Airbnb preps for travel surge with new offerings

By Roderick L. Abad

AIRBn B s aid it is improving its platform in preparation for the expected 300 million plus guests arrivals globally this year as the pandemic is finally over.

It starts with the launch of 2023

Summer Release to kick off Airbnb outside Metro Manila. Moreover, landlords should continue offering concession to firms especially amid a tenant-leaning market. Colliers Philippines believes it is important to achieve optimal levels of occupancy despite elevated vacancies. Tenants, meanwhile, should take advantage of rental corrections in selected business districts and continue employing flight-to-value strategies

Rooms, an all-new take on the original Airbnb, giving more affordable w ays for tourists to experience a destination by staying with a local.

This offering is anchored on its findings on the seasonal travel trends—timely to the World Health Organization’s declaration of the end of Covid-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.

For instance, rooms remain one of the accommodation channel’s most popular types of stay for guests, and nights stayed in private room listings in the Philippines grew by more than 200 percent.

With the end of travel restrictions, Airbnb guests have already p lanned stays in over 72,000 cities and towns this dry season. Top t rending summer destinations for Filipinos include San Juan in Ilocos, Pasay City in Metro Manila, I loilo City in Western Visayas, and Dumaran in Palawan. They are also eyeing to visit international destinations with Hong Kong, Bangkok, and S ingapore topping the list.

“With Airbnb Rooms, we’re getting back to the idea that started it a ll—back to our founding ethos of sharing,” Airbnb Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky said. “Airbnb Rooms are often more affordable than hotels, and they’re the most authentic way to experience a city.

“We’re seeing a steady recovery in the office market. As such, our robust pipeline of office projects in and outside of Metro Manila will cater to the strong position of the IT-BPO sector and other growing segments, such as health care, logistics, telecommunications, government, industrial and financial services,” noted Ortiga.

SM Offices is gearing for bigger expansion, catering to global companies, Philippines’ top corporations, and retail locators. Aside from beefing its provincial footprint,Ortiga said SM Offices is adding another marquee office building in the SM Mall of Asia Complex with the commencement of SixE-com Center later this year.

“SM Offices captured more than 80% of all closed office transactions in the Bay Area last year. This is a testament to the SM Mall of Asia Complex’s [MOAC] complete positioning as a magnet for entertainment, residence, retail, and work. A lot of global and local companies realize that the MOAC Estate is less congested and more accessible than other cities in

Metro Manila, thus the increasing preference to locate their businesses here,” Ortiga explained.

Further, the SM Commercial Properties Group is broadening its SM Warehouses portfolio to Calamba, Parañaque, Taguig, and Tarlac, adding to its current stock in Silangan, and Pasig.

Further, the company is boosting its presence in Central Visayas Region through its SM Seaside Complex Cebu, which is getting more popular as an events mecca for concert goers in the region and will see significant developments in the coming years—replicating SM Prime’s success with the SM Mall of Asia Complex.

Ortiga said SM Prime’s Commercial Properties Group continues to pursue its thrust towards community building by creating more sustainable structures and amenities.

“As we’ve been seeing from first quarter performance results across a majority of industries, e-commerce, retail, logistics, and outsourcing activities have outperformed the same period year on year. And as we confidently move forward from the pandemic, SM Prime Commercial Properties Group has its hands full gearing up for a bullish future. We are implementing a growth strategy that intends to take advantage of a robust business environment and one that will continue SM Prime’s commitment towards nation building and including sustainable developments for future generations of Filipinos,” Ortiga said.