While the best way to grow your business is to add more listing sites to your channel management strategy, you should strive to maximize your performance within each channel too. One way of doing that is gaining access to each channel’s elite host program, like Vrbo’s Premier Partner status.
The Premier Partner program is an invite-only initiative for property managers and owners on Vrbo who meet specific performance requirements. By being a Premier Partner, you receive exclusive benefits and services on Vrbo as a ‘thank you’ for being a consistently high-achieving host.
Vrbo believes hosts who “go above and beyond for travelers” help make the entire Vrbo community a better place. And those property managers and owners who do, are rewarded by the channel for their efforts.
But not everyone is eligible to become a Vrbo Premier Partner. We’ll cover what benefits you receive as a part of the program, what you need to be eligible for an invitation and fast-track tips to reach this goal.
What’s in it for you?
Once you have received and accepted an invitation from Vrbo to become a Premier Partner, you are eligible for a number of benefits as long as your account continues to meet the program’s standards.
Among the benefits of being a Vrbo Premier Partner, you can:
- Communicate with Vrbo’s priority customer support line
- Earn more exposure with higher appearances in applicable searches as well as in searches containing the Premier Partner search filter
- Display the Premier Partner badge on your property listing
- Gain exclusive access to new, unreleased features and tools as a beta tester
- Attain unique opportunities to market your properties with Vrbo.
What is the Premier Host Filter on Vrbo
The Premier Host filter on Vrbo is a valuable tool for travelers seeking high-quality accommodations. This feature allows users to refine their search results, displaying only properties managed or owned by hosts who have achieved Premier Host status.
Impact on Search Results
For property managers or owners, achieving this status means your listings gain heightened visibility. When travelers activate this filter, only listings from Premier Hosts will appear, ensuring these properties receive more exposure. This increased visibility can lead to more consistent bookings, offering a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.
Benefits for Travelers:
- Enhanced Trust: Travelers can book with confidence, knowing they are selecting from hosts with a track record of excellence.
- Streamlined Choices: The filter helps narrow down options, making it easier to find reliable accommodations.
Advantages for Hosts:
- Increased Exposure: Listings from Premier Hosts are positioned prominently in filtered search results.
- Potential for More Bookings: With better visibility, these properties may experience higher booking rates.
Overall, the Premier Host filter serves both travelers and hosts by promoting quality accommodations and improving the booking experience.
Understanding the Boost Program for Premier Hosts on Vrbo
The Boost program is a strategic opportunity designed for Premier Hosts to elevate their listing’s visibility. Here’s how it works:
- Earning Power-Ups: As a Premier Host, you’ll gather power-ups in two primary ways. First, by accepting a booking request from a potential guest. Second, by having a guest complete their stay at your property. These actions are the building blocks of accumulating power-ups.
- Listing-Specific Benefits: It’s key to know that power-ups are bound to the specific listing that earns them. This ensures that only the most deserving listings can leverage these benefits.
- Enhancing Search Position: Once you’ve earned power-ups, you can use them to boost the visibility of your listing. Improved search position means your property appears more prominently when potential guests are looking for a place to stay, enhancing your chances of securing bookings.
By participating in the Boost program, Premier Hosts can gain an edge in a competitive market by strategically enhancing their listings’ positions, directly translating to more visibility and potential bookings.
How you can become a Premier Partner
Premier Partners come in all shapes and sizes, and Vrbo’s requirements vary by the number of properties you manage. If you only have one property, you must meet the following over a 365 day period:
- 5 or more bookings
- 3 or more traveler reviews
- 4.5 or higher average review score
- 85% or more booking acceptance rate
- Under 10% cancellations
- Online payments must be enabled
- Online bookings must be allowed
If you’re invited to become a Premier Partner on Vrbo, your property will display the Premier Partner badge and you will have access to all of the benefits provided as long as you continue to meet all of the above criteria.
If you have more than one property, there is a two-step process to follow in order to become a Vrbo Premier Partner.
First, you must enable online payments and allow online bookings. In addition, at least 10% of your listings must have at least five bookings and three or more guest reviews within a 365-day period.
Once you’ve met those requirements, there are only a few more boxes to check. You must have more than 50% of your eligible properties meet the following requirements:
- 4.5 or higher average review score
- 85% or more booking acceptance rate
- Less than 10% cancellations
For example, if you manage 20 eligible vacation rental properties and 10 of which have at least 5 bookings and 3 reviews in one year, then if at least 6 of those properties (more than 50%) meet program criteria, you should receive an invitation to become a Vrbo Premium Partner. It is those 6 properties that will be able to display a Premier Partner badge in Vrbo search results.
Vrbo‘s Quarterly Assessments and Their Impact on Premier Host Status
Vrbo conducts quarterly evaluations to determine which hosts qualify for its Premier Host program. This process is pivotal for hosts aiming to achieve or maintain their prestigious Premier Host status.
When Are the Assessments Conducted?
Assessments occur four times a year on:
- February 1
- May 1
- August 1
- November 1
During these assessments, Vrbo meticulously reviews the performance of hosts over the previous 365 days to decide who keeps or gains the esteemed Premier Host title.
What Do the Assessments Entail?
