Trip Circus: The Only Conference for Hotels and Short-Term Rentals
It’s high time that hotels and short-term rentals started looking at each other as allies instead of competitors. On June 4-5, Barcelona will host the first-ever conference aimed to bring the two industries together. Here’s everything you need to know about Trip Circus.
What is Trip Circus?
Trip Circus is the first and only global conference uniting the game-changers and visionaries of short-term rentals and hotels.
It was created by Rentals United and Busy Rooms with the aim of facilitating communication and collaboration between the two traditionally competing industries.
On the 4th and 5th of June in Barcelona, Trip Circus will bring together hoteliers and short-term rental managers at a festival-like event where they can exchange ideas, share knowledge and best practices, and find ways to work together – while having fun together.
A magical setting, with a colourful circus atmosphere and jaw-dropping spectacles, will serve as a backdrop to this first-time encounter. Clowns, acrobats, and other performers will infuse the event with an element of fun to get thoughts brewing and discussions going.
The location is as inviting as it is unusual: Poble Espanyol, an open-air architectural museum with replicas of buildings from different regions of Spain. The village sits on a hill overlooking the sea, with breathtaking views of Barcelona. It’s a wondrous place where exciting things happen!
Why attend?
Trip Circus is a great chance to hear from world-class speakers who will discuss the most pressing challenges that both industries face as well as the many opportunities that are presenting themselves.
You’ll meet attendees from international hotel chains, large OTAs, boutique hotels and niche short-term rental websites. You’ll learn new tactics to help you optimise and diversify your business – whether you’re in hotels or short-term rentals. You’ll find out how to appeal to specific traveller segments and respond to emerging travel trends. And, most importantly, you’ll meet new partners and allies.
Here are some of the benefits of attending Trip Circus.
If you’re a hotelier:
- Discover strategies for entering the vacation rental market
- Learn how to capitalise on short-term rental distribution
- Find ways to partner with vacation rental managers
- Meet tech providers and discover software solutions that are indispensable for growth in the vacation rental business
If you’re a short-term rental property manager:
- Understand the hotel industry’s best practices
- Learn how to capitalise on hotel distribution
- Find ways to partner with hotel managers
- Meet tech providers and discover advanced hotel technologies
If you’re an aparthotel manager:
- Understand how the convergence of hotels and short-term rentals is affecting aparthotels
- Capitalise on short-term rental distribution
- Find ways to partner with both hotels and vacation rentals
- Meet tech providers and discover advanced technology solutions to help you grow
3 tracks of insight-packed sessions
Business growth, operations, technology, distribution, regulations… The speakers will discuss all these topics and more. Sessions will run on three tracks, each in an iconic building of Poble Espanyol: the Monastery, the Museum and the Cloister. Exhibitors from around the world will showcase their products and services under a large circus tent.
Some of the topics that will be covered during the speaker sessions:
- The future of revenue management
- Opportunities presented by GDS (Global Distribution Systems)
- Corporate travel and vacation rentals
- How our expectations for amenities will change in the next ten years
- The secret sauce of niche listing sites
- Traveller segments and the rise of niche listing sites
- Star rating for vacation rentals
The first confirmed speakers will be announced soon. Stay tuned!
Networking and entertainment
At Trip Circus, every interaction will lead to new business opportunities. The crowd will consist of business owners, directors and senior decision-makers so that you can use your time at the conference efficiently. You’ll be provided with meeting tables as well as an AI-powered networking app to make the process even more seamless.
As for entertainment: you’re in for a surprise. No other conference has taken “circus” as seriously as Trip Circus. You will be blown away by the surprise performances and pop-up attractions. You’ll also have access to food trucks, restaurants, a picnic area and a DJ party on Thursday night. What’s not to love?
Why do we need a conference like Trip Circus?
2020 is the year when industry professionals will come to realise that hotels and short-term rentals are not just complementary industries: they need each other.
The convergence between hotels and short-term rentals has increased over the past few years. Some of the world’s oldest hotel brands have started acquiring short-term rental property management companies to be able to provide their guests with a variety of accommodation types. Marriott International, Choice Hotels, AccorHotels and Hyatt Hotels have all added short-term rentals to their offering.
On the other hand, VC-backed property management startups like Stay Alfred and Sonder have also started blurring the lines between hotels and vacation rentals. Their “Hotel 2.0” model is based on offering short-term rental apartments with full hotel service and amenities.
Both industries have their own strengths. Short-term rentals are known for longer stays, larger units and primarily attract leisure travellers. Hotels, on the other hand, are characterised by shorter stays, smaller units and attract more business travellers.
If hotels and short-term rentals want to live up to changing guest expectations, they must learn from each other. They need to find synergies in order to maximise their own potential, drive innovation in the accommodation space and define the future of the industry.
And Trip Circus will be an ideal place to do just that! See you there.