Boostly integrates with Guesty marketplace
UK / Israel: Boostly, an online training platform for hospitality owners, has announced its integration with leading property management software platform Guesty. Thanks to the power of API, Guesty’s platform will now smartly connect with Boostly-designed websites to ease consumer booking experiences and increase direct bookings for property managers and owners. As the short-term rental industry continues […]
Boostly calls for better prevention of Facebook “cloning scams”
UK: Boostly, an online training platform for hospitality owners, is calling on social networking company Facebook to remove what it claims to be “cloning scams” targeting struggling holiday accommodation operators, creating competitions for their customers. Credit card details are believed to have been requested from competition entrants and followers of small accommodation businesses, in a […]
Holidaymakers posing as key workers to “hoodwink” hosts
UK: Hosts across the UK are reporting having to defend their accommodation reserved for emergency workers during the latest lockdown against increasing numbers of people with “dishonest” claims posing as key workers, in order to get a holiday. The Old Bike Shop serviced apartments received a booking from one guest using the letterhead and […]
Tripadvisor accused of “subterfuge” over T&Cs update
UK: Online travel company Tripadvisor has denied adopting “one-way terms”, “double standards” and “subterfuge” on content use on its site, following accusations made by a number of accommodation owners and hosts. The firm is reported to have requested unlimited access to all website content by accommodation owners and hosts – access which some owners and […]
Hospitality businesses called on to manage safe hospital transfers
UK: Hospitality businesses, including guest houses, B&Bs and self-catered accommodations, are being called on to work with NHS hospitals across the UK to conduct safe patient and key worker transfers during the pandemic, as high numbers of patients remain in intensive care with Covid-19 or other emergencies. NHS hospitals in London, Carlisle, Cumberland, Devon, Hampshire, […]
Calls for new support for struggling UK hospitality businesses
UK: Support grants for tourism businesses during the English and UK national lockdowns are needed, says Mark Simpson, the founder of hospitality and short stay rental accommodation marketing website, Boostly. The national lockdown announced across England has forced hospitality businesses to close [5 November – 2 December] although there are unanswered questions about essential travel. […]
Airbnb at risk of “massive” fine for data protection breach
Europe: Airbnb is facing a potentially “massive” fine under GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] legislation after notifying the Irish Data Protection Commission of a data breach that allowed some of its users in Europe and around the world to view other hosts’ private inboxes last week. The home-sharing platform informed the data protection tsar in […]
Hospitality “on its knees as unfair government grants are non-starter”
UK: Hundreds of struggling small hospitality businesses are being denied crucial funding promised by the government today, according to Mark Simpson, the founder of UK-based hospitality and short stay rental accommodation marketing website, Boostly. Small businesses in tourism and hospitality are encouraged to apply for second rounds of the UK government’s £10 million Kickstart Tourism Grant scheme. […]
Airbnb accommodation privacy ‘breached’ through online ‘glitch’
Worldwide: Airbnb hosts have reported seeing other hosts’ private inboxes, rather than their own, on their accounts as discussions between hosts and guests, including addresses and codes to enter the properties, were revealed. The reported ‘glitch’ was swiftly communicated in Airbnb group discussions online and confirmed to be worldwide. Screenshots were shared online on social […]
STRz podcast 5: Boostly’s Mark Simpson on communicating during a crisis
UK: Boostly founder and owner, Mark Simpson, joins us for Episode Five of the new ShortTermRentalz podcast to discuss tips for how to communicate during a crisis and advice for hospitality owners struggling as a result of Covid-19, as well as how the pandemic could lead to a direct bookings trend.