As one of the largest vacation rental platforms, Vrbo is very popular among travelers who prefer to book spacious accommodations with home amenities at a better rate than hotels and have a more authentic local experience. With the recent release of the One Key loyalty program, Vrbo is one of the few vacation rental platforms offering a travel rewards program to retain customers and encourage repeat bookings.
Let’s take a closer look at the Vrbo One Key rewards program to better understand how it works and what benefits it offers its members—travelers, hosts, and property managers.
What Is Vrbo One Key and How Does It Work?
One Key is a comprehensive loyalty program launched by Expedia Group in 2023 to work across all three travel booking platforms: Vrbo, Expedia, and Hotels.com. Currently, the One Key program is only available in the United States and the United Kingdom, and it will expand to other markets in the future.
Travelers who use Vrbo to find accommodation can join the One Key program for free and earn travel rewards from qualifying Vrbo bookings, which they can use on their next stay. At the same time, property owners participating in the Vrbo OneKey program may benefit from increased visibility on the platform, leading to more inquiries and bookings.
Participating in the program can become a foundation of your success on Vrbo, offering opportunities to build a sustainable vacation rental business. Managing your vacation rental properties will be easier if you streamline your hosting routine using vacation rental software like Hospitable. Our tool will allow you to automate 90% of repetitive daily tasks and put your short-term rental business on autopilot.
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Previously, Expedia Group had separate travel rewards programs for Expedia and Hotels.com, but there was no rewards program for Vrbo. So, the One Key loyalty program was designed to replace Expedia Rewards and Hotels.com Rewards and introduce a first-ever rewards program to Vrbo.
Now, travelers who sign up for the program can earn rewards with Expedia’s three brands—Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. And they can also earn across different trip products: eligible hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, flights, cruises, and more.
One Key has four membership tiers (Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum), and the higher the level, the better the rewards. The tier status is determined by the number of trip elements a traveler earns in a year. Trip elements are different parts of the trip—flights, hotel nights, rental car days, cruises, and other activities. To qualify, each trip element must cost $25 or more (excluding taxes and fees and after any coupons). For example, travelers can earn one trip element per completed night stay in a holiday rental.
Vrbo One Key: Benefits for Property Owners
While travelers who join the One Key loyalty program have the flexibility to earn and redeem rewards across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, owners of participating vacation rental properties can benefit from increased demand. And since Expedia Group funds the rewards currency travelers earn and can use on future bookings, participating in the program as a host doesn’t impact your revenue strategy.
Vrbo One Key is the first major rewards program for vacation rentals. It differentiates Vrbo from Airbnb and other vacation rental platforms and can help attract potential guests who prioritize loyalty programs when choosing their accommodations. So, if you own a vacation rental property and list it on Vrbo, participating in the One Key program can give you a competitive advantage.
As One Key is integrated across several Expedia Group brands, you’ll get access to a larger customer base of loyal travelers who may choose to book your Vrbo property. These high-value travelers typically book stays more often, stay longer, spend more, and are less likely to cancel their bookings. Unlike other travel rewards programs, Vrbo One Key members are not automatically granted lifetime membership, so they must qualify annually.
Yet hosts need to be proactive and strategic to make the most of the Vrbo One Key program and attract more guests. You should enhance your listing to ensure that your property stands out. Add professional photos that showcase your rental space in the best light. Create a detailed description highlighting the unique features that make your property perfect for potential guests. Ensure your nightly rates and calendar are accurate and competitive.
If you list your property on multiple channels to diversify your income streams and increase occupancy, updating your calendar and prices can be rather challenging. You need a vacation rental channel manager, and if you opt for Hospitable, you can manage multiple channels, including your direct booking website, as easily as one.
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What Is One Key Cash on Vrbo?
One Key is a combined loyalty program where members can enjoy Member Prices and earn OneKeyCash for eligible bookings. What is One Key Cash on Vrbo? It’s a reward currency that travelers who signed up for the program earn on Vrbo as a percentage of purchases when they stay on participating vacation rentals.
When travelers book participating vacation rentals, they earn 2% in OneKeyCash, excluding amounts spent on taxes and fees. OneKeyCash can then be used to discount eligible future travel when travelers make bookings on Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. Travelers can see what they have earned on the Rewards Activity page in their account, and they can redeem their OneKeyCash at any time when they are ready.
On Vrbo, travelers can use OneKeyCash only on ‘Pay Now’ bookings and participating vacation rental properties by selecting Apply OneKeyCash at checkout during the booking process. $1 in OneKeyCash gives travelers a $1 discount when booking the participating vacation rental. OneKeyCash earned on bookings won’t expire if the traveler makes an eligible booking at least once within 18 months.
Due to technical reasons, OneKeyCash redemption doesn’t work for Vrbo properties connected via a property management system (PMS). When using some popular channel managers, you will alienate frequent travelers looking to redeem their OneKeyCash while booking with you. You won’t have any restrictions if Hospitable is the only software connected to your Vrbo account, and you can use all our automation suite.
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