What do Singaporean travellers look for when renting holiday accommodation? It seems they want a ‘home away from home’ judging from their choice of the top three amenities in a rental – kitchen, air-conditioning and WiFi access.
A washing machine and being kid-friendly wrapped up the travellers’ five most sought-after features.
These are some of the findings from vacation rental marketplace HomeAway in its HomeAway Asia 2018 Trend Report on the key features of accommodation types and most popular Asian destinations travellers from the city-state searched for last year.
According to the report, the trend among travellers in 2017 was for whole-home accommodation options and this has continued to grow in popularity. The preference for Singaporeans were apartments, houses and villas. There was also an increased interest in unique accommodation like treehouses (+100%), cabins (+50%) and cottages (+50%).
The top home rental destinations last year for Singaporeans were Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul. They chose Kuala Lumpur for its interesting multi-cultural way of life combined with monuments, natural attractions and a wide choice of food. Bangkok won with its warm hospitality, varied experiences, vibrant nightlife, delicious food and affordable shopping. For Seoul it is its rich history, coupled with its rapid and successful development.
(Image credit: joyt/Getty Images)
Another trend unveiled in the report is Singaporean travellers are becoming more spontaneous when booking accommodation. Last year many took shorter trips with close friends or family in smaller group of three to four staying an average of four to five nights.
“With only a month separating a traveller’s accommodation bookings and their actual stay, it can be said that the traditional structured holiday planning windows no longer exist,” stated the report.
Judith Davidson, senior director, HomeAway emerging markets, remarked: “Asian travellers are warming up to the concept of holiday home rentals because renting a whole home is the perfect way for families and groups to travel.”
She added that for the same cost as a hotel stay or less, travellers are likely to get far more space and amenities like kitchens and private pools.
• Featured image credit: Homeaway