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In a Nutshell: Comparing the prices of vacation property rentals can be time-consuming and inefficient. HiChee helps travelers compare the prices of vacation rentals across multiple websites, saving travelers time and money. HiChee’s magic search feature enables users to search for a vacation listing using the property’s images. Users who install HiChee’s browser extension can instantly compare vacation rental prices across alternative sites. HiChee’s “Trip Lists” provide daily price alerts, allowing travelers to snag a great deal first.
Most people look forward to vacations. Whether it’s a relaxing trip intended to recharge your batteries or an adventurous excursion that provides a new experience, vacations can offer something of value to everyone. Though vacations come in various shapes and sizes, they usually share a common element — fun.
But many people don’t look forward to the research and planning required to book travel accommodations and transportation. Finding an affordable place to stay that meets your needs and the needs of those you are traveling with while on vacation can be a cumbersome and frustrating exercise.
In 2015, Justin Gordon sought to build a business. Living in Hawaii, which relies heavily on tourism, Gordon reasoned that the vacation rental property business was worth exploring.
Gordon began experimenting with different ideas in the vacation rental space. He soon realized he wanted to focus on adding value to the vacation rental booking process. A lightbulb went off in Gordon’s mind when he noticed that he could often find a property on both Airbnb and Vrbo, but at different prices.
Gordon found it challenging to compare specific listings across multiple sites. Matching listings between sites is difficult because a map search on Airbnb will only show 18 listings at a time, and the map locations are approximate. So matching listings by hand is tedious and can cause errors.
In the U.S., many vacation rental sites initially disclose only the base nightly rate, rather than their total price and other fees, such as cleaning and taxes, further complicating efforts to compare prices.
Gordon set out to develop a product that solved this problem. In 2017, his company ShakaCode.com launched HiChee, a website that comparison shops vacation rental properties across multiple sites to help travelers identify the best deal.
In addition to being the company’s founder, Gordon serves as HiChee’s CEO. We spoke with Gordon to learn more about HiChee’s innovative services and how travelers who use HiChee can save time and money.
“When I was working on different ideas to build a business, I decided I really wanted to find something that was useful to people and added real value,” Gordon said. “One thing I noticed is that the same vacation property would be listed under Airbnb and VRBO, but it would be listed for very different prices on each site. I tried to figure out an easy way to compare prices across sites, but there just wasn’t one. I knew there was value in comparing prices across sites, but I found it was really tough to do.”
Features Simplify the Search for the Perfect Property
HiChee designed its comparison shopping tool to be efficient and easy to use. Travelers can copy the URL from a property listing on a site such as Airbnb and paste the URL into HiChee’s site. HiChee immediately shows a page that compares the prices for that listing on the three leading booking platforms, Airbnb, Booking, and Vrbo. Users can access the Magic Search button to find the property manager’s website.
“What was once a pretty tedious process — matching up listings across multiple platforms — can now be done simply and quickly,” Gordon said.
HiChee’s comparison engine includes a rental unit’s taxes and other ancillary fees to provide users with a comprehensive price to compare.
“We include the extra costs because what matters to consumers is what amount gets charged to their credit card,” Gordon explained.
The savings HiChee uncovers through its comparison process can be significant. Gordon said travelers booking a rental property for a week may be able to save thousands of dollars by booking the same unit for the same dates through a different website.
HiChee’s magic search feature enables travelers to use a rental property’s image to search for additional listings for the same property on other sites. Gordon said magic search can uncover deeper discounts on other listing sites, including the property owner’s direct website.
“Magic search expands our search universe to include everything that Google scrapes,” Gordon said. “There are a million different booking sites, and it would be too time-consuming to search them all independently. Magic search is so simple and useful, and it adds value for our users.”
HiChee’s Services are Available Worldwide
HiChee originated as a company focused on vacation rental properties in Hawaii. Gordon said he decided to expand the company’s reach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HiChee now offers its services to travelers seeking to secure accommodations worldwide. HiChee supports multiple currencies, and Gordon said his plans for the company include offering language translations for all sections of the HiChee app.
Gordon said his desire to improve the experience for HiChee users led the company to offer a browser extension in Chrome.
“After we’d completed building the URL copy and paste functionality, we thought it was a great and unique way to check prices across multiple sites before booking,” Gordon detailed. “But I know that people are always wanting something that is better and faster, and that’s when we thought of offering the service via a Chrome extension. It extends further convenience to our users so they can get the data without the hassle of copying and pasting.”
Users who install the extension in their browser can compare rental property prices without navigating to HiChee’s website. To use the extension, users navigate to their chosen vacation rental listing and click on the HiChee badge. HiChee presents the user with the prices for the listing from Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and the direct listing from the host.
Vacation rental sites permit users to filter their searches by preferences, allowing travelers to indicate their desire for amenities such as air conditioning or access to a swimming pool. Gordon said HiChee’s extension also enables users to apply the rental search filters they’ve entered for one site to another, including the location and dates. In other words, users can narrow their search on Airbnb, and one click can take them to the same search on VRBO.
Because Chrome extensions don’t work on mobile phones, Gordon wanted to find a way to make the mobile experience better than copying and pasting. The result is HiChee’s Trip List feature, which synchronizes Airbnb Wishlists and similar lists from Vrbo and Booking.
The feature enables users visiting Airbnb to save listings to a Wishlist, click the Wishlist share button to copy a link, and then paste the link into HiChee. Thus, a user can stay on Airbnb, create a Wishlist of top choices, and then visit HiChee to see booking options.
Later, when the user adds or removes from the Airbnb Wishlist, the changes synchronize to the HiChee list. Besides comparing prices, HiChee offers a significant advantage to users looking to save.
“If the price drops for a rental and dates you’re interested in, you want to be the first to know, or else some other traveler will book it,” Gordon said. “You’ll also be able to get alerts if a desired property becomes available for your dates.”
Solutions to Assist Property Managers
HiChee’s services predominantly cater to travelers seeking a vacation rental property. But Gordon said he also focuses on solutions for property managers. Gordon is a rental property host, and he said he keeps in contact with other hosts.
“Many Airbnb hosts will also accept bookings directly from travelers,” Gordon said. “But property managers aren’t getting enough direct bookings to justify paying for a website and all that goes along with it, including maintaining the site, learning search engine optimization strategies, performance marketing, and maybe even promoting the website on social media. And even if they do all those things, they still probably aren’t getting enough business to make it worth it.”
Gordon said HiChee offers property managers the ability to verify ownership of a listing and to provide direct booking contact information. The verification process lets guests know they are contacting the owner of a listing and not a scammer.
HiChee is free for travelers to use. Gordon said he is exploring avenues to monetize the site, but his primary focus is creating the most helpful travel site possible.
“What I’ve set out to do is build a product that travelers will want to talk to their friends about,” Gordon explained. “And they’ll want to talk about HiChee and share it with others because of its simplicity and usefulness.”