VacayHome Connect is excited to announce a new dynamic relationship with Interval International, Inc. (“Interval International”) to launch VacayHome Destinations for Interval International’s approximately 2 million families who are enrolled in various membership programs. Membership is offered to owners at Interval International-affiliated resorts. This special program enables Interval International members to reserve premium vacation rentals offered by professional property managers like you!
About Interval International
Interval International operates membership programs for vacationers, and provides value-added services to its resort developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market since 1976. Today, Interval International's exchange network comprises more than 3,200 resorts in over 80 nations.
Interval International provides its members — vacation owners from around the world — with comprehensive exchange services and a variety of other exciting benefits that offer value and convenience at home and on the road.
Here’s how the program works:
● Since we are already providing you with distribution services, you are automatically made available to Interval International members.
● Your property content is already stored in our system. We are conducting another content review to ensure your rental properties can easily be selected and booked by Interval International members.
● If required and we do not have on file, we will also need to obtain a copy of your certificate of insurance, standard rental agreement and terms of use which we will edit to retain the relevant terms for Interval members. For example, cancellation and payment policies are not applicable since these are governed by our distribution contract with you.
● Your properties will then be enabled for the VacayHome Destinations program. Interval International members will see your rental rates and will book your property directly into your PMS through our integration. All taxes and mandatory fees will be included in the rate quotes presented at the time of booking. Optional fees such as damage waivers, travel insurance and other services may be included if selected by the member and thus may be collected from the member at the time of booking.
● Since VacayHome Connect will handle financial settlement directly with the Interval International member, the reservation will not include a credit card. Instead, we will remit payment to you based upon the terms of our distribution agreement.
● Most PMS’ automatically generate an email confirmation to the guest once you have accepted the reservation in your system. Some property managers also offer mobile applications (e.g. Glad to Have You) used by confirmed guests which may contain reservation details.
It is critical that you modify the settings in your PMS and/or mobile application to not disclose the rental rate to the member / guest. This step is necessary to protect the confidentiality of our distribution agreement with you.
● When you receive the reservation, you will receive the member’s email address. You can initiate correspondence regarding any needed rental agreement and pass along other vital information, such as requiring a credit card upon arrival for a security deposit, at that point.
Interval International members are accustomed to receiving pre-arrival information (e.g. property access, late arrival instructions, optional services) upon booking so please supply the member with check in and other arrival instructions as quickly as possible.
● VHC’s full-service distribution solution includes offline support for Interval International members during the shopping, booking, and travel process. We will work closely with Interval International’s team to answer questions and work with you to help serve members prior to their stay. We will contact you on behalf of the Interval International member if we cannot answer a question. We will also help obtain information from the member on your behalf as necessary. If the member has difficulty accessing your property during the check-in process, they will be provided with your contact information and asked to contact you directly.
We are confident this program will bring you new guests you otherwise cannot reach through other channels or your own direct marketing initiatives. This will allow you to generate incremental rental revenue on behalf of your owners with little or no additional work once the initial set-up is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How will VacayHome Connect decide whether my properties will be made available in the VacayHome Destinations Program?
A: Interval International would like to offer a wide variety of destinations and types of vacation rental properties to its members. Therefore, once you sign a VacayHome Connect contract for private channels and complete the implementation, your properties will automatically be eligible to be booked by Interval International members. Interval International may elect to restrict access to vacation rental properties in certain destinations (typically where they have numerous resorts). VacayHome Connect will confirm when your properties are made available to Interval International members.
Q: Can I offer travel insurance to Interval International members?
A: Yes, however VacayHome Connect may choose to offer travel insurance in the future since we are acting as merchant of record on behalf of Interval International.
Q: How do Damage Waivers and Security deposits work?
A: If your state allows you to assess a mandatory fee for damage waiver insurance, this will be collected as part of the reservation along with taxes and other mandatory fees. If you are required to offer the option to offer the use of a security deposit in lieu of damage waiver insurance, then you will need to collect this directly from the Interval International member upon check-in.
Q: Will the reservation include housekeeping or other mandatory fees?
A: Yes – if your PMS provides these or any other mandatory fees as part of the reservation request, the member will be assessed this cost as part of the reservation transaction.
Q: Can Interval International members select optional services as part of their reservation?
A: No – Interval International members will be responsible for purchasing optional services directly from you. We recommend that you provide your list of optional services as part of your pre-arrival information and be prepared to collect payment when the Interval International member arrives.
Q: How will the rental agreement be signed?
A: Utilize your normal guest procedures to obtain signed rental agreements. However, we ask that you contact us if a member does not remit the rental agreement within your requested timeframe so we can assist in contacting the member and getting the needed paperwork submitted prior to automatic cancellation of the reservation.
Q: How will I receive payment?
A: All payments will be made in accordance with your VacayHome Connect distribution agreement.
Q: Will I receive member credit card information?
A: No – since VacayHome Connect is handling all financial settlements, a member credit card will not be provided with the reservation. (NOTE: Escapia requires a credit card number in every reservation, so a test card number will be sent. This will appear as a “test” booking in Escapia so the property manager will need to manually accept these bookings.)
Q: Can I market to the member post-stay?
A: Per the agreement, marketing to Interval International members is strictly prohibited. Failure to adhere to this condition can result in the removal of your properties from the channel.
About VacayHome Connect
VacayHome Connect is the leading connectivity and distribution provider for the vacation rental industry, enhancing property managers visibility and capability to rent their properties via today’s most prominent distribution channels, including; HomeAway/VRBO, Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, CTrip and via our exclusive membership loyalty reward programs. The VacayHome Connect platform connects billions of dollars of instantly bookable inventory to millions of leisure travelers around the world.
Our full-service channel management helps property managers from start to finish, simplifying the distribution process of vacation rental properties by delivering personalized services to property managers and guests alike.
What makes us the best? Easy, because we understand your business. We fully understand the constantly evolving vacation rental industry; we will do all the hard work for you, saving you time and generating more bookings.
