--- title: "Special Series: Top Pension Trends 2018, 07" description: "The 2018 pension market faced massive changes. From room types and services to booking methods, distribution, and property management — everything evolved." published: 2019-01-07T00:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Insights" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9e11d3128c50ff742ba1d_62e76828e67b53767f2f20b3_5e942cbd241fd86fdc7ddbc6_glenn-carstens-peters-203007-unsplash.jpeg" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=teugbyeolyeonjae-jaldoeneun-pensyeon-teurendeu-2018-07 locale: en --- # Special Series: Top Pension Trends 2018, 07 ![glenn-carstens-peters-203007-unsplash](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a9e11d3128c50ff742ba1d_62e76828e67b53767f2f20b3_5e942cbd241fd86fdc7ddbc6_glenn-carstens-peters-203007-unsplash.jpeg) ### **Top Pension Trends 2018** #### **07. Managing Your Property Bookings** Written by Kim Ji-ho, ONDA Manager Supervised by So Mo-ra, ONDA Manager ### **2018: The Year Pension Booking Trends Went Sideways** The pension market in 2018 saw seismic shifts. Not just in property formats and amenities — but in how guests book, how inventory gets distributed, and how owners manage operations. As we've been covering in Magazine ON for the past six months, pension room types and services have fragmented to meet diverse guest preferences. Pool villas, standalone pension units, kids-friendly pensions — entirely new categories emerged. Operating models and pricing structures evolved in lockstep. But the real story? How booking trends completely rewired the game. ### **Guest Behavior Changed. Booking Management Had to Follow.** It all started when guests changed how they travel and book. If you run a pension or lodging property, take a look at your current booking flow. Check the past year or two. Odds are, the vast majority of reservations now come through online channels. According to Euromonitor's 2018 research, South Korea ranks third globally for mobile's share of online travel bookings — 46% of all transactions already happen on mobile. Five years out, they predict 60% of bookings will be mobile-first. Rewind just 2–3 years. Guests would search on Naver, land on your pension homepage, and book via the site's real-time booking widget or call you directly. But once smartphones took over, most Flash-based pension sites became inaccessible on mobile. Properties scrambled to adopt mobile-friendly booking platforms and apps. Phone and website bookings didn't disappear entirely. But the ecosystem exploded. Now guests can book through online marketplaces, search engines like Naver and Google, social commerce platforms (Tmon, Wemakeprice), and OTAs. Even social commerce sites — which used to sell lodging as deals or vouchers — have rolled out real-time inventory systems. Guests can now check availability and book instantly, even on platforms that were never built for it. ### **Bookings Come In Online. You're Still Managing Them Offline?** So while guests book through digital channels, how are you managing those reservations? Do you use booking management software? Or are you still relying on Excel, notebooks, or handwritten ledgers? If you're still doing it manually, read on. We're about to break down exactly why it's time to change. ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b237de9027de1340d4d0_62e76828e67b5352ce2f20b4_5e942cbd63900024f3d8bccd_sarah-shaffer-729175-unsplash.jpeg) If you're logging booking info into offline ledgers, you're bound to miss the constant stream of changes. Millennials and Gen Z — the cohort driving travel trends — do *everything* online. Transport, lodging, dining, activities. They book, modify, cancel, and even handle customer service via chat. All from their phones. Online booking info is generated, updated, canceled, and modified in real time. If you're trying to track all that in a paper ledger, you're going to miss updates. Constantly. And the biggest pain point for pension owners? **Managing reservations across dozens of booking channels.** Booking.com, Agoda, Tmon, Wemakeprice, Yanolja, Yeogi Eottae… if you've ever dealt with a double-booking nightmare, you know. As guest booking channels multiply, booking management gets exponentially more complex. More channels mean more double-booking penalties and bigger losses. ### **Booking Management Costs Money. Let's Calculate It.** The booking environment is getting messier. But have you ever thought of booking management as a *cost*? Most pension owners don't — even when they don't factor in their own labor. So let's do it. **Magazine ON presents: How to quickly estimate your booking management cost.