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Lodging Services forum (such as Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway, etc)

Lodging Services forum (such as Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway, etc)

 
Old Oct 26, 2016, 7:47 am
  #1  
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Lodging Services forum (such as Airbnb, VRBO, Homeaway, etc)

The topic was raised in the private forum about potentially having a Lodging Services* forum, which would encompass such outlets as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, etc. We currently have a Ride Services forum, which includes outlets such as Uber, Lyft, etc, so this would be similar on the housing side.

Pros/cons to such a forum & anything else you can think of that TB and/or the CommunityDirector should consider? All input appreciated.

* May or may not be the final forum title, but would be in keeping w/ Ride Services nomenclature; just listed to get the ball rolling.



Cheers.
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 8:22 am
  #2  
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I think a home for those sorts of services would be nice, is there a lot of discussion about them currently? And if so, where?
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 8:52 am
  #3  
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I use VRBO a lot and think the ability to have conversations about it, AirBnB and other similar services in a dedicated forum would be great.
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 9:18 am
  #4  
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I'd support it. I like VRBO/Homeaway and Booking.com, plus a few smaller regional portals for B&B's and similar. (Booking.com also handles traditional hotels, but in some regions is the best service to book a flat/apartment.)

Obviously a lot of FTers have an interest in Airbnb.
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 11:59 am
  #5  
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Lodging Services Forum is an outstanding suggestion.
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 12:20 pm
  #6  
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Why not simply house any Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, etc. discussions in the existing Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies forum? It's in the T&D section and already hosts such accommodation providers as Expedia, Agoda, Hotels.com, Priceline and Vayama so expanding its remit wouldn't take it too far from its core or supplant existing topics. Maybe a slight forum name tweak to include more providers would clearly indicate it's increased role but why not expand an existing forum rather than creating a new one?

Merely MHO of course.
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Old Oct 26, 2016, 1:35 pm
  #7  
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I would want a bright line (forum-wise) between typical commercial-operation properties and private-type accommodation.
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Old Oct 27, 2016, 2:30 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by pinniped
I'd support it. I like VRBO/Homeaway and Booking.com, plus a few smaller regional portals for B&B's and similar. (Booking.com also handles traditional hotels, but in some regions is the best service to book a flat/apartment.)

Obviously a lot of FTers have an interest in Airbnb.
Not sure I ever realized booking.com did other types of bookings - my friends who use booking.com always seem to pick local hotels.

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Old Oct 27, 2016, 10:01 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by rwoman
Not sure I ever realized booking.com did other types of bookings - my friends who use booking.com always seem to pick local hotels.
Many providers found in the Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies forum including booking.com do book more than just hotels so all the more reason to use what resources we have before minting another forum.
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Old Oct 28, 2016, 10:17 am
  #10  
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Originally Posted by tcook052
Many providers found in the Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies forum including booking.com do book more than just hotels so all the more reason to use what resources we have before minting another forum.
Is discussion on those topics happening there already?

i see the issues that one deals with in the AirBnB/VRBO-type market to be very different than the issues one deals with in the standard hotel booking market. There is actually not a lot of crossover between the two markets, so I do not see a potential new Lodging Services forum as cannibalizing much, if any, discussion from the OTBBA forum.
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Old Oct 28, 2016, 2:26 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by jackal
Is discussion on those topics happening there already?
Is discussion on Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, etc happening anywhere already?
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 9:22 am
  #12  
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it is not limited to "Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies"

and it is not limited to "Budget" (rates can be tens of thousands)

includes actual property management companies, not just agencies

probably good forum, location and title may not be easiest
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Old Oct 31, 2016, 3:51 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Kagehitokiri
it is not limited to "Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies"

and it is not limited to "Budget" (rates can be tens of thousands)

includes actual property management companies, not just agencies

probably good forum, location and title may not be easiest
My thoughts about this too.
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Old Oct 31, 2016, 7:51 am
  #14  
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not really any "cons" ?

such a forum would also be like >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...-aviation-754/

Originally Posted by Eastbay1K
I would want a bright line (forum-wise) between typical commercial-operation properties and private-type accommodation.
how are you defining those ?

Originally Posted by GUWonder
My thoughts about this too.
thanks!

Originally Posted by jackal
There is actually not a lot of crossover between the two markets
agree re "not a lot" - contrary to claims of new companies trying to monetize(sell/IPO)

kind of like couchsurfing, BnB users on airBNB were not looking at hotels in first place

Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Oct 31, 2016 at 9:46 am
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Old Nov 1, 2016, 5:56 am
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Yes, this should be set up

I have used AirBNB now in London, Rome and Tokyo with much satisfaction. They have even launched a business travel service. To not include a section dedicated to this phenomenon would be like declaring the earth flat :-)
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