The assessments are comprehensive, looking at several key metrics from the past year. Hosts are expected to meet specific criteria, which are not disclosed in detail but likely include guest satisfaction, booking consistency, and adherence to Vrbo‘s standards.
How Do Quarterly Assessments Affect Premier Host Status?
- Maintain or Gain Status: Hosts who meet the necessary criteria are either awarded or retain the Premier Host designation.
- Losing the Status: If a host does not meet the requirements, their Premier status is revoked. However, there’s no need for despair—hosts can re-enter the program automatically once they meet the benchmarks in a future assessment period.
Being vigilant about these assessments ensures hosts are always aligned with the best practices, ultimately benefiting both the hosts and their guests. This structured evaluation helps maintain a high-quality standard within the hosting community.
How Can Hosts Track Their Progress Toward Achieving Premier Host Status?
Monitoring your journey to becoming a Premier Host is essential for achieving success. Fortunately, there are efficient tools available to help track your performance metrics and enhance your hosting journey.
Performance Scorecard
The Performance Scorecard is a key resource. Found directly in the host dashboard under the performance section, this tool provides a comprehensive overview of your metrics, offering valuable insights into various performance indicators.
Key Metrics Displayed
- Booking Acceptance Rate: Check the percentage of booking requests you accept—an important factor in your overall performance.
- Owner-Initiated Cancellation Rate: Keep an eye on the rate at which you cancel bookings, as this can significantly affect your status.
- Average Review Rating: Your guests’ feedback helps paint a picture of your hosting quality. Regularly monitor your average rating.
- Number of Reviews and Bookings: Track the total number of reviews and bookings to understand your activity level and customer engagement.
Downloadable Reports
To delve deeper, download comprehensive reports that summarize your data. These reports come with customizable filters, allowing you to sort through different aspects of your performance and pinpoint areas needing improvement.
By strategically utilizing these tools, hosts can stay informed about their progress and make informed decisions to reach that coveted Premier Host status.
3 tips to help you meet these qualifications
If the thought of meeting these requirements is overwhelming, these five tips will put your properties in a position to succeed on Vrbo.
1. Engage leads with an optimized listing. The first thing that catches the eye of any searcher, is beautiful photos of your vacation rental property. Humans process images faster than words, so photos are often the deciding factor on which listing gets a click or not. Beyond photos, make sure that both your headline and description of your property are professional and appeal to your target audience. Finally, to appear in as many searches as possible, make sure you have denoted all of your properties amenities where available. An optimized listing will get you well over the five booking threshold needed to be a Premier Partner.
How Optimizing Your Pricing Strategy Helps Maintain Premier Host Status
Achieving and retaining Premier Host status requires keeping your occupancy rates up and consistently attracting bookings. A critical component in this process is fine-tuning your pricing strategy. With an effective approach, you can maintain high occupancy, attract more guests, and maximize your earnings without compromising on potential income. Here’s how:
Dynamic Pricing for Seasonal Changes
Adapting your rates based on seasonality can significantly boost occupancy. During periods when demand is lower, consider introducing special discounts and promotions. These incentives make your property more appealing to budget-conscious travelers during slower times.
Weekend and Weekday Variance
Adjusting prices to reflect demand fluctuations between weekends and weekdays is another effective tactic. Guests are often willing to pay a premium for weekend stays, so slightly increasing rates during these periods can enhance revenue while decreasing prices mid-week encourages steady bookings.
Incentives for Extended Stays
Encouraging longer stays through special rates benefits both you and potential guests. Such incentives can fill your calendar and reduce the need for frequent check-ins and outs, providing a seamless experience for both parties.
Utilizing Advanced Pricing Tools
Leveraging dynamic pricing tools like PriceLabs, Beyond, DPGO, Guesty PriceOptimizer or Wheelhouse can offer real-time insights to optimize your rates automatically. These tools help balance your pricing strategy by analyzing market trends and adjusting prices to maximize occupancy and revenue effortlessly.
By implementing these pricing strategies, you can ensure a steady stream of bookings, keep your property occupied throughout the year, and maintain the coveted Premier Host status.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews. Not only do you need guest reviews to be a Premier Partner, but they inherently attract more bookings. Vrbo asks guests to review their stay after they’ve checked out, but oftentimes travelers ignore or forget these reminders. It’s best to follow these steps to solicit more feedback from your guests. Requesting reviews from past guests isn’t just a practice to gain channel favor within Vrbo, but should be carried out across channels throughout your business.
3. Enable instant book. The best way to gain more bookings on channels is to turn on instant book. This will help you gain more exposure, capture last minute travelers and earn a higher ranking in searches. Follow these best practices to get the most out of the feature.
Juggling each of your properties across multiple channels can be both time consuming and an organizational nightmare, but Guesty can help you keep your business in order so you can focus on its growth and its Premier Partner status.
Guesty makes it easy to manage all of your listings on Vrbo – and every other channel in your marketing strategy – to ensure that you gain maximum exposure and reservations without the fear of double bookings.
Our direct connections to every major channel provide superior performance compared to other software providers that use unreliable, third-party channel managers.
If you follow these tips and put Guesty to work for you, you’ll have a Premier Partner badge in no time.