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Duve buys Easyway to boost AI-driven guest experience
Reading Time: 2 minutesIsrael: Tel Aviv-based guest experience platform Duve has announced the acquisition of Easyway, a hotel technology provider that offers a comprehensive guest messaging platform featuring AI agents based on generative AI.
Watch: STRz Summit London 2023 highlights
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUK: Short-term / vacation rental industry leaders, ranging from CEOs and founders to investors, property managers and OTAs, gathered in London [18 October] to address the key topics and questions facing the segment and how it is positioned in the wider travel, hospitality and real estate landscape.
Hyatt to debut Homes & Hideaways vacation rental platform
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Global hospitality company Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced plans to introduce a new short-term vacation rental platform – Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt – “in the coming weeks”.
Asian vacation rental bookings surge 84 per cent in a year
Reading Time: 3 minutesAsia: Asian vacation rental bookings have shot up by 84 per cent on 2022 pacing levels, according to global travel media startup Trip101, which curates the best recommendations for short-term rentals and a host of other lodging verticals.
Expedia Group “terminates” supply partnership with Hopper
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS / Canada: Expedia Group has terminated its vacation rental and hotel supply relationship with online travel agency [OTA] rival Hopper, accusing the latter of “exploiting consumer anxiety and confusing customers”.
Lodgify integrates with Google for vacation rentals
Reading Time: 2 minutesSpain / US: Vacation rental software startup Lodgify has announced an integration with Google for vacation rental listings.
Zumper launches short-term rentals with $30m funding
Reading Time: 3 minutesUS: Privately owned rental marketplace Zumper has officially launched its short-term rental product and added a further $30 million to its Series D funding round.
Vacatia purchases VSA Resorts to boost management portfolio
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUS: Resort marketplace Vacatia, which provides solutions for timeshare owners, property managers and vacation rental owners, has announced the acquisition of Virginia Beach-based hospitality and vacation ownership company, VSA Resorts. The addition of VSA’s three resorts and association management business means that Vacatia now manages 21 timeshare and 42 whole-ownership homeowners associations with 4,750 units […]
EU considers pan-European rental regulations
Reading Time: 3 minutesBelgium: The EU is consulting on regulating the short-term rental market across the bloc, with the option of a single set of pan-European rules being considered. The Commission says it wants to support an expansion of competition and players in the sector but also respect EU law which allows for Member States to apply local […]
Google announces combined rental / hotel search product
Reading Time: 2 minutesWorldwide: Google has announced a combined hotel and vacation rental search product at its Marketing Live online event last week, in a further acknowledgment of the blurring lines between the two lodging segments. With the search engine revealing that searches for ‘beach rentals’ and ‘staycations’ had grown by more than 100 per cent globally over […]