Why you should get listed on niche websites with James Burrows of Rentals United

6 Mar 2020 · 35 min
Episode

6 Mar 2020 · 35 min

0:00

Podcast (recorded March 6, 2020) in which host Mark Simpson interviews James Burrows, co‑founder & CEO of Rentals United. Burrows explains the value of niche listing websites as complementary to major OTAs (they target specific audiences/geographies/themes), uses a "ships" analogy (OTAs = tankers; niche sites = speedboats), and gives examples (e.g., Bud & Breakfast, dog‑friendly, German‑market sites). He describes Rentals United as a Barcelona‑based channel manager (office in Poland, ~90 people) distributing ~100,000 properties, connected to ~50 PMS integrations, and requiring a minimum of 10 properties to use the platform. Rentals United synchronises availability/pricing via APIs, supports instant‑book channels, provides account managers/onboarding, and enforces content‑quality minimums before sending inventory to channels. Tactical advice emphasised: target niche sites relevant to your customer avatar, optimise content (photos, titles, amenities), and maintain previous guest CRM to drive direct bookings.

Questions this episode answers

March 6, 2020.

At least 10 properties.

Around 100,000 properties worldwide.

About 50 PMSs worldwide.

Based in Barcelona with a development office in Poland and around 90 people.

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