Vacation Rental Industry Month in Review October 2019

How did Booking.com rate your properties? New classification system gives vacation rentals a star rating

October 6, 2019

Booking.com has been slowly rolling out a global rating system for vacation homes—or an AI-powered classification system—as the company described it today at the Vacation Rental World Summit in Lake Como, where Booking.com’s Alessandro Pacilio took the stage to show attendees around its latest product announcement.

VRMA breaks ties with LSI Tools as comparative data provider for vacation rental manager members

October 10, 2019

Days ahead of the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) International Conference—and with data and revenue management at the forefront of discussions—the industry’s trade association announced it has cancelled its VRMA Insights data offering for members.

VRMA International Conference

October 13, 2019

New Orleans, LA

For three days, almost 2000 vacation and holiday rental professionals were invited to attend 60+ education sessions with tangible takeaways. More than 100 suppliers were also in attendance to showcase products and services, allowing professionals to leave New Orleans with solutions and partnerships to help their company succeed.

Booking.com pilots integrated flight booking service with Etraveli

October 14, 2019

Booking.com has unveiled the next piece in its evolution toward becoming a full-service online travel agency — flight bookings in seven European countries. This is believed to be the first time that Booking.com has offered standalone flight bookings other than through sister company Kayak.

Booking.com pledges semi-neutral role in private accommodation distribution

October 22, 2019

The online travel agency plans to create a service called "Partner Up" - a mechanism to allow private owners to connect with property management companies so that they can receive help with their properties.

Vacasa completes Wyndham Vacation Rentals buy

October 23, 2019

Vacation rental management platform Vacasa has completed its $162 million acquisition of competitor Wyndham Vacation Rentals. Portland-based Vacasa now has 23,000 homes in its portfolio across North America, Europe, Central and South America and Africa. The deal, which was financed through cash and equity, was first announced in July. Vacasa bought the business from hospitality company Wyndham Destinations. After closing costs, Wyndham will receive $156 million in cash and $10 million in Vacasa equity.

LiveRez founder and CEO Tracy Lotz out, Inhabit IQ exec to lead internal transition

October 24, 2019

Today, Inhabit IQ announced to its LiveRez customers that founder and CEO Tracy Lotz and CFO Rich Cook are leaving the company. The email stated, “After more than 20 years of shaping the face of the vacation rental industry, LiveRez CEO, Tracy Lotz, has decided it’s time to step away from his role at LiveRez.

Vrbo tests unbranded listings, upsets property managers

October 27, 2019

Previously, Vrbo displayed company logos on listing pages which held enormous value for property managers in building brand awareness. Now, the property photo is being displayed where the logo once was, and the phrase “Property Manager” has replaced the company name.

Airbnb leads $60M investment in attraction bookings brand Tiqets

October 29, 2019

Tiqets, the Netherlands-based ticketing platform for major attractions, has captured the attention of Airbnb with its new Series C investment round. Airbnb led the round, citing how the company has "effectively used new technology to connect travelers to communities."