Direct Booking Website Builder Goliday Expands Into the UK, Announces Upcoming Marketplace
- Goliday, an Austro-French startup specializing in short-term rental direct booking website builders, has officially launched in the UK.
- The company plans to launch its Goliday B2C platform this year, creating a holiday rental marketplace similar to Airbnb, featuring over 12,000 rental properties from its client base.
- The company has successfully secured pre-seed funding (the earliest investment stage). Now, it’s moving into a seed investment round (a more significant funding stage).
- Goliday’s future expansion plans include branching out into other European markets such as Italy, Spain, Croatia, and the United States.
About Goliday:
Goliday is an all-in-one platform designed for owners and managers of vacation rentals, including bed & breakfasts, boutique hotels, and serviced apartments. It enables users to create professional websites with integrated booking systems to increase direct, commission-free bookings and reduce reliance on third-party platforms.
Snigdha’s Views
- For property managers, direct bookings have always been an appealing, if often elusive, goal. While commission fees from platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com chip away at profits, direct booking websites promise not just savings but control over guest relationships and brand identity.
- But It’s often the technical side of things that stands in the way. The hassle of design, integrations, and making the site work seamlessly, and hence many struggle to build a website.
- But with platforms like Goliday, Property managers can create a fully functional booking-ready website in minutes without needing web design, coding, or complex integrations.
- Goliday provides an option for hosts to accept direct payments without commission, also on its free plan.
- Even with a full website, matching OTA visibility is a challenge, but Goliday-powered listings can appear on Google Travel & Vacation Rentals, boosting organic exposure. Still, visibility alone won’t drive bookings, effective marketing is key.
- OTAs offer built-in traveler confidence due to established policies, refund processes, and support systems. With direct bookings, property managers must work harder to build guest trust and establish credibility.
Edinburgh Loosens Rental Rules for Festival Season But Only for Some Hosts
- The Edinburgh City Council has temporarily eased licensing requirements for short-term rentals (STR) around the festival season.
- The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the world’s largest cultural festivals, brings thousands of performers and visitors to the city every August, creating an enormous demand for accommodation.
- Pressure from festival organizers and tourism stakeholders over insufficient hotel and licensed STR supply pushed the City Council to take this decision.
- While the easing of restrictions allows local residents to rent their homes more easily, professional STR operators and B&Bs must still comply with the full licensing rules.
Snigdha’s Views:
- In October 2022, Scotland introduced a licensing scheme for short-term rentals (STRs) to address housing concerns, regulate the sector, and enhance guest safety.
- However, high fees, complex applications, and strict planning rules made compliance challenging, especially in Edinburgh’s city center.
- The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has been at the forefront of pushing back, arguing that recent temporary relaxations prove the system isn’t working.
- Airbnb also criticized Edinburgh’s approach, noting rising rents and hotel prices, with guest bookings during the Fringe Festival dropping 13% due to reduced STR supply.
- With regulatory uncertainty, property managers must stay informed and advocate for fair policies while highlighting the value of licensed STRs—professional cleaning, reliability, and guest support—to stand out from cheaper, unlicensed alternatives.
- The shifting landscape also presents an opportunity to engage homeowners considering STRs for the first time.
Booking.com unveils the Most Welcoming Cities for 2025 – a mix of offbeat and nature-focused spots
- Booking.com has revealed its list of the World’s Most Welcoming Cities for 2025 as part of the thirteenth edition of the Traveller Review Awards.
- This annual recognition highlights destinations that stand out for exceptional hospitality and guest experiences, based on over 360 million verified customer reviews on the platform.
- Unlike rankings based on sheer popularity or tourist footfall, this list spotlights destinations with consistently outstanding guest reviews.
- The list includes a mix of hidden gems, nature retreats, and culturally rich towns like Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, Urubici, Brazil, Cazorla, Spain, Orvieto, Italy, and more.
Snigdha’s Views:
- Airbnb’s trending destinations, based on traveler searches, and Booking.com’s most welcoming cities, derived from guest reviews, have something in common, they highlight offbeat, less-saturated destinations rather than major tourism hubs.
- By spotlighting these destinations, platforms are likely steering demand toward untapped markets, easing pressure on over-touristed cities facing stricter regulations, and expanding into areas with fewer STR restrictions.
- This influence from OTAs might shape travel patterns, meaning property managers should pay close attention.
- For PMs operating in markets with tightening regulations, entering less saturated markets, could be a smart way to adapt.
- But instead of relying solely on OTA lists, data should drive your decisions. Looking at booking trends, search volume, and revenue potential will help you identify opportunities that align with your business needs.
- Want to learn how to analyze demand and determine if expanding into secondary markets makes sense for your portfolio? Join our upcoming webinar, where we’ll break it all down.
