Oyo’s Tech Nightmare for Hotel Owners and 11 Other Top Hospitality Stories This Week

Budget Chain Oyo Can Be a Nightmare for U.S. Hotel Operators Despite Its Hype: Oyo has a hype machine to rival any brand. But beneath all of the disruption, some hotel owners complain its technology is unstable and lacks functionality, leaving them to clean up the mess. Growth for growth’s sake may seem great for a unicorn-like valuation, but the hotel chain will need to grapple with flaws in its business model that can’t keep pace.

An In-Depth Look at Hotel Chain Oyo’s Financials and Strategy: New Skift Research: Oyo promises a new type of hotel company. It’s an asset-light brand that seeks to connect the global long tail of mom-and-pop hotels through its tech and distribution platform. But can it live up to the hype? Skift Research dives deep into Oyo’s business strategy and financial performance.

Airbnb Makes Debut in Google Vacation Rentals — For Now: In online travel, everything is tactical and not necessarily permanent. But for now, at least, those coveted Airbnb listings are appearing in Google’s vacation rental pages in some European cities. This could have big implications for both companies if those listings remain.

Why Some Short-Term Rental Tech Vendors Are Turning Away from Independent Hosts: Short-term rental tech vendors are increasingly forced to pick a side: Focus on professional property managers or focus on the long tail of independent hosts. There’s business in both, but understanding customer needs is paramount.

Short-Term Rental Managers Look to Data for Smarter Pricing: Nowhere is the need for a more tech-driven, business-oriented model for setting rates more clear than with short-term rental property management companies. Several startups aim to supercharge rate-setting with data-powered insights.

Brexit Uncertainty Weighs on Premier Inn Owner Whitbread: While most economic forecasts think that leaving the European Union will be bad for the UK, uncertainty over how, when, or even if, Brexit occurs is doing plenty of damage at the moment.

Peninsula Parent’s Thailand Dispute Shows Perils of Owner-Chain Relations: This is a high-profile case that pits a powerful Thai family against a reputable global luxury hotel brand. It also spotlights the reality this won’t be the last of an owner and chain dispute, not especially when times are getting harder.

Accor CEO to Doubters in Asia: Our Brand-Heavy Strategy Is Working: Having more brands when cheap money is chasing real estate is good for Accor, but may not be for its hotel owners. This is especially true in Asia where owners are hoping that in time it won’t be a case of too many Accor hotels chasing too few hotel guests.

Testy Times for Hotel Chains and Owners: The love-hate relationship between chains and owners is boiling over in Asia-Pacific where the trade war and Hong Kong protests are impacting owners in many destinations. Chains can be less hated by showing more meaningful support to struggling owners rather than just paying lip service.

Ctrip Name Change to Trip.com Group Is Now Official: The name change to Trip.com Group is not a bad idea for Ctrip as it increasingly comes out of its shell and becomes a global force in online travel. A catchy domain name, though, doesn’t guarantee anything.

Why Luxury Travel Brands Don’t Make the A-List: When it comes to keeping up with the Joneses, luxury travel brands are falling behind. The value of brands from fashion, automotive, and financial services sectors is far stronger than those from hospitality and travel.

Luxury Brand Value Surges — But Lags in Hospitality Sector: Within the travel industry, brands like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons loom large. But according to a just-released study of brand valuation, in the real world, hospitality brand names don’t carry as much weight as their high-end counterparts in other industry sectors.