Vista Rooms, South Asia’s largest chain of affordable stays, is on track to onboard 1000 properties with over 10,000 rooms by the end of 2018. With the country experiencing a growth of 14% vis-a-vis last year in tourist arrivals and India accounting for 17.4% of these 2 million tourists, the online startup believes it’ll play a huge role in their local growth plans. These plans are further bolstered by the staggering 73% surge in online travel booking revenue over the past 5 years in Sri Lanka.
Working closely with property owners, Vista Rooms goes beyond increasing monthly revenues for their partners, by taking care of the entire guest lifecycle and improving day-to-day operations. Regular audits of each property guarantees a standardised experience for all guests – their average review score of over 7/10 on Booking.com is a testament of this focus on excellent guest experience. With access to the Vista Rooms’ preferred vendors, their partners source their supplies at lower rates and thereby, reduce their maintenance costs considerably.
“We have a 360 degree approach to managing properties, which has led to a growth of over 20% in revenues for our partners. It’s not just about listing these properties, but actually partnering with owners to understand their businesses and then, utilize our expertise to help them grow,” said Nadeem Kassim, AVP, Vista Rooms, Sri Lanka.
Since entering the country in April 2016, Vista Rooms has been successful in quickly capturing market share and building the largest network of branded stays in Sri Lanka with over 350 properties across 30 cities. Their recent move to offer end-to-end support as a complete turnkey solutions provider for over 50 villa and boutique properties has further strengthened their position.
“The informal tourism sector is experiencing a surge in popularity with more and more travellers seeking authentic travel experiences. Till date, a lack of transparency in this segment has pushed people to book hotels. By providing a standardised experience and a transparent reviewing mechanism, guests will have more confidence to book these alternate stays. Apart from this, the price optimisation and reputation management tools that Vista Rooms offers to its partners, I see a clear path for growth of the sector, and over time, becoming a traveller’s preferred choice,” said Amit Damani, Co-Founder, Vista Room.