The 2nd Short Stay Conference (ex BnB Guest Conference), the only conference in Greece exclusively dedicated to the short-term tourist rental market, took place on 25 and 26 January at Divani Caravel , with an extremely high participation and intense interest from the professional community.
With more than 1300 registrations, the conference saw an increase in attendance of more than 60% compared to the first edition, confirming the rapid growth of interest in the short-term rentals sector in Greece.
Airbnb property owners and managers, management companies and tourism service professionals were dynamically present.
The plenary hall, specialized workshops and sponsors’ booths continuously attracted the interest of the participants, offering valuable knowledge, networking opportunities and prospects for new partnerships and professional development in the tourism rental sector.
The available technological tools, the future of short-term rentals in Greece and Europe, the discussions on market regulation and the court decisions that affect it, the role of associations and organized groups in social networks as well as the global trends for sustainability and individual design were analyzed in the panels and interviews.
At the same time, in parallel workshops, companies and institutions provided useful advice on platforms, channel managers, property management systems (PMS), online marketing, as well as services and products for owners and managers of short-term rental properties.
This year the 2nd Short Stay Conference (ex BnB Guest Conference) was even more interactive as the audience had the opportunity to put their questions and comments to the speakers via an online system, which they could access via mobile phones.
Data and Insights
AirDNA presentation: the power of data
Ms. Trusler reviewed the data on short-term rentals as derived from the online platforms, Airbnb and Homeaway. According to these, there is a 23.9% increase in the supply of accommodation on these two platforms (December 2018 – December 2019) but also an impressive 95.1% increase in overnight stays.
However, the occupancy rate of accommodation fell by 15%, demonstrating that supply is greater than demand.
As Ms Trusler noted “This means that it is even more important to have even more ‘professional’ listings and provide a better service and overall guest experience in order to stand out in such a competitive market”
Expedia interview
In the context of the 2nd Short Stay Conference (ex BnB Guest Conference), which took place on the 25th and 26th of January at Divani Caravel, Ms Vasiliki Mavrokefalou, Expedia ‘s Market Management Director for Greece, Cyprus and the Eastern Adriatic, gave an on-stage interview to BnB News’ editor-in-chief, Viki Tryphon.
During the discussion, he highlighted Expedia’s comparative advantages as a leading global travel group and presented the specialized services it offers to property owners and managers of short-term rental properties.
From strategic pricing and promotional tools to dynamic access to global demand, Expedia is instrumental in optimizing revenues and enhancing the visibility of short-term rentals in Greece.
Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of Expedia’s cooperation with local businesses in the sector, as it enhances the competitiveness of the Greek short-term rental market on an international level.
The platform, leveraging data, technology and global experience, provides Greek professionals with access to advanced management solutions, greater visibility in international markets and the ability to enhance the tourism experience they offer.
This targeted support to the local market enhances the quality of services provided and creates the conditions for sustainable growth in the short term tourism rental sector in Greece. The Short Stay Conference thus emerges as a valuable field of connection between global brands and Greek entrepreneurship.
Interview ibnb.gr
Stefanos Telioridis, CEO & Co-founder of ibnb.gr, the only Greek platform with zero commissions, was interviewed on stage by the Vice President of the Organizing Committee of the Short Stay Conference (ex BnB Guest Conference), Stathis Karopoulos.
Mr. Telioridis discussed his vision for the creation of a Greek travel platform and how this took shape with the cooperation of a group of accommodation managers/owners and small hotel units.
He presented the services offered by the platform to property owners/managers and the privileged cooperation packages.
Panel discussions I
Technology for Property Managers part I
Participants included Aimee Trusler, International Sales Manager AirDNA, Selin Biber, Head of Sales Kigo, Vicky Payne, Sale Executive Your Welcome, Alexandros Karavitis, CEO hosthub and Athanasios Pilionis, CEO Radefy.
Technology for Property Managers part II
Andreas Stefanis, CEO Stefanis Marketing Consulting GmbH (All-in-One), Athanasios Athanasopoulos, CEO Rentability, Konstantinos Kiamos, CEO UPSTREET, Agathoklis Stathogiannakos, Head of Business Development, Welcome Pick Ups, and Andreas Chiou, President of of the Panhellenic Association of Property Managers (PASIDA)
Real estate και Short-term rentals
Themistocles Bakas, President of the Panhellenic Network of Real Estate Agents E-Real Estates, lawyer Daphne Batsara, CEO of the property management company Mint, Nassos Gavalas and Stratos Zafiriadis, Facebook group manager Airbnb Greece – Greek Hosts, under the coordination of journalist Stefania Souki, analyzed the impact of short-term rentals in the real estate market.
