Agoda has broadened the length of stay available at its properties to capitalise on the growing trend of using holiday rentals for long-term stays.
As the world goes into lockdown, the online travel platform has seen an increase in the number of travellers “stitching their trips together” to book the same property multiple times over a period.
The new long-term stay feature allows accommodation partners to benefit from this trend, especially during low travel season by helping maximize occupancy, and have a lower guest turnover to manage.
The platform’s partners will now be able to list properties for stays of more than 30 days.
“This latest feature will make it hassle-free for travellers to book longer-term accommodation,” said David Salamon, director of product for Agoda Homes.
“We will continuously test and improve, and look forward as it is being rolled out to the other types of properties on our platform. We will be rolling it out soon on our mobile app.”
The platform has also introduced EasyCancel, allowing partner hotels and properties to offer travellers more flexibility and the option to cancel up to 24 hours before arrival, beginning 30 June.
A release from Agoda said the product was unveiled in response to the need for flexible booking solutions, which are increasingly important as the travel industry grapples with the growing uncertainty posed by COVID-19.
This differs from the platform’s ‘Book Now, Pay Later’ option because hotels, which normally only offer non-refundable options, can also opt-in.
According to Agoda the program, which launched in March, has been particularly appealing to and received strong support from partners in the US, the UK, China, Japan, South Korea, India, and throughout Southeast Asia.
