Marriott International announced recently that almost 300 exclusive Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban homes had been added to its curated and growing collection of premium and luxury whole home-rental properties, marking Homes & Villas’ debut in South Africa. 

Launched in May 2019, Homes & Villas by Marriott International boasts over 50 000 properties in over 500 destinations around the world.  

Short-term rentals have become an increasingly popular choice for travellers, according to Technavio, with the vacation rental market expected to grow by US$168.4bn from 2021 to 2026, at a rate of 15.53%. 

A survey by CoStar’s hospitality and analytics firm, STR, asked 1 300 travellers about their levels of interest in various types of accommodation. It found that travellers were, on average, 16% more interested in short-term rentals. 

Short-term rentals were the only accommodation type to score above a 0% interest level in the survey. Participants expressed 0% interest in hotels, while all other accommodation types mentioned in the survey achieved below zero percent interest level.

The launch of Homes & Villas’ gives travellers in the South African market more options for short-term rental properties, with whole home rentals offering space, privacy and independence, particularly for family travel. The collection of home rental properties will complement Marriott International’s existing portfolio of hotels in the country.

Each home listed is professionally managed and meets the company’s design, cleanliness, safety and amenity standards. Homes & Villas also participates in the award-winning loyalty programme, Marriott Bonvoy, which enables members to earn and redeem points for stays across home rentals, hotels and resorts globally.  It is the only home-rental offering to belong to a loyalty programme. 

Each stay also includes 24/7 guest support, professional cleaning, high-speed Wi-Fi, a fully equipped kitchen, premium linens, towels and bath amenities, laundry services, and children’s items upon request.