In October of 2021, I booked a round-trip ride between New York City and Miami on Amtrak's overnight sleeper train. In total, I spent 60 hours on the rails.
22.08.2024 - 04:41 / skift.com / Brian Chesky / Ariane Gorin
Expedia’s short-term rental platform Vrbo is trying to attract hosts with a new line of ads that offer the same promise it advertises to renters: a stress-free alternative to competitors like Airbnb.
The short-term rental platform has expanded its “Relax, you booked a Vrbo” branding campaign into a new line of ads appealing to hosts, centered around the slogan: “Relax, you host on Vrbo.”
And while none of the new spots explicitly mention industry titan Airbnb, Vrbo continues to take veiled shots at its biggest competitor, poking at key differences between the two platforms – like Vrbo’s stated tendency to attract longer-term guests and its fledgling OneKey rewards program.
One ad features a man and a boy relaxing in a fishing boat on a lake and invites hosts to “sit back and attract repeat guests” at their properties, thanks to Vrbo’s rewards program for travelers, OneKey, “a rewards program you won’t find on any other platform.”
The program allows users to collect OneKey cash by booking through Expedia and its subsidiaries Hotels.com and Vrbo. That cash can be used to pay for future bookings across all three platforms.
Indeed, Expedia sees its OneKey program as a potential boon to Vrbo’s growth. In an earnings call earlier this month, Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin said Vrbo had seen improvements in growth in the second quarter, and cited OneKey as part of the reason why. She noted that 30% of Expedia or Hotels.com travelers who earned OneKey cash went on to try Vrbo for the first time.
Expedia didn’t respond to emailed questions from Skift on whether OneKey has been shown to bring in more repeat guests, as the new ad claims.
Meanwhile, Airbnb has long been considered an outlier in the hospitality industry for its lack of a loyalty program, but the company has shown little urgency in launching one. CEO Brian Chesky told Skift earlier this year the company could “probably” start up some sort of rewards program in the future, but he ruled out using a traditional points- or subsidy-based system. Chesky has said that building a more personalized platform is more effective at building loyalty than a rewards program.
Another new ad builds on Vrbo’s attempts to define itself as a platform for longer-term stays – appealing to hosts searching for steadier, lower-maintenance guests.
The ad script notes how “other vacation platforms offer a flurry of guests coming and going,” as the camera pans over spilled popcorn and orange peels scattered in the grass. But the narrator promises Vrbo guests stay at properties “significantly longer,” so hosts “can take your mind off it and relax.”
The camera zooms out to reveal the litter isn’t surrounding a trashed and busy vacation rental property, but is scattered around a picnic
In October of 2021, I booked a round-trip ride between New York City and Miami on Amtrak's overnight sleeper train. In total, I spent 60 hours on the rails.
Vrbo has a new ad featuring legendary Alabama University football coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban as a nightmare vacation rental host. He soaks in a hot tub with with a clearly unsettled couple seeking privacy, tells them they can shower for five minutes maximum, and warns there’s “no fun” allowed.
“An unexplored territory….Untouched. Uncharted.” That’s the message in Saudi Arabia’s new global tourism campaign to attract overseas travelers to the kingdom.
A new promotion allows Best Western Rewards members to earn double points on all stays between Sept. 3 and Nov. 18.
The flag carrier of Mexico is growing in Miami with an all-new route to Cancun, Mexico.
TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.
As the founder of a travel site, Michael Rozenblit and his partner Maggie have stayed in hundreds of Airbnbs over the past decade.
New Jersey Transit is making it easier to get to the beach this Labor Day holiday weekend by offering free tickets for all customers.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, August 22, 2024, and now, here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
I've taken all sorts of Amtrak train rides in various classes. In 2021, I finally booked the top option.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kiran Ali , an American who relocated to Dubai with her family. She works as a director of partnerships in a Fintech company. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
The world's largest hotel company continues to think outside the box of its traditional brands.