«It's now easier than ever to book vacation rentals on your phone»

Jen O´Neal, which booking trends for vacation rentals do you see this year?

Jen O´Neal: More than anything, short term bookings are rising dramatically all across Europe. In 2016, 52% of rentals were booked within one month of travel, up from just 12% in 2012! This is partially due to the rise in mobile bookings: it's now easier than ever to book vacation rentals on your phone. With mobile bookings trending up, the market has opened up to millennial travelers who are seeking convenience when planning their holiday trips.

How do you rate the geographic demand in Europe?

Europe is the largest and most mature market for vacation rentals. Based on our data, the most popular destinations for European travelers right now are UK, Germany, USA and Spain.

What was your business idea at the start? Why should travellers book via Tripping.com?

Before Tripping.com existed, travelers would search an average of five sites before booking a vacation rental. FIVE SITES! That's such a huge waste of time. When we built Tripping.com, our goal was to make booking rentals fast and easy by showing all available rentals on one site. For example, if you do a search on Tripping.com for Munich, we'll show you vacation rentals from all the top sites at once. After launching, we realized that many rental homes are listed on multiple sites at different prices. So now, when you find the perfect vacation rental for your next trip, we show you all of the prices for it. That way, you can book the cheapest rate to save money. We are happy to save travelers both time and money with Tripping.com. This was our original goal, and our team is always excited when we hear stories from the travelers we've helped.

Where do you see the biggest changes in the vacation rental market recently?

The biggest change in the rental market has been the type of inventory being offered. Historically, most vacation rentals were entire homes located in vacation destinations like the South of France, along the beach in Mallorca, or in the Alps. There has been an influx of vacation rentals in urban destinations in the last years. These urban rentals are often apartments, condos, or even single rooms in apartments where the hosts remain present during your stay. This is an exciting evolution, as it opens up the market and reinforces why analysts think the vacation rental market will be nearly $300 billion in the next few years.

What plans or new business ideas does Tripping.com have for the future?

Our mission is to help you find the perfect vacation rental. We know that you don't want to sort through millions of rental listings, so we're building products and features that will narrow your search down for you. Introducing a sophisticated layer of personalization will make it even easier for travelers to find their ideal vacation home at their ideal price. We also just launched a «Favorites» feature where travelers can save and share their favorite rentals. This way, you can keep track of the best properties and refer to them later, when you're ready to start planning your vacation.

Which vacation rentals are among your personal favorites?

My personal favorites are vacation rentals in Munich, New Zealand and Rome because I like to travel to these places a lot. I always pay attention to the fact that the rentals are centrally located and have wifi. I also like it when the rentals stand out from others due to extraordinary design, a special interior or a fantastic view.