Tips for successful vacation hosts
Everything you need to know for a successful tourist season — from apartment preparation, legal obligations, to commission-free direct bookings.
How to prepare your apartment for the 2026 season — complete guide
Every tourist season starts with preparation. The difference between an average and excellent host is how ready you are before the first guest arrives.
How much Booking.com really costs you — commission calculator
Booking.com charges 15-25% commission on every reservation. For an average apartment, that means €2,000 to €8,000 per year.
10 things guests notice in the first 5 minutes
The review is written in the first 5 minutes. Everything after just confirms the first impression.
How to respond to a negative review — 5 examples
Every host gets a negative review. The question is not whether it will happen, but how you react.
Flat-rate rental business in Croatia — everything you need to know in 2026
If you rent out an apartment in Croatia, a flat-rate business is the simplest legal path.
How to photograph your apartment for Booking — 10 tips
A guest decides in 3 seconds — click or scroll past. That decision depends on the first photo.
Why you need your own website alongside Booking.com
Booking.com is great for new guests. But if Booking is your only channel — you have a problem.
The ultimate pre-season apartment checklist — 25 items you can't skip
Experienced hosts don't memorise — they use a checklist. These 25 items cover every corner of your apartment, from kitchen drawers to WiFi passwords.
A welcome pack that makes an impression — what to include and what it costs
For €2-3 per guest, you can dramatically improve the first impression. A welcome pack isn't a cost — it's an investment in reviews.
Google Business profile for your apartment — a free channel for direct bookings
Google Business is free and takes 30 minutes to set up. Every guest who searches for you on Google should find your page — not Booking.
How to get a 5-star review — 7 rules the best hosts follow
The difference between 4 and 5 stars isn't luxury — it's the details. Learn the 7 rules hosts with an average above 4.8 follow.
Smart lock for your apartment — self check-in guests love
The guest arrives at 11 PM, you're 200 km away. With a key — problem. With a smart lock — "Your code is 4729, enter whenever you arrive." Review: 5 stars.
How to turn a guest into a repeat guest — 5 strategies for repeat bookings
A repeat guest is gold. No Booking commission, they already know your apartment, no surprises, and better reviews. The only question is — how to win them over.
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Tourism news
Corendon Airlines adds PayPal, giving travellers more flexible ways to pay
Continuing to invest in enhancing the digital passenger experience, Corendon Airlines has strengthened its payment infrastructure by adding PayPal to the payment options available on its website, to m
World of Hyatt recognized as the European Loyalty Program of the Year by the European Loyalty Awards
Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced that its loyalty program World of Hyatt has been named European Loyalty Program of the Year by the European Loyalty Awards, recognizing its distinctive approac
Scotland’s Travel Industry Stars Shine at SPAA Sparkle Awards 2026
Scotland’s outstanding travel professionals have been recognised at the 2026 Sparkle Awards, with winners from across the leisure and business travel sectors celebrated at an awards event in Edinburgh
Travel Promoters expands portfolio into Botswana and Mozambique with Kaelo Destinations
Sussex based Travel Promoters, one of the UK’s leading luxury representation companies specialising in Africa and the Indian Ocean, is delighted to share its appointment by Kaelo Destinations from 1 S
Hard Rock Hotel Malta Celebrates Star-Studded Grand Opening in St. George’s Bay
Hard Rock Hotel Malta, a highly anticipated upscale, five-star* destination, has officially opened its doors to the public following a celebratory guitar smash ceremony marking the group’s first h
A Viral AI Bot Just Showed Travel What Frictionless Actually Means
Instinct, a freshman AI assistant that has Silicon Valley buzzing, can book and rebook trips from a text thread. Key lesson for travel: Talking about frictionless booking isn't the same as delive
Blackstone Plans $7 Billion IPO of Spanish Resort Owner Hotel Investment Partners: Report
After nearly two years of weighing a sale, the private equity giant is reportedly steering the Barcelona-based owner of hotels and resorts across the Mediterranean toward a Madrid listing this fall.
Europe Prepares New Law to Support Cities’ Airbnb Crackdowns
Brussels is looking to advance legislation that would clarify local authorities’ power to crack down on short-term rentals amid Europe's housing crisis.
Biggest Innovators in Travel and Hospitality: Summer 2026
There is no shortage of launches and you can easily find the most expensive hospitality offerings. We're most interested in judgment that leads to truly exceptional service.
The New Travel Loyalty Leaders Aren’t Hotels or Airlines — They’re Banks
Travel companies have spent years worrying about losing customers to online travel agencies. The bigger threat was already in the wallet.
When Analytics Walks Onto the Floor: Why Hotel AI Needs a Translator, Not Another Dashboard
The author argues that hotel AI's real value is bridging the 30-year gap between revenue management analytics and frontline operations through real-time translation, not better dashboards.
92% of Luxury Hotel Calls Capture No Guest Data, Luxury Marketing Is Structurally Incomplete, Your Largest Corporate Account May Be Your Worst Investment
Friday brought Revinate's mystery shopper study of 308 calls across 135 luxury hotels finding 92% failed to capture any guest contact details, exposing a direct booking loss hiding in plain sight
Not every lost group deserves a follow-up email
The piece argues that sales teams should use meeting intelligence platforms to prioritize re-engagement with lost group accounts based on actual booking activity, not generic outreach schedules.
Your Largest Corporate Account May Be Your Worst Investment
A framework for evaluating corporate accounts as investments across four dimensions: return, growth potential, risk, and strategic value, rather than room nights or revenue alone.
roommaster Reveals Its Reimagined Hotel Platform at Independent Hotel Show Miami 2026
roommaster will demo its rebuilt cloud-native PMS at Booth 419 and present a session on Revenue Per Available Guest (RevPAG) for independent hoteliers on September 16 in Miami Beach.