ONDA Goes to Singapore

TL;DR

ONDA meets its partners

ONDA's vision is to shape a better future for the hospitality industry. We know that vision can't unfold in Korea alone. That's why from October 19–25, the ONDA team traveled to Singapore. Here's a quick recap of what we did.

ONDA Meets Its Partners

ONDA's partner ecosystem is broader than you might think. Our hotel and accommodation owners — you, the readers — are our core partners and always will be. But we also partner closely with online travel agencies and a range of affiliate platforms. On this trip, we met with both sides.

When global companies set up their Asia headquarters, it's usually in Singapore or Hong Kong. We visited the APAC offices of HomeAway and Airbnb and held partnership meetings with their teams.

#HomeAway

HomeAway is running several marketing partnerships with ONDA and integrating with our channel manager. While a deeper technical integration is still in the works as HomeAway upgrades its systems, both their APAC and Korea offices stay in close touch to maximize partner benefits. Case in point: the aggressive six-month commission waiver promotion we ran together last summer. HomeAway hasn't yet launched major consumer marketing campaigns in Korea, so you may not feel the impact just yet — but according to their APAC marketing lead, early next year they're planning a full marketing blitz. Before that wave hits, we recommend getting your HomeAway integration set up via ONDA so you're ready to manage bookings seamlessly!

#Airbnb

Airbnb needs no introduction — you already know how dominant this platform is. We've been collaborating closely with Airbnb Korea, and we're now expanding that partnership through deeper service integrations. As part of this, we met with Airbnb's Singapore-based engineering team. The project we're building together is a rare chance for mutual learning — it's technically ambitious and meaningful for both companies. We also got to introduce ONDA to Airbnb's APAC Head of Product. The office itself was impressive: three full floors, previously occupied by Facebook APAC. Maybe good feng shui? Either way, Airbnb APAC is growing fast. Here's a peek inside (security wouldn't let us shoot much more).

#SOOZIP

ONDA now serves 15 countries. Singapore is one of them. We visited SOOZIP — a property near Tanjong Pagar station — in person. (Fun fact: SOOZIP is also featured in this issue's interview.) The property occupies the penthouse of its building and has a stunning view. We didn't stay this trip, but it's on the list for next time. If you haven't read the SOOZIP interview yet and want to know more, check it out!

#WIT_ASIA_2017

ONDA made it to the semi-finals of the Annual Start-up Pitching Competition at Web In Travel Asia 2017 — Asia's largest travel conference. Twelve startups from around the world were selected. Each team got five minutes to pitch and three minutes for Q&A. It was all in English. ONDA's co-founder and head of branding & marketing, Jiho, delivered the pitch. (You've probably met him if you're one of our partners!) The presentation went smoothly, but we didn't make it to the finals. Still, it was a valuable opportunity to introduce ONDA — and Korea's hospitality industry — to a global travel audience. We learned a lot, and it gave us a strong push forward as we work to build a better future for our partners.

#ITB_ASIA_2017

ONDA regularly attends major international travel trade shows to solve partners' challenges. ITB is one of the biggest. It started in Germany, and we've been attending since ITB Berlin 2016, followed by ITB Asia 2016. In May, we exhibited at ITB China 2017 in Shanghai with our own booth, meeting global travel industry players and promoting Korean hospitality and ONDA. Now in October, we attended ITB Asia 2017, holding back-to-back meetings with global travel companies and exploring new partnerships. ONDA addresses our partners' two biggest pain points — booking management and empty rooms — through both technology and industry strategy. We're constantly seeking ways to reduce your headaches and grow together.

#ONDA Shapes a Better Future for Hospitality

ONDA never stops asking: How can we build a better tomorrow for the hospitality industry alongside our partners? How can we grow together? We don't just think about these questions at our desks. We get out into the field, listen to your concerns, and bring those concerns to the international stage. ONDA is committed to shaping a better future for hospitality — and we're doing it together with you.