Pushing the alternative accommodation industry beyond its boundaries
Express Food & Hospitality|December 2019
When it comes to small partners entering the business, they face stiff competition from big hotel chains and property owners that have a strong foothold in the market. There is need for a level playing field for these partners, says Ritu Mehrotra, country manager, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives at Booking.com
Pushing the alternative accommodation industry beyond its boundaries

Booking.com today has over 880,000 reported listings in India, of which over 140,000 are in homes, apartments and other unique places to stay. Globally that number stands at 5.7 million reported listings in homes, apartments and unique places to stay, part of 29 million total reported listings which represents the widest selection of accommodation out there.

The alternative accommodation sector is key to Booking.com’s global business and has demonstrated a high potential for growth, with the number of reported listings in this area growing faster than traditional options. Consider this, on average, seven guests per second are checking into a home, apartment or unique place to stay on our platform globally. With travellers increasingly opting for a stay in non-hotel accommodation, the demand and supply of small-time business and property owners that enter the market with their unique offerings and authentic experiences have grown significantly in India.

However, when it comes to these small partners entering the business, they face stiff competition from big hotel chains and property owners that have a strong foothold in the market given their real estate, monetary backing, experience and technology infrastructure at their disposal. We acknowledge the need for a level playing field for our partners and are increasingly working towards designing and introducing new features to enable a seamless interface experience for them.

Increased collaboration

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Express Food & Hospitality.

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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Express Food & Hospitality.

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