Enhancing Property Management Through Innovation: Hospitable’s Integration with Booking.com

This episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast features Joanne Whitby-Lee from Booking.com, one of the world's leading digital travel companies that enables property owners worldwide to reach a global audience and grow their businesses. Joanne joins Ethan Brown, General Manager (APAC) at Hospitable, to discuss Hospitable's integration with Booking.com and how it makes it easier than ever for hosts to list and manage their properties directly on Booking.com through the Hospitable platform.

Press Play now to discover the benefits that Hospitable's integration with Booking.com offers short-term rental hosts and receive expert advice on how to maximize your success on Booking.com.

If you prefer to read the highlights, we've got a summary of the key takeaways below.

What Does the Premier Partner Program Mean for Hospitable and Its Users?

Joanne points out that some of the key initiatives they've primarily been working on at Booking.com are enhancing property management for their accommodation partners and improving the guest experience.

"My particular efforts are geared towards making the property onboarding more manageable for our hosts. We want to make it seamless and easy for you to upload your individual properties. By doing so, we emphasize the integration of technology. So, technology is advancing all the time, and we need to ensure, as a platform, that we're continually innovating and working on what technology we need to be able to simplify these processes for our hosts."

As a connectivity provider, Hospitable has recently earned Booking.com Premier Partner status, so Joanne gives more context as to what it means to be part of the Premier Partnership Program. She emphasizes that achieving this status requires significant time, effort, innovation, and dedication.

"We need to ensure that technology is continuously advancing. We need to listen to our hosts and what they need from a connection perspective. Being part of this program ensures that we meet those criteria. Being a Premier partner with us means you're at the top level of our standard. That's the highest you can achieve. In summary, strong connections, useful features, and continuously looking at new product testing, and that constant feedback loop between the two platforms."

Ethan explains that within the listing management functionality, Hospitable users can create listings on Booking.com directly from Hospitable with just a few clicks. He points out that that's the first time that has ever been done for hosts at Hospitable on any channel.

Joanne says it's great to see these features being established within the industry. "I think with being part of the Premier Partner status now, that means that hosts that choose to work with Hospitable and Booking.com can be assured that the speed of the connection between the two platforms is high," she notes. "It greatly benefits hosts by really simplifying that property management process, and it enhances the flexibility and control that they have."

How Does the Premier Partner Program Impact Guest Experience on Booking.com?

The right technology solution from a connectivity provider can help hosts streamline operations and focus on optimizing their guests' experience, so Booking.com recommends working with a Premier provider. Joanne notes that the speed at which information is updated between the two platforms ensures that availability and rates are as up-to-date as possible.

"The communication between the two platforms ensures that the host is providing a real smooth guest experience right from the point when they make a reservation to check-in because they've received all the information that they need to set those guest expectations," Joanne says.

What Types of Hosts Would Benefit Most from the Integration?

Joanne points out that in terms of the connection that Booking.com has with Hospitable, the short-term rental hosts would be the ideal partner for them to work with. "They could be managing one or multiple listings. The integration creates a streamlined onboarding and enhanced listing management experience for them," she explains.

"A couple of clicks, and you can have your listings there and ready to go. It also significantly boosts efficiency. And by doing that, you're also broadening your audience reach. Essentially, because of that automation, you're scaling your business and increasing the bookings and your distribution."

How Is Booking.com Adapting to the Biggest Trends in the STR Market?

Joanne says that by examining travel trends across the Asia Pacific region and inbound to the Asia Pacific, they've seen a significant shift in customers coming to the platform who are considering booking a stay at holiday rentals instead of booking a traditional hotel. They also see a preference for domestic travel.

Booking.com has conducted research and found that around 75% of Australians intend to choose a holiday rental the next time they have a domestic holiday. Approximately 30% of travelers reported that they had stayed in holiday homes regularly, and 10% indicated that they always stayed in holiday homes.

"In regards to other areas that we've seen as a trend, the option for Request to Book for our hosts. It was launched around two years ago, and there is a strong desire for our hosts to utilize that functionality. We've continued to develop this, and now we've got two-way messaging with Request to Book. And again, that allows a lot more flexibility and control for our hosts."

Joanne points out that the Request to Book model is popular among vacation rental hosts who want to go through that process before moving to Instant Book. She thinks that the Request-to-Book booking model is also a good way to try this global platform if you're hesitant.

Joanne emphasizes that with Hospitable's integration, listing on Booking.com is easy, allowing you to expand your reach to a diverse audience. "We translate everything into 43 different languages, so you only have to upload in your given language, and your listing will be showcased in 43 different languages around the world."

Listen to the full episode of the Hospitable Hosts podcast to learn more about the advantages of listing your properties on Booking.com and using Hospitable as your connectivity provider.