China’s Xiaozhu takes on Airbnb with new one-stop management service for flat owners
New service from Xiaozhu geared towards helping more flat owners across China to participate in the country’s growing home-sharing market
A big part of the appeal for travellers in booking accommodation through Airbnb and other home-sharing service providers is the sheer variety of places to stay.
Every property offers different decor and amenities, and travellers get to stay in appealing neighbourhoods or those with the same conveniences as home.
With demand for such accommodation increasing at a rapid clip in China, domestic provider Xiaozhu wants to make it easier for more homeowners across the mainland to open up their properties and join the country’s sharing economy.
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Beijing-based Xiaozhu, often called China’s answer to Airbnb, has launched Lanzu Gongshe – loosely translated as rental business community – that delivers a one-stop solution for homeowners on the mainland to run an Airbnb-like business.
We want to bring our game to the next level with this new business
This new “infrastructure platform” offers a range of services that cover everything from decor design and security, such as the installation of so-called smart locks, to cleaning and day-to-day property management.
“The reason that Xiaozhu has experienced rapid development in China over the past several years is because of the value-added services we provide to homeowners and guests,” Xiaozhu chief executive Kelvin Chen Chi said in an interview, referring to the company’s call centre and other support services.
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“We want to bring our game to the next level with this new business, which will allow more people to easily share their homes online and provide travellers with a better experience than in hotels.”
The introduction of the new Xiaozhu service followed Airbnb’s recent expansion initiative in China’s home-sharing market, which research firm eMarketer has forecast to reach 16.9 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion) in revenue this year – up from an estimated 12.5 billion yuan last year and about 2 billion yuan in 2014.