Tripadvisor makes a strategic decision and has announced that from November 1st 2024, it will no longer provide bookings for short-term rentals.
Why the change?
Last week the platform sent an email informing hosts and guests who use Tripadvisor of this strategic decision.
A spokesperson for Tripadvisor said: “TripAdvisor has decided to stop directly booking and managing short-term rentals on its platform. This strategic change aligns vacation rentals with hotel reservations and ensures the best experience for our customers.”
Tripadvisor, mostly known for reviews and travel guides, acquired a number of vacation booking channels between 2008 and 2013. Among them are Flipkey [2008], Holiday Lettings [2010], Niumba [2013], VacationHomeRentals [2014] and Housetrip [2016]. UK booking channel Holiday Lettings even advertised that it had 700,000 properties in more than 150 countries. All of them have become popular with hosts as they charge the landlords minimal fees.
It should be noted that in Greece, Tripadvisor has not signed the cooperation memorandum with AADE that the other OTAs (Airbnb, Booking and Expedia Group/VRBO) have signed.
What Tripadvisor will do with existing bookings in short-term rentals
Now guests, who had booked accommodation through these websites, are learning that their bookings will be canceled and refunded.
“We will no longer contract directly with homeowners or enable bookings on the Tripadvisor or Holiday Lettings platform,” an email to customers said. The message continued with the following:
“We will soon disable the option for travelers to book accommodation with a departure date beyond 31 October 2024. We are also canceling all bookings for accommodation from 1 November 2024 onwards. Travelers affected by the decision will receive full refunds.”
The platform has also made it clear that any future booking between a traveler and a property owner will now be a direct agreement, made at their own risk. “You will not receive any support from our group companies to manage such bookings,” said the message, signed by the TripAdvisor Rentals support team.
One owner wrote on an online forum: “The decision has caused many problems not only for us as a business but also for those who have booked and are looking forward to their holiday. Most likely these travelers have already arranged their flights or other means of transport”.
“How about a refund for the cost of my flight guys?” one vacationer wrote on social media.
Tripadvisor said it will continue to offer accommodation and hotel bookings through third-party websites.
The platform told its shareholders that it would prioritize other areas of its business over the accommodation division, which contributed a small percentage of its revenue, including travel experience site Viator, which it bought ten years ago.
The company is controlled by Liberty majority shareholder Tripadvisor Holdings, which is controlled by American billionaire John Malone’s Liberty Media.
