Booking.com, the OTA giant, has debuted 5,000 homestay listings — separate from its other vacation rental offerings.
Source: www.tnooz.com
If Booking.com is committed to the “homestay” category, it is entering the turf of Airbnb, the current market leader in short-term rental customers.
“Homestays” is now a category that Booking.com users can filter on. It’s distinct from “Apartments,” “Holiday homes,” “Villas,” “Guest houses”, “Bed and breakfasts,” “Hotels (with kitchen),” and “Hostels.”
Significantly, Booking.com is not requiring a credit card in advance to secure a homestay in many of the listings Tnooz saw. That makes it different from many Airbnb listings.