Booking.com Holiday Home Outlook Report reveals what makes a holiday home ‘bookable’ to Indian travellers

Clean and tidy accommodation, reasonable pricing and location are the most important factors for Indians seeking a holiday home

Booking.com, a global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, has released its inaugural Holiday Homes Outlook Report uncovering what holiday seekers are looking for when booking a home rental and how holiday homeowners can better attract guests and enhance their experience. The Booking.com Holiday Home Outlook Report* surveying 11,000 homeowners and holiday seekers, reveals the evolving trends in the short-term rental sector from seven countries across Asia-Pacific including India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan and China.   

Holiday homes and its association with online travel brands

For a market that is price sensitive, the guarantee of the safety of financial transactions instil confidence in holiday homeowners. It also establishes a positive foundation with customers who wish to seek a seamless and secure experience. According to the report, 97% of Indian holiday homeowners stated they have/ would use an online travel platform to manage their holiday rental. The top reasons they have decided or would prefer to use an online travel platform to manage their bookings is that it provides a secure payment platform (41%), it provides a platform for customer and visitor reviews (39%), it provides increased visibility of their home (38%), it provides more reliability in confirming guest bookings (37%), and it allows for secure communication with guests (36%). 

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Indian holiday homeowners said that listing their property on multiple platforms would generate more bookings, yet only 22% say they use at least one online travel agency to help manage their properties. 

Challenges experienced by holiday homeowners

The number 1 challenge Indian holiday homeowners experience when listing their holiday home as a short-term rental is maintaining demand during off-peak seasons (37%) followed by transforming their own private investment property or holiday home into a short-term rental to make it available for guests to stay in (35%), finding and attracting guests (34%) and marketing their property/properties (33%).

Most preferred holiday homes in India 

When it comes to the kind of holiday homes that appeal to Indian travellers, beach houses are the most popular accommodation type (46%) followed by farm stays (41%), city apartments (40%) and country cottages (36%). Additionally, holiday seekers are also looking for more unique travel experiences off the beaten path, such as houseboats, camps/ glamping/ tents, cosy cabins and chalets. Travellers in the South find a farm stay (46%) or a houseboat (38%) most appealing as compared to those in North, East & Central India who prefer a cosy cabin for their stay.

What makes a holiday home uniquely Indian

40% of Indians said that a home with a kitchenette or serving meals was the #1 factor in what makes a holiday home uniquely Indian. The top 5 factors Indians ranked: 

1. Kitchenette or serving meals (40%)

2. Has a mountain valley view/ greenery (30%)

3. Has a pool/ BBQ/ recreational area (12%)

4. Has beach access (11%)

5. Pet friendly (7%)

Shared value for the little things 

Responding to the changing needs of holiday seekers, homeowners have a close alignment between what they value and believe are key decision factors when booking a home. The top 3 most important factors holiday homeowners and travellers say contribute to securing more bookings or making a booking decision are:

Santosh Kumar, Country Manager, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com said “In recent years, Indian travellers have been increasingly looking for properties that offer an alternative to the traditional hotel experience. The Booking.com Holiday Homes Outlook Report helps understand and respond to this sector’s evolving needs both from a homeowner and holiday seeker’s point of view. Our overarching aim is to provide customers with the widest choice and diversity of great stay all in one place. With over 28 million total reported listings on Booking.com, more than 7 million properties are in the alternative accommodation space. In India, we offer homes, apartments, farm stays, cottages and other unique places to stay as identified in this report. Our top priority is to assist Indian holiday homeowners in attracting more bookings by simplifying the process and providing confidence when listing their properties, whilst offering travellers the opportunity to easily explore and book their perfect homestays.” 

For the full Booking.com Holiday Home Outlook Report please visit the link here.