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Interesting from homeaway forum ... Expanded network

JTVRs
Apr 12, 2019 10:35 AM
Joined Jun, 2018 385 posts


What is the Expanded Distribution Network?
Expanded Distribution puts vacation rental listings in front of travelers who might not have considered a vacation rental. HomeAway believes that by growing awareness of the vacation rental industry, we can attract countless new travelers to our listings.

Today, travelers searching for accommodations on Expedia and other leading online travel sites almost exclusively choose from hotels and rarely if ever see vacation homes as an option. Distribution to some of these sites will increase your exposure to travelers drastically, especially those who never would have considered a vacation rental.

The Expanded Distribution Network includes Expedia Distribution brands (Travelocity, CheapTickets, Orbitz, & Expedia), as well as Trivago, KAYAK, CandaStays, TravelMob and other affiliates that specialize in vacation rentals.

Eligible listings will be automatically enrolled in the program. Currently, the following types of listings are eligible for the Expanded Distribution Network:
Pay-per-booking and subscription listings with Online Booking (with online payments) and in good marketplace standing.
Integrated listings must be enabled on HomeAway’s latest listing and booking integrations in order to be distributed to Trivago and KAYAK.
You will be charged the same commission that you are charged on HomeAway for the total rental amount, any fees (such as cleaning or pet fees), and any additional payments.


How will I know I received a booking request from a particular brand or the Expanded Distribution Network?
HELP QUESTION
If a traveler books through the Expanded Distribution Network, who will they contact if there is an issue?

BlueMtnCabins
Apr 12, 2019 12:44 PM
Joined Jun, 2016 1129 posts

It is practically useless. The way Expedia displays listing (similar to b.com - with some cockamamie description made up of some property amenity key words but no real description) and inability to see full calendar there means that there are very few if any bookings that ever originate on Expedia.

Erika S
Nov 8, 2019 3:25 AM
Joined Nov, 2019 1 post

Interesting post. I prefer renting houses instead of staying at the hotels. And of course, I use home away services (I was lucky to find a good list on https://travelsites.com/homeaway/). Frankly speaking, I haven't tried HomeAway as I know about several cases when people faced issues. But maybe I should change my mind. Anyway, thanks for this information, I'll check it out!

BlueMtnCabins
Nov 11, 2019 8:10 AM
Joined Jun, 2016 1129 posts

this been around for a while. as someone above says, useless. All these expedia-like sites are geared for traveler with exact dates (like a business traveler) who wants to click and book based on availability alone, not property. Traveler will not even see your property if open dates do not match exactly to his search. which is practically useless in VR arena. It is not how people search and choose homes fo vacation. They browse, compare, etc. Made impossible by BDC or expedia. I get maybe 1-2 bookings marked as "expedia" but that is about it.

Rich S
Nov 16, 2019 2:44 PM
Joined Dec, 2018 301 posts

My key takeaway is about the direction ... Expedia is trying to grow the pie, and if the way they do it today isn't working, well tomorrow they will likely tweak things. Overall I don't see anything negative about getting more visibility, other than my hoping that the quality of guests doesn't drop. I'm fortunate to be at a high priced resort where partiers simply don't go in general, but I still keep in mind that my entire business depends on the units not getting wrecked by a careless guest.