Four Seasons unveils luxury resort and residence plans in UAE
UAE / Worldwide: Luxury hospitality and branded residential company, Four Seasons, and Ras Al Khaimah-based real estate developer, RAK Properties, have unveiled plans for a new beach resort and private residences as part of a new flagship 400 hectare master-planned waterfront destination – Mina.
Airbnb unveils trending destinations for 2025
Worldwide: Airbnb has unveiled its 25 trending destinations for guests to visit in 2025.
Japanese lodging startup Earthship closes pre-seed funding round
Japan: Japanese outdoor lodging startup Earthship, which aims to offer immersive experiences in national parks with its cabins, has completed an undisclosed pre-seed funding round.
Blueground launches in Thailand
Thailand: Furnished flexible rental operator Blueground has announced that it will expand into Thailand this year through a new franchise agreement with Chic Republic Public Company Limited.
ONDA to expand as global PMS for all property types
South Korea: Seoul-based travel tech company ONDA has acquired the hotel property management system business unit of Korean B2B solutions provider Oasis Story and formed a subsidiary called OATech as it seeks to accelerate its global expansion.
Hmlet Listed launches rental platform in three Asian markets
APAC: Hmlet Listed, developed by lifestyle accommodation operator Hmlet, launched its platform for landlords, agents and tenants last month across Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Hmlet Listed already represents more than 5,000 property owners who are leasing condos, apartments and coliving properties. Rentals range from one to 12 months, and all contracts are handled online including […]
Airbnb responds to criticism from business mogel Heinecke
Asia: Airbnb has responded to a letter to the Minister of the Interior Bangkok by hotel and business mogel, Bill Heinecke, in which he castigated the short-term rental platform’s stance as “irresponsible” following its partnership with Thailand’s government. Airbnb first partnered with the Thai government in July 2018 to boost overall hospitality standards in the […]
StayList collaborates with Vietnamese site Luxstay
Asia: Vacation rental bulk search service StayList has officially launched versions of its platform in Vietnamese and Thai, and begun a system collaboration with Vietnamese rental site Luxstay. When StayList first went live back in February, it was available in four languages: English, Japanese, Korean and traditional Chinese Mandarin. It primarily catered to travellers from […]
Airbnb reports 61 per cent guest arrival growth in Phuket
Thailand: Airbnb has reported that guest arrivals in Phuket went up to 320,000 in 2018, representing a 61 per cent year-on-year growth rate. The firm revealed that most travellers visiting Phuket started their journeys originally from destinations such as China, United States, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK. Mike Orgill, Airbnb general manager for […]
Airbnb announces partnership with GSB in Thailand
Thailand: Airbnb has announced a partnership with the Government Savings Bank (GSB), Thailand’s state-owned bank, to help promote hospitality entrepreneurs across the local home-stay industry. Via a press release, the two companies said the partnership would allow GSB to provide better funding for emerging Thai hospitality entrepreneurs by offering options such as flexible-interest rate loans […]