VENUE NEWS

Hotels retain allure despite growth of short-term rentals

The short-term rental market is booming as many individuals hop onto the passive-income-potential train and seek to capitalise on the resurgence of travel. Homes, apartments, and other accommodation facilities are popping up everywhere, supporting the forecast that the global short-term rental market will grow by US$168.4bn between 2021 and 2026.

As much as these spaces have their pros and benefits, hotels retain an allure that keeps travellers booking into them to enjoy the hotel experience.

Location

Hotels often have prime locations, in or near city centres, or close to attractions, making access easy and stress-free for visitors. “For individuals travelling for business, a hotel situated in the city or close to where they are doing business makes getting to and from the office much easier,” said Danny Bryer of Kruger Gate Hotel. “The hotel can often be quite central, allowing easy access to transport and being a central point for business meetings. For those travelling for leisure, hotels are often strategically located near major attractions. The Kruger Gate Hotel, for example, is located a mere 500m from the Paul Kruger Gate, which is a prominent gateway into the Kruger National Park.”

Bleisure opportunities

For business travellers, hotels are more practical when it comes to combining work and leisure activities on a trip.

“The fact that hotels often have conferencing facilities on site, as well as amenities for relaxation and health – like a pool, spa, and in-house gym – makes them ideal for travellers looking to combine business and leisure,” Mr Bryer said.

“Kruger Gate Hotel has four fullyequipped conferencing rooms, as well as free WiFi and spaces that have been designed to support productivity. Pair that with an on-site restaurant, two pools, gym, family activities, and of course our game drives, and travellers have everything they need in one place to get work done in a peaceful environment, then extend their stay and enjoy the relaxing on-site facilities as well as the unforgettable experience of the Kruger National Park.”

Trust

Established hotels come with an automatic level of trust from their patrons. “When you stay at a hotel,” Mr Bryer said, “you know that certain levels of amenities, service, quality and security have to be met for a hotel to operate and receive certain accreditations. Reviews are also easier to come by, as is connection to the hotel’s activities, staff, and day-to-day operations, through its social media channels.”

With a short-term rental, trust is a little harder to establish as these facilities are often one-offs. They don’t have the backing of a bigger brand or hotel group, that gives guests peace-ofmind in terms of what to expect at an associated hotel. Smaller establishments are often run by individuals who use them to generate passive income, and don’t have any formal hospitality training. This means that they may be unfamiliar with certain service levels and amenity expectations of a patron.

Safety

Hotels have a number of safety protocols and services in place to ensure that guests are kept, and also feel, safe. “All of our guest rooms have safety deposit boxes where guests can keep valuable items should they wish to,” Mr Bryer said. “Across the broader hotel, we have very strict safety and security measures and procedures in place, especially being on the borders of the Kruger National Park. It’s important to us that our guests feel like they can interact with and be immersed in the full experience of the Park, while feeling completely safe. Things like having electric fencing around the whole property, strict entry control, and procedures to manage wildlife such as monkeys that enter the property, are all part of delivering a full but safe guest experience. And while out on game drives, it’s important that guests know they are in the hands of trained, experienced and knowledgeable rangers and field guides, so they can enjoy their wildlife experience fully while having peace-of-mind that they are safe.”

Be treated like a VIP guest

One of the best things about going to a hotel is that you are treated like gold and have hotel staff on hand should you need anything. “A getaway means that you should literally be able to get away from the demands and responsibilities of everyday life,” Mr Bryer said.

“And if this is the experience you are looking for, then staying in an independent self-catering apartment won’t really give you that and often, you have to do a bug clean-up at the end of your stay. Hotels have staff who are trained to look after you, from cooking amazing food for you at mealtimes, to bringing you cocktails on the deck while you watch the elephants play in the pools of water. Your stay at a hotel should make you feel completely relieved of the responsibilities of ‘adulting’, and feel like you can just let go of all your worries and enjoy the good things in life,” he concluded.