? That’s usually where we come in.
The New Kids
Google’s the 10000-pound gorilla of the internet, and they’re quickly flexing their muscle in the transactional part of travel bookings, thanks to Google Hotel Find and Google Vacation Rental offerings. They’ve opened their network to all operators, regardless of size, and will display up to the minute pricing, availability, and reviews. Bookings are either referred back to your direct booking website, or to an OTA.
Hopper and Hopper Homes recently claimed the prize for most app downloads in the first half of 2021 with over a million downloads. Their Gen Z friendly, mobile-first approach and innovative new financial tools help guests manage risk and lock in the best deals.
Marriott Homes and Villas continues to cause a big stir. If you want more eyeballs on your luxury vacation property, we’re projecting that Marriott Homes and Villas will be a great platform in 2022.
Finally, Hometogo has seen over a billion euros in booking value in 2020 and continues to grow at a blistering pace. It’s operated as a hybrid metasearch/OTA model and features great technology and excellent guest service, which is constantly generating more bookings.
At Jetstream, we provide a single solution that connects and markets your property with the most powerful short-term rental platforms in the world. If you want to find out how we can supercharge your revenue, distribution, and simplify your operations, connect with our team today to learn more.
