Vacation rentals now account for roughly 2 million listings on Expedia sites.

When property managers list with Expedia, they benefit from its massive global brand awareness, reaching millions of travelers they could never access on their own. That’s because when you list vacation rentals on Expedia, your properties also appear on Expedia’s portfolio of global travel sites, including Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity. You can even package stays with over 500 airline partners, 175 car rental companies, and 35,000 activities.

But with over three million total accommodation listings on Expedia, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Here are seven ways short-term rental properties can stand out—and seven ways you can increase visibility and bookings on Expedia. 

1. Maximize Your Content Score

Your Content Score is Expedia’s rating of the quality of your listing, to a maximum score of 100. After you’ve listed your property, you’ll find its score in Partner Central under Property Details, along with recommendations for improving it. 

Strive for a perfect score by following all of Expedia’s suggestions. The higher the score, the higher your visibility on Expedia because it demonstrates that your listing information and policies will appeal to travelers. And the top listings in search results always get the most clicks.

2. Complete Your Listings Thoroughly 

Amenities are important factors in your Content Score. Provide as much information as possible about your amenities to help Expedia match it with travelers looking for properties like yours. This should include room amenities such as views, bathroom features, and climate control, and property amenities like recreation facilities, airport transportation, and local attractions. 

The photos you upload are just as important. Add lots of high-quality, high-resolution photos showcasing different aspects of your unit and property, including a high-impact primary image. Areas should be well-lit, uncluttered, and realistically depicted. Ideally, you should upload 20 to 30 photos in total, depending on the property. (Click here to learn more about how to make your rentals stand out with great visual content.)

3. Optimize Your Search & Sort Factors

Recently, Expedia replaced Quality Scores with a new system called Search and Sort Factors. The system is based on two main components: 

• Offer Strength. A measure of how complete your listing content is and how competitive your rates and availability are. 

• Guest Experience. A measure of how frequently your property delivers great guest experiences, taking into account relocation and refund rates and average guest ratings.

Taken together, these factors impact your sort order – where your listing appears in results when travelers search for accommodation in your area. The stronger your factors, the higher your listing may appear in the sort order. 

4. Maintain a Dynamic Pricing Strategy

Static seasonal rates are old-school. Today, travelers expect prices to fluctuate and are willing to pay a premium on busy dates and for added convenience. To attract bookings during slow times and drive higher rates during busy times, maintain a dynamic pricing strategy, regularly adjusting rates according to changes in market demand, occupancy, time of year, day of the week, local events, and competitor behavior. 

In Partner Central, you’ll find all sorts of revenue management tools and insights to help you understand pricing and demand in your region. Use them to position your rates competitively, ensuring you never leave money on the table. 

5. Participate in Expedia Promotions

Expedia offers a variety of promotional opportunities to help you attract more bookings, target high-value travelers, and fill need dates. Depending on the promotion, you can target specific audiences based on booking or travel dates, length of stay, or location, pay for premium positioning in the sort order, or choose to pay with a discounted rate, extra commission, or pay-per-click model. 

Popular promotions for vacation rental property managers include Members Only, Mobile Offers, Packages, Campaigns, and Accelerator. Be careful not to participate in too many promotions or offer such high commissions and discounts that they consume a disproportionate amount of your profit margins. Start small and keep a close eye on performance, adjusting parameters or opting out as needed to meet objectives.  (Did you know? The team of Client Success Managers at VacayHome Connect handles promotions on behalf of property managers.) 

6. Improve Guest Reviews & Ratings

Online reviews play an essential role in traveler booking decisions and are a vital source of guest feedback for guiding improvements to attract more travelers. On Expedia, ratings also play a role in determining your visibility in search results.

Monitor guest feedback closely and respond to all reviews to show you’re listening and striving to improve. Earn five-star reviews by making guests feel welcome and well-oriented to your property and the local area, by providing quality amenities that surprise and delight, and by maintaining a spotless, immaculate home. Always be helpful, courteous, and responsive to guest needs and willing to go the extra mile. All this will help create loyal guests who write rave reviews and can’t wait to come back. 

7. Work with a Connectivity Partner

Managing OTA listings and promotions can be a lot of work. A distribution provider or channel manager will save you hours of time by connecting your properties to Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and other distribution channels, allowing you to manage your listings, rates, and availability from one centralized dashboard. And the more channels you’re listed on, the higher your visibility and the more bookings you will generate.

* * * 

About VacayHome Connect

VacayHome Connect is the leading full-service distribution provider for vacation rentals. More than just cutting-edge software, we provide a suite of services to help property managers drive more bookings and better serve their guests. Our API connects you seamlessly to top-producing distribution channels, including Expedia, Vrbo, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and their global affiliates, as well as exclusive membership and loyalty programs. Contact us today to learn how we can help increase visibility and bookings on Expedia—and all other OTAs. 

The post How to Increase Visibility & Bookings on Expedia for Vacation Rentals appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

When property managers list with Expedia, you benefit from its massive global brand awareness, reaching millions of travelers you could never hope to access on your own. You’ll also appear on Expedia’s portfolio of global travel sites, including Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity, and can package stays with over 500 airline partners, 175 car rental companies, and 35,000 activities.

But with over three million accommodation listings on Expedia, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Here are seven ways short-term rental properties can stand out. 

