Vrbo, the popular holiday home rental platform owned by Expedia Group, recently unveiled its new suite of promotions, offering accommodation owners a powerful tool to increase bookings and attract different types of travellers. This new promotions platform allows hosts to create targeted offers, boosting the visibility of their listings and improving the occupancy of their calendars.
New tools for targeted offers
Vrbo’s suite of promotions includes four main types of offers:
- Early booking offers: Aimed at travellers who book at least 60 days before arrival, offering hosts the opportunity to secure bookings with higher rates and longer stays.
- Last minute offers: Target travellers who book within 30 days of arrival date, helping to fill vacancies and increase occupancy, particularly in high season.
- Members only offers: From July, hosts will be able to offer discounts exclusively to Expedia Group loyalty program members who, on average, spend 40% more per year, book earlier and stay longer.
- Mobile offers: Also from July, hosts will be able to create offers specifically for mobile device users, taking advantage of the fact that almost half of Vrbo bookings are made via mobile.
These offers can be combined with existing weekly or monthly discounts, offering additional value to guests and boosting the competitiveness of listings.
Enhancing visibility and conversion
The implementation of these promotions not only offers discounts to guests but also significant benefits to hosts:
- Improved ranking in searches: Listings with active offers appear higher in search results.
- Special badging.
- Extra visibility through marketing: Promotions enhance the visibility of listings through Vrbo’s various marketing channels.
According to Expedia Group, price is the most important factor for travellers when booking holiday homes, making competitive pricing critical for hosts.
Easy activation via the control panel
Hosts can activate new offers via the Vrbo control panel by going to the “Calendar > Settings > Settings > Offers”. The process is simple and allows you to adjust the offers according to the needs of each accommodation.
Integration strategy in the Expedia ecosystem
The introduction of “Members Only Offers” indicates a deeper integration of Vrbo into the wider Expedia Group ecosystem. This strategy differentiates Vrbo from competitors that do not have similar loyalty programs, such as Airbnb.
Conclusions
Vrbo’s new suite of promotions offers hosts powerful tools to increase bookings and attract different types of travellers. With targeted offers and enhanced visibility, hosts can improve the performance of their listings and meet the demands of the modern holiday home rental market.
For more information and to activate the new promotions, visit Vrbo ‘s official website.
