Kevin Oh / CEO, ONDA
Founded Haninstel, a booking service for Korean-run guesthouses abroad, in 2008 and ran it for ten years. Founded ONDA in 2016 and is leading the digital transformation of the lodging industry.
Published posts9
Korean pensions at 30: the owner's homemade gimbap, handed over for breakfast
An amendment to the Rural-Urban Exchange Act passed by the National Assembly in October 2026 changes rural homestays to a registration-based system. Breakfast has been permitted since 2015. What stopped pensions from offering breakfast wasn't the law — it was the time constraints of owners caught up in expanding channels and costs.
20 Million Inbound Tourists: Are Korean Stays Ready?
A small Japanese town turns hot springs and floor mats into 1.4M annual visitors. Korea hit 20M inbound tourists in 2024, but repeat rate tells a different story.
How to Get AI to Recommend Your Property
36% of Korean travelers already plan trips with AI. When guests ask by name, AI returns your property 97% of the time — but when they ask for recommendations without knowing you, that drops to 10–15%. We've identified five ways to close that gap.
Five Rules for Properties That Survive When the Balloon Pops (Korea Accommodation Bubble 2)
Right now, as demand surges back, increasing fixed costs will hurt you most when the bubble deflates. We've outlined five principles: convert fixed costs into variable costs, base investments on post-bubble conditions, diversify your channels, prioritize occupancy over average transaction value, and grow repeat guests.
Fuel Surcharges Spike — What Happens to Your Property Next (Korea Hospitality Balloon Effect, Part 1)
As fuel surcharges climb to their 18th tier, overseas travel demand is shifting to domestic accommodations. During COVID, private-rental properties surged and outside capital built pool villas, but supply flooded in with the endemic phase. Those hit hardest were individual owners who had increased fixed costs during peak demand.
Why Motel Owners Are Struggling (Rediscovering the Motel 2)
Motels account for 51.5% of all accommodation rooms in Korea, yet operators uniformly say business isn't what it used to be. Platform commissions and advertising fees eat up 20% of revenue, and day-use demand has declined. We look at what half the market is missing.
Running your property can be simpler
The channel work you repeat every day ends with a single connection.
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