Vrbo®, an Expedia Group company and the partner brand for holiday rental site Stayz, announced today it has refined its Premier status program for holiday rental owners and property managers to serve them at an account level across all listings, as well as to provide enhanced benefits. Vrbo’s Premier Host program recognises and rewards partners who consistently go above and beyond for guests.
The program name is rebranded ‘Premier Host’ from ‘Premier Partner’ to help holiday rental partners unlock new business opportunities with travellers. When testing the verbiage Premier Host versus Premier Partner, Premier Host was better understood by travellers and consequently led to more engagement. Vrbo saw more than a 12% increase in usage with the Premier Host filter.
Vrbo Premier Host Qualifications
With holiday rentals gaining popularity more than ever before, along with travel habits evolving due to the pandemic, the program has been updated to make sure we are constantly adjusting to market demands and changing traveller expectations. To qualify as a Premier Host, Vrbo partners must have a 90% or higher acceptance rate, a less than 5% host-initiated cancellation rate and a 4.3+ average rating. The property must also have a minimum of three reviews and five plus bookings, or 60+ booked nights total across an account. Partners now also immediately qualify once they reach the qualification standards, versus waiting for a quarterly assessment, ensuring they can start using the benefits right away.
Vrbo Premier Hosts Benefits
High-performing accounts that qualify will get the following benefits across every property in one account:
- Premier Host badge to recognise partners who provide quality traveller experiences,
- Premier Host filter to help the property stand out to travellers,
- Access to Boost to help increase visibility, with the ability to improve search position for select dates,
“Our Premier Host program was designed to deliver value to both our partners and our shared travellers to ensure an overall positive experience,” said Kevin Locraft, vice president, partner success, holiday rentals at Expedia Group. “With a growing demand for our holiday rental properties, and as consumer travel habits continue to evolve, we are regularly reviewing and advancing the program to ensure it adds maximum benefit for all involved.”
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