Maximize Your Content Score

Your Content Score is Expedia’s rating of the quality of your listing, to a maximum score of 100. After you’ve listed your property, you’ll find its score in Partner Central under Property Details, along with recommendations for improving it. 

Strive for a perfect score by following all of Expedia’s suggestions. The higher the score, the higher your visibility on Expedia because it demonstrates that your listing information and policies will appeal to travelers. And the top listings in search results always get the most clicks.

Complete Your Listings Thoroughly 

Amenities are important factors in your Content Score. Provide as much information as possible about your amenities to help Expedia match it with travelers looking for properties like yours. This should include room amenities such as views, bathroom features, and climate control, and property amenities like recreation facilities, airport transportation, and local attractions. 

The photos you upload are just as important. Add lots of high quality, high-resolution photos showcasing different aspects of your unit and property, including a high-impact primary image. Areas should be well lit, uncluttered, and realistically depicted. Ideally, you should upload 20 to 30 photos in total, depending on the property.

Optimize Your Search & Sort Factors

Recently, Expedia replaced Quality Scores with a new system called Search and Sort Factors. The system is based on two main components: 

• Offer Strength. A measure of how complete your listing content is and how competitive your rates and availability are. 
• Guest Experience. A measure of how frequently your property delivers great guest experiences, taking into account relocation and refund rates and average guest ratings.

Taken together, these factors impact your sort order – where your listing appears in results when travelers search for accommodation in your area. The stronger your factors, the higher your listing may appear in the sort order. 

Maintain a Dynamic Pricing Strategy

Static seasonal rates are old-school. Today, travelers expect prices to fluctuate and are willing to pay a premium on busy dates and for added conveniences. To attract bookings during slow times and drive higher rates during busy times, maintain a dynamic pricing strategy, regularly adjusting rates according to changes in market demand, occupancy, time of year, day of week, local events, and competitor behavior. 

In Partner Central, you’ll find all sorts of revenue management tools and insights to help you understand pricing and demand in your region. Use them to position your rates competitively, ensuring you never leave money on the table. 

Participate in Expedia Promotions

Expedia offers a variety of promotional opportunities to help you attract more bookings, target high-value travelers, and fill need dates. Depending on the promotion, you can target specific audiences based on booking or travel dates, length of stay, or location, pay for premium positioning in the sort order, or choose to pay with a discounted rate, extra commission, or pay-per-click model. 

Popular promotions for vacation rental property managers include Members Only, Mobile Offers, Packages, Campaigns, and Accelerator. Be careful not to participate in too many promotions or offer such high commissions and discounts that they consume a disproportionate amount of your profit margins. Start small and keep a close eye on performance, adjusting parameters or opting out as needed to meet objectives.  

Improve Guest Reviews & Ratings

Online reviews play an essential role in traveler booking decisions and are a vital source of guest feedback for guiding improvements to attract more travelers. On Expedia, ratings also play a role in determining your visibility in search results.

Monitor guest feedback closely and respond to all reviews to show you’re listening and are striving to improve. Earn five-star reviews by making guests feel welcome and well oriented to your property and the local area, by providing quality amenities that surprise and delight, and by maintaining a spotless, immaculate home. Always be helpful, courteous, and responsive to guest needs and willing to go the extra mile. All this will help create loyal guests who write rave reviews and can’t wait to come back. 

Work with a Connectivity Partner

Managing OTA listings and promotions can be a lot of work. A channel manager will save you hours of time by connecting your property to Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and other distribution channels, allowing you to manage your listings, rates, and availability from one centralized dashboard. And the more channels you’re listed on, the higher your visibility and the more bookings you will generate. 

To find out more, download VacayHome Connect’s free 2023 Expedia Guide: How to Drive More Visibility & Bookings for Vacation Rentals. [Add link to landing page.]

About VacayHome Connect

VacayHome Connect is the leading full-service channel manager for vacation rentals. More than just cutting-edge software, we provide a suite of services to help property managers drive more bookings and better serve your guests. Our API connects you seamlessly to top-producing distribution channels, including Expedia, Vrbo, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and their global affiliates, as well as exclusive membership and loyalty programs. 

The post 7 Essential Ways to Increase Visibility & Bookings on Expedia for Vacation Rentals  appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

Many property managers aim to maximize exposure and revenue by adding more listing sites to their channel management strategy. Multi-channel distribution is certainly an effective tactic, but so is earning “elite” status on the channels you’re already listed on. 

On Vrbo, that means becoming a Premier Host.

To become a Premier Host on Vrbo, you have to meet a specific set of requirements. Once you do, though, you can reap the benefits that come with being a standout participant on one of the industry’s top channels. 

What is a Premier Host?

Vrbo is a booming marketplace: it features more than two million listings available in nearly 200 countries. That means competition is fierce, but it also means there are many, many travelers shopping on Vrbo every minute of every day. So it’s important to stand out!

Premier Host on Vrbo is a free, invite-only program that helps you do just that. According to Vrbo, the program “recognizes owners and managers who consistently deliver great traveler experiences.” When you qualify, you automatically get bumped to Premier Host status.

How do you become a Premier Host?

To become a Premier Host on Vrbo, you have to meet eligibility criteria that are based on the combined performance of all listings in your account. Those are:

• An average review rating of 4.3 or higher
• A booking acceptance rate of 90% or higher
• An owner-initiated cancellation rate of 5% or lower
• At least three Vrbo reviews
• Five bookings or 60 booked nights

What are the benefits of becoming a Premier Host?

