Vrbo’s Premier Host Makes Its Debut In Canada

Vrbo has now made its Premier Host program available in Canada.

The Expedia Group company refined the Premier status program back in April of this year to better serve rental owners and property managers at an account level across all listings, and to provide enhanced benefits and is now live for Vrbo rental vacations in the Canadian market.

Vrbo’s Premier Host program recognizes and rewards partners who consistently go above and beyond for guests.

The program name is rebranded ‘Premier Host’ from ‘Premier Partner’ to help vacation 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.

With vacation 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.

High-performing accounts that qualify will get the following benefits across every property in one account:

• Premier Host badge to recognize 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
• Priority support with 24/7 access, to keep delivering the best traveller experience

Kevin Locraft, vice president, partner success, vacation rentals at Expedia Group, explained that: “Our Premier Host program was designed to deliver value to both our partners and our shared travellers to ensure an overall positive experience,” “With a growing demand for our vacation 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.”

For more, go to the Vrbo Discovery Hub or check out the video below: