Today, we are proud to have Claude Bénard, a famous travel blogger who edits HotelITour, as a guest blogger. Claude has given us great advices and encouraged us since the very beginning of the HouseTrip adventure. He is also a regular contributor to TourismInternetMarketing and the T-List. In this article, Claude writes to vacation rentals owners about the latest trends in the travel industry and how they can cope with them.
Enjoy his post below.
We are in a severe downturn, impacting both consumer behaviour and the travel industry.
As a result the general consumer’s primary objective is to seek better value at a lower spend.
And for you, owners, in this current climate, any additional source of income generated from renting out what you already have, is a welcome boost and a good way to manage your Real Assets.
In this post, I will explore the consumers’ needs that are changing, things to do to be prepared to meet those needs and ways to make money from your Real Assets while differentiating yourselves.
1 ) What are the main trends and travel consumer’s need?
Short holidays, a worldwide trend
People are taking shorter holidays and do so more frequently.
Impulsive and last booking
Holidays remains an impulsive buy, and last minute booking is a strong trend for years. We see people booking just one or two weeks before travelling.
The vacationers are still coming; they are just waiting until the very last minute to book their travels and vacation rentals.
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The Theresienwiese area during the Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair with over 6 million attendees every year! It is traditionally (the Wiesn – as it is called locally – dates back to the early 1800′s) held for about 2 weeks from the end of September to early October. It is of course very famous for its beer (about 7 million litres of it are drunk at every Oktoberfest!) and food (about half a million chickens will be eaten during the fair 
) but also for its popular attractions such as roller coasters. There are a lot of funny traditions around Oktoberfest: one that caught our attention is that every year a special beer mug is edited – a lot of people collect them like you can see on this website which displays Oktoberfest’s mugs from 1978 until now.
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View on gondolas while haveing breakfast at the Giudecca Mare Riva
This week we asked three hosts from Venice if they applied special booking conditions (rates, length of stay, etc.) during high and low demand periods for accomodation in the city. Below are their answers.
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We continue with our weekly posting about local hosts in an exciting destination. This week: Prague in Czech republic.
View of the old city and the castle from Charles' bridge
A few words about Prague: undoubtedly one of Europe’s treasure, Prague has many wonderful highlights that one must see at least once in his lifetime. The castle is the city’s most impressive feature, certainly because one can see it from almost everywhere in the city: Franz Kafka’s famous book “The Castle” is for instance known to be inspired by the constant presence of Prague’s castle. Another fantastic – and fantastic is the word – sight of Prague is its old Jewish cemetery: when strolling around it, the chaotic entanglement of the tombstones always causes some sort of lugubrious feeling to the visitors. The alchemists’ street, right below the castle, is also a must-see: a lot of travelers still wonder if one alchemist ever found the “magnus opus” which supposedly grants immortality to its inventor as well as the ability to transform lead into gold…
This week, 2 hosts replied to the question “why would a guest stay in a rental rather than a hotel in Prague?”. Below are their answer.
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During the coming weeks we are going to write a series of posts on exciting destinations and ask one question to three local homeowners about their rental experiences.
Renting a Vacation Rental during the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes is situated in the Côte d’Azur area and is known as one of the most glamorous destinations in France. During the prestigious film festival, Cannes draws not only the stars to the beautiful coastal city but also thousands of visitors.
The city of Cannes, France
The grandeur of this event is not only reflected through the string of celebrities who join the event but also by the decupled accommodation prices charged to visitors. To be sure not to miss this event some people book rooms as early as 12 months in advance.
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