Once you achieve Premier Host status, the included benefits will apply to all properties in your account. Again, your promotion to Premier Host happens automatically when you qualify, and the perks can certainly help your listings stand out from the competition:

• A Premier Host badge on your listings shows that you’re a top-tier Vrbo host.
• Vrbo’s Premier Host filter places your listings among the site’s other top performers
• Access to Vrbo’s Boost Program improves the search position of your listings.
• Priority Support from Vrbo’s team gives you access to expedited 24/7 support.

How do you monitor your progress?

In your Vrbo dashboard under “Performance,” you can view your Premier Host scorecard, which tracks your progress toward becoming a Premier Host. You can also download a report from the scorecard to learn more about your overall performance, and you can use the report’s filter and sort functions to identify areas where you need to improve.

Quarterly Assessments

After you’ve become a Premier Host, Vrbo will review your status every quarter to determine if you still qualify for the program. Those quarterly assessments currently take place on February 1; May 1; August 1; and November 1. 

During those assessments, Vrbo reviews performance over the past 365 days and automatically removes accounts that no longer meet the Premier Host requirements. If you’re removed, don’t worry: you can be automatically added back into the program as soon as your account reaches the eligibility criteria again. To learn more about the legal terms of Vrbo’s Premier Host program, click here.

The post Become a Premier Host on Vrbo appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

Research conducted in the last year has shown that roughly 9 in 10 travelers are making accommodation decisions based on cleaning protocols. Of course, that number is slightly inflated due to the pandemic and what guests want during COVID, but the point remains: vacation rental cleaning has always been important, and maybe now more than ever. 

If you’re a property manager, you can decorate your vacation rentals like a pro. You can market your vacation rentals with no mercy for the competition. Heck, you can even name your vacation rental properties and really carve out your own space in the industry. But none of that’s going to matter if your vacation rental cleaning game falls short. With that in mind, here are some vacation rental cleaning tips so you can make sure your properties are cleaned properly—and efficiently!

Vacation Rental Cleaning Tips: The Fundamentals

I. Hiring Professionals

Cleanliness standards are different for vacation rentals than they are for normal homes. Due to constant guest turnover, rental properties require a deep cleaning after every check-out. The only feasible way property managers can keep up with vacation rental cleaning themselves is if they live nearby and treat their rental business as a full-time job. Even then, it’s a ton of work, and most property managers are already running a tight schedule. 

Hiring professional cleaners ensures industry standards—and guest standards—are met every time. Of course, hiring vacation rental cleaning professionals can be its own ball of yarn, so here are a few questions to ask yourself to get started:

Question 1: What vacation rental cleaning service is best for your business?

This really depends on your property (or properties). If your rental is a small condo, the most cost-effective vacation rental cleaning option could be an independent professional and not necessarily a big company. However, if your rental is a large family home or you’re managing multiple properties, full-on cleaning companies are the way to go—especially since they can oversee cleaning schedules for you, which saves you time (and scheduling headaches).

Question 2: What are your vacation rental cleaning priorities?

Once you’ve determined the type of cleaning service that fits your property, you can set out to find some suitors. A great strategy to do that quickly and reliably is to simply contact other owners in your market and ask what cleaning services they use. If that fails, you can go online and search for cleaning companies that are licensed, bonded, and insured. 

A corresponding task you need to tackle at this stage of the process is to identify what you value in a vacation rental cleaning professional or company. Necessities vary, of course, but there are plenty of big-picture questions that you’ll want answers to when you begin to vet your options: 

• “Do you have experience cleaning vacation rentals?” 
• “Who provides the cleaning supplies?”
• “Do you offer emergency cleaning services, and if so, what are the rates?”

Be sure to write all your questions down and thoroughly interview your options to ensure you get exactly what you need.

Question 3: What would you like your vacation rental cleaning team to focus on?

Here’s something else you’ll want to write down: a vacation rental cleaning checklist so you and your cleaning professionals are always on the same page—literally. There are so many different potential tasks for each property, a checklist gives you an organized space to call out specific to-dos, from standard responsibilities like swapping out towels to more nuanced cleaning tasks like removing stains from a carpet. (You can also create a vacation rental inventory checklist for non-cleaning items.)

Putting together a vacation rental cleaning checklist is a proactive way to identify your priorities, not to mention, it can really foster your relationship with the cleaning professional or team you hire and remove the guesswork from the process. If they know precisely what you’re looking for, they can deliver those pristine results for you—and more importantly, for your guests—time after time.  

II. Including a Vacation Rental Cleaning Fee in the Deposit

Look, hiring vacation rental cleaning professionals can be expensive. Perhaps we’ve buried the lede here, but not without reason: hiring professionals is worth it, and as a host, there are things you can do to cover those costs. Namely, you can include a rental cleaning fee in the deposit. 

Several major online travel agencies automatically include a cleaning fee in the total rental price to make it easy for you. Plus, your guests want a spotless accommodation, so even if you have to add a fee yourself, it’s not something you should feel guilty about. If you’re unsure how much a cleaning fee should be, hop on one of the OTAs and do some competitive analysis to gather a better understanding of what similar rentals in your market are charging. 

Vacation Rental Cleaning Tips: The Extras

I. Vacation Rental Cleaning Apps

Vacation rental cleaning is a necessity, but many non-essential extras fall under its umbrella. For instance, vacation rental cleaning apps aren’t technically required for the job, but they can totally make things easier depending on your situation. A few popular vacation rental cleaning apps include: 

• Properly: Founded in 2014, Properly offers a powerful interface where you can build best-practice checklists, stay up-to-date on industry standards, and even learn new skills thanks to a library of “How To” content packed with excellent vacation rental cleaning tips.
• Turnoverbnb: Hosts rave about the ease of Turnoverbnb, which compels you to “put your rental on autopilot” by centralizing cleaning schedules, communications, and more with the company’s highly rated app.
• MaidThis: Available in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Orange County, MaidThis utilizes a proprietary screening process to vet cleaning professionals. The company has made a whopping 50,000 connections between hosts and cleaners since its founding in 2013. 

II. Checkout Task List for Guests

Obviously, you don’t want to put your guests to work. But you can absolutely ask them to take care of a few simple chores before they check out, which will make your job and your cleaning team’s job that much easier. 

A few common things hosts ask their guests to knock out before they leave include: starting the dishwasher, taking out the trash (or leaving it in a designated area), throwing towels and bed sheets into a laundry basket, and removing any food items from the refrigerator. Simple as they might be, little tasks like these can help make the cleaning and turnover process that much more efficient. 

III. Green Cleaning Supplies

Not all vacation rental cleaning products are created equal. Your properties might have specific product needs, but those aside, it certainly doesn’t hurt to team up with cleaning professionals who use green, eco-friendly supplies that are safe for the environment and for people. You can search for green cleaning companies during your initial vetting process, or you can simply ask what products are used when you begin to interview potential candidates. Once you’ve hired a match, be sure to tout your property’s eco-friendly cleaning regimen on your listings, since that sort of detail has the potential to resonate with many travelers. 

IV. Deep Cleanings

Vacation rental cleaning is different from standard household cleaning, and deep vacation rental cleaning is different still from both of those. About two times per year, you or your cleaning crew should conduct a deep cleaning of your properties—likely right before your peak season begins and again when it ends. 

A deep cleaning is the time to clean your properties on a micro level, from the dust that collects on the crown molding down to the grout between the tiles on the bathroom floor. Bi-annual deep cleanings also give you the chance to check off larger jobs, such as paint touch-ups and steam-cleaning furniture.

Want to learn more about how you can take your business to the next level? Contact us today!

The post Vacation Rental Cleaning Tips appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

On the one hand, things are much better than they were this time last year: travel rebounded in a big way during Spring and Summer, and many of those positive travel trends appear primed to carry right into the Fall months. 

On the other hand, pandemic concerns still dominated vacation rental summer news and continue to cause uncertainty, forcing both lodging providers and travelers to remain flexible and open-minded.

The good news is that we’ve known for a long time what guests want during COVID, and really, not much has changed: travelers are still gravitating to vacation homes that are impeccably clean and accompanied by flexible booking policies. The 2021 travel trends that experts identified at the beginning of the year are certainly still relevant today. 

So what’s new? Here’s a roundup of vacation rental summer news and the latest travel industry trends:

Expedia

In the Spring, Expedia—like many others—was still trying to answer the question, “Who’s going to travel in 2021?” Their research revealed key generational differences, as well as just how effective promotions and merchandising opportunities are for lodging providers hoping to target specific audiences. 

Expedia’s latest data reveals some promising figures: more than 75% of Expedia’s American survey respondents claim that they will travel in the next year, with 67% of Canadians on the same trajectory. Here’s another interesting note: in Q2, booking patterns shifted noticeably to cities, with places like San Diego, Chicago, and New York re-establishing their place atop the travel mantel as travelers grew increasingly comfortable in urban settings. 

Oh, and cleanliness was still the highest-ranked consideration for U.S travelers, which means cleaning and hygiene protocols need to remain a top priority. No surprise there!

Vrbo & Booking.com

Recently, Travel + Leisure teamed up with Vrbo to report the growing popularity of off-season travel expected for the Fall. In that report, Vrbo travel expert Melanie Fish told T+L, “Travelers may also be taking their beach or lake vacation later because they just couldn’t get the house or condo they wanted in July or August.”

That’s definitely the case as the calendar flips into the “shoulder season,” with destinations like Hawaii experiencing off-the-charts demand. On Booking.com, U.S. travelers on the hunt for a “second summer” in the weeks after Labor Day are flocking to Florida, which is the top-searched state on the site of late. Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas are also enjoying an uptick in popularity. 

New York Times

Finally, with pandemic uncertainties still very much present, the New York Times dug into a new travel trend referred to as “trip stacking.” Basically, travelers are purchasing two trips over the same period of time and “stacking” them in case one of those trips happens to fall through. That strategy speaks to the hesitation many travelers still feel, so again, rentals with flexible policies figure to remain popular heading into the Fall. 

In that article, the Times also reports that travel in the coming months projects similarly to that of the Spring, with domestic travel—and road trips—continuing to dominate the space. However, some experts expect that tide to start turning in the early portions of next year, including Paula Twidale, Sr. Vice President of Travel at AAA. “2019 was a banner year for travel,” she told the Times. “2022 could be an even bigger year than 2019.”

The post Vacation Rental Industry News: Summer Roundup appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

Keeping track of all those nuances can be a dizzying task—trust us, we get it. But not keeping track of them can cost you in the long run. We’re here to help.

Expedia is a travel-industry juggernaut, but you know that already. What you might not know, though, is that Expedia offers two distinct methods of payment for their bookings: Hotel Collect and Expedia Collect:

• Hotel Collect: For this method, guests pay the lodging provider directly upon arrival or checkout by providing their credit card details.
• Expedia Collect: For this method, guests pay Expedia at the time of a booking. Since the booking is already paid, hosts charge an Expedia Virtual Card (EVC) instead of the guest’s credit card. Expedia retains the data and collects the payment, and the guest’s credit card information is never shared with the property.
  

VacayHome Connect’s Expedia integration utilizes Expedia Collect, which has some extremely important benefits property managers should know about—including packages. 

Our Product Manager, Matt Kill, is an expert on the topic of Expedia Collect. Below, he answers some foundational questions about it, including what it could mean for your business.

What are the benefits of Expedia Collect for Property Managers?

There are several advantages, including being part of the Expedia Affiliate Network, higher placement in search results, and cancellation rates that are less than 5%. But another huge advantage is your properties are eligible for packages. 

Vacation rentals are a natural fit for Expedia Collect packages and have the potential to drive quite a bit of incremental revenue to your properties on Expedia. It’s also how you gain access to programs like Chase Credit Card, Amex Travel, and Hawaiian Airlines. 

What are Expedia Collect Packages?

Essentially, they are bundled deals, such as hotel + flight. 

Does VacayHome Connect see a lot of bookings for packages?

Roughly one-third to half of our bookings are through packages and the Expedia Affiliate Network. They are very popular, and again, they are a natural fit for vacation rentals and property managers who want to bundle accommodations with other perks.

Aside from packages, what other Expedia Collect benefits can we highlight?

Expedia Collect also prevents payment failures, which is typically 20% of reservations that block inventory and lead to countless hours of manual work. Plus, like I mentioned before, Expedia Collect cancellation rates are significantly lower—less than 5% which is fantastic.

What does all that mean for a business?

A lot less work! The absence of payment failures coupled with significantly lower cancellation rates reduces reservations that bottleneck inventory, but never convert. That helps a business downstream by eliminating loads of manual work for reservation teams, call centers, and accounting departments.

***

With VacayHome Connect, property managers can take full advantage of Expedia Collect and everything that comes with it, including—and especially—packages. These bundled deals are quietly becoming a driving force of revenue for properties on Expedia, and VacayHome Connect can help you capitalize on that trend. Other services do not offer this integration, so reach out to us today to learn more!

[Contact Us]

And hey, while you’re here, feel free to check out some other installments in our “Ask an Expert” series:

• Ask an Expert: What are Promotions and How Can They Help Property Managers?
• Ask an Expert: How Do I Improve My Vacation Rental Reviews?
• Ask an Expert: How Do I Write Amazing Vacation Rental Descriptions?
• Ask an Expert: What is Clustering for Vacation Rentals?

The post Ask an Expert: What are Expedia Collect Packages? appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

That’s an obvious statement at face value, but when you stop to consider all of the Who? What? Where? When? and Why? variables, well, the equation gets a bit complicated.

These days, online travel agencies (OTAs) and all other travel websites are a critical part of that equation. Millions of travelers rely on major online channels such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, and their many affiliates to browse lodging options and book trips. 

Some travelers, though, aren’t moseying down those well-known paths—instead, they’re using Private Channels (i.e. private listing sites) for their booking needs. 

Private Channels are large membership-driven companies that offer travel services to their base members. Unlike traditional channels, though, Private Channels such as RCI, Diamond Resorts, Interval International, Extra Holidays, and others are not open to the public; they’re typically only accessible via log-in. 

You can learn more about Private Channels by clicking here.

Travelers sign up to become members of these Private Channels, and with their membership, they gain access to the channel’s network of vacation properties around the world. They also participate in the channel’s core offerings, especially flexible points-based programs that allow members to collect, trade, and even borrow points to secure the trips they want. 

And that’s where Private Channel travelers start to deviate from traditional OTA travelers. Many Private Channel travelers have earned or purchased their memberships, so they have to use that channel’s unique currency (typically “points”) when they book trips. Here are a few popular ways Private Channel travelers gain membership:

• Credit card points through programs like Amex Travel
• Membership through clubs, wherein they purchase a bulk subscription and redeem travel through the club (kind of like a Costco membership, but for travel) 
• Timeshare or home-swapping that allows people to rent out a piece of real estate and use those funds to purchase travel elsewhere

So what does all that mean for property managers and lodging providers?

Well, not all travelers are the same—and Private Channel travelers are a shining example of the truth behind that statement. 

Private Channels frame “vacations” not as a luxury, but as a necessity, and their members adhere steadfastly to that ideology. If you take a few minutes to click around a Private Channel website, you might notice how community-focused Private Channels are. 

The RCI website even has a “Member Stories” section, where long-time RCI subscribers share details and pictures from their experiences. Many of the contributors featured in that section have been RCI members for several decades, which certainly speaks to the loyalty of Private Channel travelers!

And that’s just it: Private Channel travelers are cut from their own cloth. Diamond Resorts urges its members to “make a habit of breaking from the routine,” because generally, Private Channel travelers are ready and willing to do exactly that multiple times per year. They are motivated and want to travel frequently, they are loyal, and they are extremely qualified.

Here are some other attributes of Private Channel travelers: 

• $2,200 average transaction value
• Willing to pay for higher-value bookings
• Book further in advance
• Longer stays (average 5.5 LOS)
• Invest in multiple vacations per year
• Loyal, active, and family-oriented

That’s quite a resumé! 

Sure, we’re painting with a bit of a broad brush, but Private Channel travelers really are “Golden Guests” of the industry. The question is: how can property managers reach them?

That’s the catch. There are millions of Golden Guests, but since they do their shopping and booking on private networks, it is super difficult for property managers to reach them or place any sort of marketing collateral in front of them. 

The most reliable access point—and often, the only access point—to these travelers is through a distribution platform like VacayHome Connect. By using a distribution platform, property managers gain a direct route to millions of travelers they literally can’t reach anywhere else. As a bonus, property managers who connect to Private Channel travelers this way never have to worry about their listings competing against each other.

Contact us today to learn how you can tap into this lucrative market!

The post Who are Private Channel Travelers, and Why are They “Golden Guests”? appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

There are a number of tried-and-true strategies that lodging providers use to set their portfolios apart from the competition. Some utilize promotions for property managers, while others rely on superior content—especially photos and virtual tours—to stand out in the crowded space. 

As an industry leader, Expedia ups the ante with its TravelAds platform. 

Expedia TravelAds is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that helps lodging providers get noticed. These sponsored listings are generally known to be effective for hotels, but here’s the catch: property managers who take advantage of clustering units can also reap the rewards of Expedia TravelAds.

Hold up…what is “clustering”? 

Quite simply, clustering is a strategy where you combine multiple units under the same listing. When you cluster, that one listing benefits from multiple-units availability, as well as reviews and conversion. Clustered units must share the same physical address, such as a condo building, and they must have access to the same property-level amenities—so yeah, they’re a lot like hotels! (Learn more about clustering here.)

On average, there is a 40% booking increase for property managers who cluster. Even better, some properties have experienced up to a seven-fold increase in their production, proving that clustering is an extremely effective tactic when it’s utilized properly.

And that brings us back to Expedia TravelAds—what is Expedia TravelAds, and how can it help your vacation rentals? Well, when your rental units are clustered together under the same roof and listing like a hotel, Expedia TravelAds can be a boon for business. Lodging providers aren’t required to cluster units in order to use TravelAds, but it’s definitely very helpful. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the TravelAds platform and some of what it has to offer: 

Expedia TravelAds: Platform Basics

The Expedia TravelAds platform is all about helping you increase revenue by connecting you with the proper audience. Before we get to how that happens, let’s cover the basics:

• Since the TravelAds online platform is pay-per-click (PPC), you only have to pay when your sponsored listings receive a click from a potential customer.
  
• Your ads only appear when you have availability. To repeat: your ads only appear when you have availability. That is super important because it means you never pay for clicks when your properties aren’t available.
• Expedia’s global portfolio is massive—more than 200 travel sites, to be exact. TravelAds connects you to travelers across the company’s entire portfolio.
• You get to choose the target audience based on real-time traveler intent. That means your ads are only visible to potential guests who are searching specifically for what you have to offer, which speaks to the platform’s impressive flexibility. 

Expedia TravelAds: Platform Tools

The whole point of Expedia TravelAds is to help you maximize visibility and bookings. Once you sign up, here are the tools you’ll use to do that:

Customizable Ads

The ads themselves are obviously the core of the platform, and the good news is that they are totally customizable. You can personalize your ad copy and images to showcase what, exactly, makes your properties so wonderful. Your ads can highlight cool amenities, call out any special offers you might have, or shine a spotlight on whatever else you think will set your rentals apart from the competition. 

Targeting

This is what makes TravelAds so powerful: the platform’s sophisticated targeting ability allows you to place your ads in front of all the appropriate travelers. Your targeting strategy can be as broad or as specific as you need it to be, and you can always adjust your targeting and bidding settings to figure out what works best for your business. So whether you want your properties to be the “worm” for early-bird bookers, the “Oh, phew!” for last-minute travelers, or something in between, TravelAds’ precise targeting ensures you’re hitting the bullseye. (And it bears repeating: Expedia’s hyper-targeting means your properties only appear when you have available dates, which saves you money on the PPC platform.) 

Reporting

Finally, when you start using TravelAds to boost production of your vacation rentals, you’ll gain access to Expedia’s reporting dashboard. It’s loaded with lots of helpful information, including real-time data so you can tweak your campaigns for optimal performance. TravelAds accounts are also buoyed by Expedia’s knowledgable advisors, who assist the platform’s participants in reaching their goals.

Questions? Contact us today to learn how you can get more bookings!

The post What is Expedia TravelAds for Vacation Rentals? appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

Context: Before travelers can book a vacation rental property, they have to see the property on vacation rental listing sites. Roughly 75% of bookings go to the first 15 listings in search results, so yes, where vacation rental properties rank in those results definitely matters! Put simply: when you improve your vacation rental listing placement on the best OTAs, you will achieve more bookings.

Mission: Get your properties and vacation rentals to rank higher on Expedia! 

Strategy: If property managers want their vacation rental listings to rank higher on Expedia, there are several things they can do to attract more travelers, increase conversions, and ultimately, improve placement in search results. 

