Launched in the United States in March 2021, the program is now available in Canada, France and the UK
London, September 15th, 2021 - Vrbo ®, an Expedia Group company, announced today that Fast Start, a program designed to help new properties capture vacation rental demand, has expanded to Canada, France and the UK. The program increases the visibility of new properties in the first 90 days and displays a review score based on reviews from other travel sites. It launched earlier this year in the United States and today marks its global rollout.
Properties eligible for Fast Start are listings with a 4.5+ review rating and have earned more than £2,000 in the last year, or the host is a Superhost. New properties across all vacation rental segments and brands - from individual owners to multi-property accounts - will display a ‘New to Vrbo’ badge for 90 days and feature its review score based on reviews from other travel sites. During this time, the new property will have an elevated position in the sort order and will receive personalized support optimizing their listing if they choose. The property does not have to be exclusive to Vrbo.
“Fast Start removes the cold start problem new properties can experience when joining sites, tapping them right into the huge traveler demand our site delivers. It helps new hosts and our current hosts with new listings get on our platform quickly whilst keeping their hard-earned review score. Fast Start is a popular program and we are excited to make it available in Europe and Canada,” said Hari Nair, SVP Account Management, Expedia Group.
Fast Start provides a proven positive impact for properties joining the program. Properties who are part of the program receive:
- 25% increase in bookings;
- 50% increase in booked nights;
- 140% increase in gross booking value[1]
Kevin Locraft, VP Partner Success, Vacation Rental, Expedia Group added, “Since inception, our data and insights from hosts participating in Fast Start show there are strong positive outcomes not only for the hosts but also for our travelers. For over twenty-five years, it’s been Vrbo’s mission to pair homeowners and property managers with families and friends looking for a place to stay and spend time together. That mission endures just as strong today as it did when we started, and we truly appreciate all of our hosts who are continuing this journey with us, at such a critical time for the travel industry.”
For more information and to be part of Fast Start please visit: https://welcome.expediagroup.com/.
***
1Pilot based on 1,600 U.S. based hosts tested during the pandemic. Comparison between eligible properties using Fast Start versus eligible properties not using Fast Start.
About Vrbo
In 1995, Vrbo introduced a new way for people to travel together, pairing homeowners with families and friends looking for places to stay. We were grounded in one purpose: To give people the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together. Since then, we've grown into a global community of homeowners and travelers, with unique properties around the world. Vrbo makes it easy and fun to book cabins, condos, beach houses and every kind of space in between.
Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers homeowners and property managers exposure to over 750 million visits to Expedia Group sites each month. To learn more, visit www.vrbo.com.
© 2021 Vrbo, an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Vrbo, HomeAway, the Vrbo logo, and the HomeAway logo are trademarks of HomeAway.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. The Expedia Group family of brands includes: Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, Egencia®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.
For more information, visit www.expediagroup.com. Follow us on Twitter @expediagroup and check out our LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/expedia/.
© 2021 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50