As online bookings grow and distribution channels multiply, mastering digital sales has become essential. Here are three ways to sell your property online — and the pros and cons of each.
Hi there — welcome to Weekly ON, your hospitality industry newsletter. As online bookings grow and distribution channels multiply, mastering digital sales has become essential. Today we're breaking down three ways to sell your property online — and the pros and cons of each.
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In this issue
🏨 Three ways to sell your property online
📬 ONDA x Mypfcha — 1st Newsletter & PR Workshop
💡 Travel and hospitality ramp up digital tech investment
⌨️ #OTAadspend #hotelinvestment #KoreanGlobalFestivals #luxuryhotelmemberships #offseasontravel
🏨 Industry Spotlight
Three ways to sell
your property online
Recently I came across a post in a small-business forum comparing customer touchpoints in hospitality versus other industries.
"Running a convenience store? The customer picks items, pays, and you're done. Running an e-commerce store? Order comes in, you ship it, transaction complete."
"Hospitality is different. You're talking to guests long before they book. Even after payment, cancellation rates can hit 30%. On check-in day you're dealing with hot water complaints, power outages, all sorts of issues. And even after they've left, you're responding to reviews."
The author wrote it for folks casually thinking "Maybe I'll run a pension after retirement" — to show them the work isn't trivial. And they're right: when you consider that entire arc of care, a ₩100,000 or ₩200,000 nightly rate suddenly doesn't seem expensive.
But do you have to solve these complex online sales challenges alone? Sure, if you're tech-savvy and confident running operations, you can go solo. But there are ways to share the load.
In this piece we'll break it down into three approaches: ▲outsourced operations ▲online sales agency ▲direct management. Let's dig into the pros and cons.
Outsourced / Third-party operations
👍 Pros: You focus on the property itself. The booking process is handled entirely by someone else. Find a good partner, and you run your accommodation business with minimal stress.
👎 Cons: Less guest contact means less operational hassle. But it also means zero visibility into how your guests are being treated. Pick the wrong operator and your property's reputation takes a hit.
Outsourced operations means handing both property management and sales to a specialized third party. Historically this was common for large hotels seeking operational expertise, but today you'll find firms specializing in small motels, pensions, and even campgrounds.
Why? Several reasons. Rising labor costs mean outsourcing can be more cost-efficient than hiring direct. Hospitality is increasingly trend-driven, and many owners turn to professional operators to keep up with the market.
Online sales agency
👍 Pros: Easy participation in channel promotions to boost visibility. With platforms like ONDA Pension Plus, all channels settle on the same day — no reconciliation headaches.
👎 Cons: Typically all channels display the same rate, making it harder to run channel-specific pricing strategies.
As online booking grows and properties are sold across more channels, sales expertise has become critical.
ONDA's Pension Plus is one of the most representative sales agency platforms. Sales agencies let accommodation owners easily list and sell rooms on their preferred channels based on their needs.
Top-tier agencies have strong dev and ops teams, which means they solve the chronic pain point of overbookings and help you learn best practices. Better still if they have nationwide booking data to share broader market trends.
For first-time operators, sales agencies are often the most efficient way to sell online. But when choosing an agency, there are a few key things to check.
👉 Read the full post: Three ways to sell your property online
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💡 Hospitality Trends
Travel & hospitality
accelerate digital tech investment
As digital transformation becomes mission-critical across every sector, travel and hospitality are no exception.
According to an Amadeus survey, 67% of travel industry decision-makers plan to increase tech investment this year versus last. Their top 2024 priorities: smarter distribution, personalization, and operational efficiency through digital tech.
Projected average spending increases: airports 17%, hotels 14%, travel agencies 13%. Notably, 85% of hotel managers are focused on personalization tech, expecting it to lift revenue by 5% or more.
So what tech are travel leaders watching? This year's top priorities: machine learning, data analytics, and digital payment methods. By 2029, they expect machine learning, generative AI, and cloud computing to become business-critical.
Dive deeper below!
👉 Read the full story
⌨️ Keyword News
1️⃣ OTA ad spend 👉 [Full story]
TL;DR: Global OTAs hit record marketing spend
The story: The Big Four global OTAs — Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, and Trip.com — spent record amounts on marketing last year. Combined sales & marketing spend was up 20% year-on-year.
Why? They're racing to capture post-pandemic travel demand. Competition is heating up not just among OTAs, but against hotels and airlines pushing direct bookings.
2️⃣ Hotel investment market 👉 [Full story]
TL;DR: Hotel investment shrinks as property conversion appetite cools
The story: South Korea's commercial real estate investment volume fell in 2023 amid rising interest rates and construction costs. Hotel investment slowed as appetite for property conversions declined.
What's next? Post-pandemic inbound tourism is rising, which has investors bullish on hotel operating income.
3️⃣ Korean global festivals 👉 [Full story]
TL;DR: Ministry of Culture selects Incheon, Suwon, Hwacheon festivals for global push
The story: Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has chosen three festivals — Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, and Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival — for global promotion as part of its push toward 20 million annual inbound tourists.
Support plan? Overseas showcases and marketing campaigns to boost foreign visitor attendance by 100%+ and drive regional economic growth.
4️⃣ Luxury hotel memberships 👉 [Full story]
TL;DR: Five-star hotels double down on membership programs
The story: Korea's luxury hotels are strengthening paid membership services. Recent updates from Club Chosun, Trevis Club, and others include upgraded benefits and new premium tiers.
Why? Memberships help hotels lock in loyal customers and build first-party data. Long-term, this drives direct bookings via the hotel website and improves profitability.
5️⃣ Off-season travel demand 👉 [Full story]
TL;DR: Overseas travel demand stays strong through April–June off-season
The story: The traditional April–June off-season is seeing continued growth in outbound travel. Yellow Balloon reports Q2 overseas package bookings up 70% year-on-year.
Why? Corporate vacation culture used to concentrate around July–August, creating a sharp peak-season divide. As workplace flexibility grows, the boundary between peak and off-peak is blurring.