1. Rank higher on Expedia with: Better Content

It’s no secret by now that online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia extol listings with high-quality content and near-perfect page scores. And there’s a method to the industry-wide content madness: according to Booking.com, properties with a 100% page score receive roughly 18% more bookings. TripAdvisor, meanwhile, notes travel shoppers are 150% more engaged on listings with 20+ photos. 

Every OTA has different requirements, and it’s important for property managers to know what those requirements are in order to curate effective listings. On Expedia, everything in a listing impacts the website’s algorithms: photos, headlines, and even descriptions. You can absolutely use visual content to attract more shoppers, but also be sure to craft thoughtful headlines and inviting descriptions packed with details about your property and the surrounding area. (Click here to learn how to write better listing descriptions.)

Those foundational pieces are so important, Expedia provides various tools through its Expedia Partner Central (EPC) dashboard to help property managers nail their content. The Content Score, for instance, is an evaluation tool that pinpoints any parts of a listing that might need to be revised. Photo Scoring tools, meanwhile, promote optimal image quality with insights on resolution and other best practices (such as photo tagging, which gives you the chance to highlight your property’s coolest features). 

2. Rank higher on Expedia with: More Reviews

Research shows that more than 90% of travel shoppers look at a property’s reviews before they click the “Book” button. Suffice it to say, reviews are a critical part of any listing: combined with all other pieces of content on the page, they paint a vivid picture of your rental and help potential guests experience your property before they ever step foot through the door. 

Property managers can totally encourage their guests to leave reviews, specifically in post-stay communications and follow-up emails. But gathering reviews is only part of the process; you should also respond to every review, too, since Expedia values that level of commitment. Plus, every time you respond to a guest review, it’s another opportunity to showcase yourself as a host—especially if it’s a poor review, in which case your response can actually carry more weight than the review itself! (Click here to learn how to improve your vacation rental reviews.)

3. Rank higher on Expedia with: Flexible Policies & Competitive Rates

In the summer of 2020, the entire travel industry was scrambling to find the answer to one very important question: what do guests want during COVID-19? Flexible policies quickly emerged as a major differentiator, and that hasn’t changed. In fact, Expedia now encourages its hosts to select the most flexible cancellation policy they can. Some property managers balk at this idea and are understandably concerned that it could cause more cancellations. And while that might be true, ongoing research shows that upticks in cancellations are typically offset by large increases in bookings for listings with looser cancellation policies—a travel industry trend that actually came to light early in the pandemic and stuck around. 

For Expedia, creating top-notch traveler experiences is always the primary goal. 

You can certainly demonstrate your commitment to that goal with traveler-friendly policies, and you can bolster your case by making sure your pricing is appropriate. If your rates are competitive for your market, your listings will rank higher on Expedia. Does that mean you have to slash your pricing and book your properties for next to nothing? Of course not! It just means your rates need to be representative of your location and goals, because Expedia takes all of this into account when determining search-result placement.

4. Rank higher on Expedia with: Instant Booking

Expedia relies on a few different scoring systems to measure your business’s standing in the marketplace, including: 

• Offer Strength: This is Expedia’s way of gauging how your listings stack up to similar properties. It takes into account numerous factors, including reviews, pricing, and even recommendations from past guests.
• Quality Score: This is basically how Expedia measures your professionalism. Like Offer Strength, it is influenced by a number of things, including how frequently you initiate cancellations. 

That’s important to know because Expedia is not keen on cancellations or unsuccessful booking attempts. Again, the goal here is to create top-notch traveler experiences, which is why Expedia considers your Acceptance Rate—how frequently you accept bookings versus how frequently you decline them—when ranking your listings.

Fortunately, Expedia’s Instant Booking feature makes the booking process extremely simple. It allows travelers to book a property immediately, which not only saves time, but also keeps a host’s Acceptance Rate at 100%. Stellar Acceptance Rates, minimal host-initiated cancellations, and prompt responses to booking requests are the preferred ingredients in Expedia’s pre-stay cocktail; when you mix it all together, Expedia rewards you with a higher ranking. 

5. Rank higher on Expedia with: Promotions

To rank higher on Expedia in the long run, your best bet is to utilize the above techniques and always make sure your listings are on point. But you can also supplement your own efforts with Expedia’s promotions and merchandising opportunities for property managers, which will push your listings higher in search results and further solidify long-term success. 

Promotions and merchandising tools are flexible, and the robust number of options throughout the year allows you to pick and choose opportunities that fit your business goals. Here are some examples of popular promotions property managers use to rank higher on Expedia:

• Accelerator: This promotional tool lets you pay Expedia higher commissions in exchange for a bump in the search results and overall better visibility. You decide when to turn it on and when to turn it off.
  
• Campaigns: When you opt into a campaign, your properties receive special placement in Expedia’s search results along with email marketing, banner advertising, special badging, and more.
  
• Packages: These bundled deals (such as lodging + flight) are quietly a perfect match for vacation rentals and have the potential to drive incremental revenue to your properties. If you utilize Expedia Collect, you can take advantage of packages—not to mention, you’ll rank higher on Expedia. (Click here to learn more about Expedia Collect and Packages).

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It’s a lot of work to rank higher on Expedia, but if you follow these steps, your listings will climb in the search results. If you’d like help with any of the above strategies—or if you’re looking for a team of professionals to implement all of these strategies for you—contact VacayHome Connect today to learn what we can do for your business!

The post Rank Higher on Expedia: The Top 5 Things Vacation Rental Property Managers Can Do Right Now appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.

