Vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo has launched the first of its new curated search experiences known as “Modes.”
HomeToGo’s first offering is AI Mode, which enables anyone looking for a vacation rental to receive personalized recommendations by describing what they are looking for in words. The system uses OpenAI's GPT language model technology to understand the text input and return relevant results.
HomeToGo co-founder and CEO Patrick Andrae first described Modes as “the next evolution of our power tools” when the development was first unveiled last year.
The AI Mode is in beta testing with more specialized planning tools in the pipeline for launch this year.
“All vacation rentals are unique as are the travelers who stay in them, and it’s time for the search and booking experience to match the individualism of our rentals and guests,” Andrae said.
“This new feature combines our deep expertise working with machine learning and our passion for delivering seamless, unparalleled experiences to our travelers.”
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The company has also extended “Pay-What-You-See Pricing” to U.S. travelers and enabled “Next Door Bookings” functionality to help large groups of families and friends discover nearby properties.
Additionally, the HomeToGo app now includes a “Side-by-Side Comparison” feature enabling consumers to compare a number of homes based on amenities.
Germany-based HomeToGo reported a 55% increase to revenue of €147 million in 2022 year-over-year while booking revenue increased by almost one-third to €164 million versus 2021. The company is targeting €1 billion in booking revenue by 2029.