The second half of 2020 saw alternative accommodation step up as the pandemic recovery leader, most industry figures would agree.
The promise of convenience and not having to rub shoulders with other guests was enough to give the sector a much-needed boost after, like every other part of the industry, traveler volumes collapsed at the onset of COVID-19.
Brands such as Booking.com, Vrbo and Airbnb made the most of the opportunity and will obviously hope that the growth continues, even as traditional hospitality options (i.e. hotels) start to make their own comeback.
But customer acquisition is a complicated discipline in alternative accommodation, with consumers shifting between their search platforms of choice and direct to the brands they love easily.
It makes establishing a coherent strategy to get new guests (and retain previous ones) that much more difficult, even with buoyant growth.
Rental search services such as
HomeToGo
have a unique view of the market right now, working alongside the big brands and also facing similar customer marketing issues.
The company, headed by CEO Patrick Andrae, is also one of a number of brands that have been around long enough to understand the mechanics of customer acquisition and their own trials and tribulations of growing a service in an already busy market.
Andrae spoke to PhocusWire's Linda Fox during the recent
PhocusWire Pulse: Rentals On The Rise
online event.
The full interview is included below...
PhocusWire Pulse: Rentals On The Rise - The mechanics of finding guests