Reviews are one of the few universal must-haves across the hospitality industry. Online travel agencies (OTAs) like Vrbo, Expedia, Airbnb, and Booking.com all have their own nuances and quirks. Stipulations and opportunities are perpetually evolving, but reviews remain constant in their value—they are the flywheel that makes the industry go. 

Vacation rental property managers and hosts who rack up reviews on those sites and others are rewarded with better placement in the search results. Indeed, reviews don’t just build trust with potential guests, they can also have a profound impact on vacation rental listing visibility, and ultimately, the number of bookings you receive. 

So, how can property managers improve vacation rental reviews and give their revenue a big boost in the process? 

Let’s start with this simple truth: negative and less-than-favorable reviews are a natural part of the vacation-rental ecosystem. In fact, if you know how to properly respond to a negative guest review, it becomes another platform for you to show off your skills. That’s not to say you want to make a habit of collecting poor feedback, of course; negative reviews stink, but they’re not as prevalent (or as detrimental) as you might assume.

According to Expedia Group, 80% of traveler reviews are actually positive. 

That’s pretty encouraging! 

If you’re a host or property manager looking to improve your vacation rental reviews, then, it could just be a matter of momentum—a slight change here, or a minor tweak there to finally trigger a steady stream of four- and five-star ratings.

We asked our incredible Vice President of Customer Service & Client Support, Millie Wishnow, to share some tips for improving vacation rental reviews. She identified four big categories that property managers can focus on while trying to boost their ratings:

Improve Vacation Rental Reviews with: Cleanliness

It has always been important, but now more than ever. Data collected during the pandemic has revealed that 9 in 10 travelers are making accommodation decisions based on health and hygiene protocols. Cleanliness isn’t the only thing guests want during COVID-19, but it’s the most essential. 

Really, though, cleanliness in the hospitality industry transcends the pandemic. Travelers expect their accommodations to be clean no matter where they’re staying. If you’re looking for ways to improve your vacation rental reviews, make sure your vacation rental cleaning protocols meet (or even better, exceed) expectations. Your guests will definitely notice, and their appreciation will shine through in their post-stay feedback. 

Improve Vacation Rental Reviews with: Upgraded Amenities

When it comes to amenities, the little things can go a long way: coffeemakers, hairdryers, microwaves, and other everyday items certainly help your guests feel more at home. 

In an effort to improve your vacation rental reviews, try elevating your lineup of amenities to another level. Travelers love fire pits and hot tubs, for example—but those aren’t viable options for every property manager. And that’s okay! More practical upgrades such as video games, Netflix subscriptions, board games, and even books can do the trick. While you’re here, be sure to consider your audience, too: if your rental is pet- and kid-friendly, your amenities should reflect that (food and water bowls, child-safe utensils, and so on). 

Improve Vacation Rental Reviews with: Guest Service

Guest service is a lot like amenities: the little things can go a long way. Attention to detail really is the secret weapon here, and when property managers deliver on those “little” things, guests notice. It starts with the basics, such as having enough toilet paper in the bathroom and coffee filters in the kitchen. Cabinets should be stocked with essentials (tea, spices) and closets need to be prepped with towels, fresh linens, and even extra lightbulbs—just in case.

But guest service isn’t just about stuff. Your responsiveness matters, too.  

Millie says: “As a property manager, you want to provide information that guests can use to reach someone in case of emergency, such as plumbing issues or A/C issues, as well as details about who to contact with general questions. Also, don’t forget to share other pertinent details, such as WiFi passwords and instructions on how to operate the TV, fireplace, or hot tub.”

Improve Vacation Rental Reviews with: Experiential Value

Cleanliness, upgraded amenities, and sparkling guest service are three awesome ways to improve your vacation rental reviews. But if you really want to go above and beyond, put on your concierge cap and knock your guests’ socks off with just how insightful you are. Think about it this way: travelers choose to book your rental because they don’t want to stay at a cookie-cutter hotel. They want authenticity, and by golly, you can give it to them!

One reliable strategy is creating a “Welcome Letter” packed with fun and useful information. You can up the ante by pairing your letter with goodies, such as homemade treats or a bottle of wine from a local vineyard. Either way, the letter can be a vehicle for sharing tidbits like:

• Things around town to do and see
• Places or sights to check out
• The best restaurants and coffee shops
• Hidden gems only locals know about
• Whatever else you want!

Ever versatile, your “Welcome Letter” can also feature gentle reminders regarding the check-in, check-out process or any guest responsibilities, such as taking out the trash.

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One final thing to keep in mind as you set out to improve your vacation rental reviews: in order to get positive reviews—or reviews, in general—you have to ask for reviews. Don’t forget to do that in your post-stay follow-up emails, and don’t hesitate to send out friendly reminders. 

If you need help asking for and collecting reviews, Millie and her team at VacayHome Connect take care of that on the property manager’s behalf. Contact us today to learn more!

And hey, while you’re here, feel free to check out some other installments in our “Ask an Expert” series:

• Ask an Expert: What are Promotions and How Can They Help Property Managers?
• Ask an Expert: How Do I Write Amazing Vacation Rental Descriptions?
• Ask an Expert: What are Expedia Collect Packages?
• Ask an Expert: What is Clustering for Vacation Rentals?

The post Ask an Expert: How Do Property Managers Improve Vacation Rental Reviews? appeared first on Vacay Home Connect.