** How long does it take you to confirm a new booking and block the room across other platforms? How many bookings do you get per day on average? Let's assume: - Blocking a room takes 10 minutes - You get 6 bookings per day (off-peak/shoulder season average) That's **1 hour a day just on booking management**. Add 15 minutes daily for guest inquiries, and you're at **1.25 hours/day** — roughly **38 hours/month**. At South Korea's 2019 minimum wage (₩8,350/hour), that's: **38 hours × ₩8,350 = ₩317,300/month** (~₩3.8 million/year). But that's not all. Factor in **potential liability costs** from double bookings. Industry averages put the double-booking rate at roughly 1 in 20. Using the same assumptions, that's **9 double bookings per month**. If your room rate is ₩100,000 and you compensate 50% per incident: **₩100,000 × 9 × 0.5 = ₩450,000/month**. **Total monthly cost: ₩770,000** — just from booking management and double-booking penalties. This is a rough estimate using industry averages. Want to calculate your property's exact monthly booking management cost? Use this formula: ![](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b237de9027de1340d4d8_62e76828e67b53c7082f20b6_5e942cbdb499e5e553df4010_0.png) ### **Choose the Right Booking Management System for Your Property** If you've been hemorrhaging money without realizing it, now's the time to find a fix. The solution is simpler than you think. **Online bookings? Manage them online.** That's it. Guests are booking digitally. You should be managing digitally. The days of handling reservations via text messages are over. Online booking platforms and all-in-one management apps have proliferated. But which one is right for you? Here are a few tips for choosing a booking management system. #### **_1. Does it support a mobile app?_** Pension owners are busier than almost anyone in hospitality. You handle booking inquiries, reservation management, room cleaning, guest service, BBQ prep, outdoor maintenance — everything. Asking you to sit at a desktop to manage bookings? Not realistic. That's why we recommend mobile-first booking management. If you have the app on your phone — the device you carry everywhere — you can manage bookings as easily as checking KakaoTalk. On the move, during cleaning, mid-guest interaction — anytime. So check: does the system offer a dedicated smartphone app? Not just a mobile-optimized website — an actual app. Mobile web versions are just shrunken desktop views. Tiny screens, constant zooming, clunky UX. Native apps are optimized for mobile. A few taps, and you're done. If you want booking management to be easy, this is non-negotiable. #### **_2. How many booking channels does it connect to?_** As we've said, booking channels keep multiplying. Managing them all manually in real time is nearly impossible. But what if a booking management system could aggregate *all* your channels into one dashboard — letting you manage everything in one place? Some modern systems do exactly that. ONDA, for example, uses a GDS (Global Distribution System) to list, promote, sell, and settle your property across dozens of booking platforms — all in one go. We also offer features like auto-blocking via SMS parsing and channel manager integrations for real-time syncing across OTAs. Leverage tools like this, and you'll save both time and money. #### **_3. Does it include a real-time booking widget for your website?_** Consolidating third-party booking channels is critical. But it's equally important that your system provides a **real-time booking widget** you can embed on your homepage or social channels — and that it syncs with your other reservations. Most booking management systems either don't offer this or require separate management. Check whether the platform you're considering includes a unified booking widget. It's a key differentiator. ### **Check Out ONDA.** The tips above are objective criteria any property owner should consider. But to save you time, let me give you a shortcut: **start with ONDA.** ONDA's mission is to "present a better tomorrow for the lodging industry." We're an IT company rooted in hospitality. We meet and talk with pension owners constantly to understand what they actually need. That's how ONDA Pension Plus was born — and why we keep iterating based on real feedback. Want to learn more? Check out page 16 of this issue of Magazine ON, visit ONDA's official website, or read our Naver blog. Ready to try it yourself? Scan the QR code below or search "ONDA Pension Plus" on Google Play or the App Store. ![0 1.png](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a8b237de9027de1340d4e1_62e76828e67b53a9fd2f20b7_5e942cbdf70fbb5afd0fe237_0-1.png) ### **What's Next for the Pension Market in 2019?** We've crossed into 2019. What's coming next for pensions and lodging trends? As mentioned in the industry analysis section, hotel booking rates are rising steadily — while pension and guesthouse bookings are declining. Guests are gravitating toward standardized, convenience-focused properties. "Staycations" in urban hotels are also on the rise. If this trend continues, the old pension playbook — BBQ and nature — won't be enough. To survive the turbulence ahead, you'll need compelling content, visibility across more channels, and higher standards of facilities and service. Thank you for following **Top Pension Trends 2018**. ONDA hopes the insights we've shared help you navigate 2019 with confidence. **\[Series Index\]** [2018.07 Understanding the Pension Business](https://onda.me/magazine/19/post/1408) [2018.08 Analyzing Successful Pensions](https://onda.me/magazine/20/post/1558) [2018.09 Rooms and Services](https://onda.me/magazine/21/post/1644) [2018.10 Interior Design Deep Dive](https://onda.me/magazine/22/post/1759) [2018.11 Pricing and Peak Season Strategy](https://onda.me/magazine/23/post/1814) [2019.12 Reducing Vacancy Rates](https://onda.me/magazine/24/post/1920) **2019.01 Managing Your Property Bookings** ## [**\>> View Full Magazine <<**](http://bit.ly/magazineon25) --- ⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as 'ONDA (온다)' when quoting.