Presentation about Sustainability
Dr. Ioannis Pappas, Chairman & CEO of Green Evolution and Director of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), presented the principles of sustainability in tourism.
Panel discussions II
Sustainability & Safety Rules for Hosts
Panel with Charalampos Angeloudis, Deputy General Manager of TUV Austria Hellas, Antonis Dounias, B2B Sales Manager of HERON Thermoelectric, Stathis Stathopoulos, CEO of Maistrali Group (Safety Checked), Theodora Dima, President of the Sharing Economy Association (S.O.DIA) & Dr. Ioannis Pappas, Chairman & CEO of Green Evolution and Director of GSTC.
Design Out of the Box
Participants Eleni Kouroubali, Project sales advisor Istikbal, Eleni Sismanidou, Sales manager Pennie, Evangelos Pashopoulos, CEO Modeco, Elena Varela, Partner Smartbnb and Natassa Pagani, Director, Athenian Street Stories, under the coordination of the decorator Dimitras Petrakopoulou, of Artwave, gave useful tips for small or large design interventions that make the properties stand out from the competition.
Interview: Carlos Villaro Lassen – European Holiday Home Association (EHHA)
In a very interesting on-stage interview, the Secretary General of the European Holiday Home Association (EHHA), Carlos Villaro Lassen, discussed the momentum that short-term rentals have gained.
He said that there are currently 11 million hotel beds and 25 million beds in short-term rental accommodation in Europe.
Panel discussions II
What is happening in Europe
Carlos Perez-Lanzac, President of the Andalusian Tourist Housing Association and Federico Marcucci, Business Development Manager of Vrbo, participated and discussed the present and future of the short-term rental market in Europe.
Positive and Negative impacts
The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, announced that the Municipality has started mapping the city in order to organize a regulatory framework for short-term rentals.
The President of the Panhellenic Federation of Property Owners (POMIDA), Stratos Paradias, submitted a proposal to solve the problem of long-term housing supply. He proposes a 10% reduction in the tax rate on rents from primary residence leases at each applicable tax bracket.
The President of the FedHATTA Federation of Tourist Offices, Lysandros Tsilides, called on owners/managers to work with tourist offices to provide experiences for their guests. He however noted the unfair competition from uncertified tour guides operating on the platforms.
The former president of GNTO, Charalambos Karimalis, discussed ways to address the phenomenon of the underground economy in the industry. And finally, Tasos Thomaidis, Lawyer specializing in tourism legislation & Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism, spoke about the impact of European and national court decisions on the market.
The role of the Associations
in the sector’s future
Theodora Dima, President of S.O.DIA, Andreas Chiou, President of P.SY.D.A. and George Kanellopoulos, President of the Association of Owners of Furnished Apartments and Houses presented their actions and analysed their positions.
Airbnb Greece – Greek Hosts – The faces behind the posts
The managers of the Airbnb Greece – Greek Hosts Facebook group. Stratos Zafiriadis, Giorgos Inziadis, Leonidas Kalavritinos and Christos Morikis, the people behind the posts and comments, discussed the future of short-term rentals in Greece.
New Year’s cake
of the Short-Term Rental industry
The short-term rental community cut its New Year’s cake and prizes were drawn for the lucky winners, which were offered by the companies that participated as exhibitors. The sponsor of the module was Heron Thermoelectric.
Useful workshops
Alongside the conference sessions, there were useful workshops for property owners and managers on both days.
- Hosthub discussed how short-term rentals are not just Airbnb and Booking.com.
- Expedia presented ways to attract travellers from around the world.
- The Tax Heaven hub reported on the taxation of short-term rentals.
- Rentability talked about the efficient management of short-term rentals.
- Radefy presented how landlords can save up to 20% per year by eliminating the cost of delivering and collecting keys to accommodation.
- Management company Mint provided useful tips for successful hosts.
- PASYDA explained how to list your property on Google for commission free bookings.
- SODIA gave useful tips & tricks for attractive listings.
- Welcome PickUps analysed how better service leads to better reviews.
- All-in-One presented its platform for brilliant & easy to use online booking and sales management with promotion for German speaking markets and 450.000 travel agents.
- ibnb.gr analysed the features of the unique Greek platform for zero commission bookings.
