If you’ve had a long wait for your first booking, don’t be dismayed. A new listing discount can help drive that first stay.
New property with no reviews? No problem.
8 properties 
With Vrbo since 2019 
The challenge
Michael Harleman has eight properties in the Los Angeles area listed on Vrbo. He’s been working with us since 2019 and knows that it can often take a while to gain traction. Without reviews or booking history to rely on, travellers may not have the confidence to stay in a newly listed property and it can be frustrating to wait for that first booking.
Recently, when adding several new holiday rentals to Vrbo, Michael noticed a programme for offering a discount for his newly listed properties. He decided to give it a try, in the hopes that adding a discount could help him quickly secure bookings for his latest listings.
Michael believed that making these properties stand out as good value could mean faster bookings at the properties and help them garner positive reviews, and his intuition was accurate. On average, properties that offer a new listing discount are 30% more likely to get their first booking within 30 days*.
*Based on an A/B test comprising thousands of listings globally between October and December 2019
“It’s a good option for a new listing to help accelerate bookings. I had one property that wasn't seeing many reservations at first, but by adding a new listing discount, I was able to get three months of bookings in only one week.”
Michael Harleman
Owner
The solution
If you’re just getting started with Vrbo, the new listing discount feature is a great way to get extra visibility, giving your new listing notice the boost it needs to attract travellers and capture bookings. Opt in to provide a 20% discount on your first three bookings. Partners who participate have their discount promoted and are eligible for increased visibility on traveller search results pages. This can help improve your chances of getting early bookings and reviews by giving the right incentives to travellers to book.
If you recently added a listing on Vrbo and want to give it extra visibility, this feature may also come in handy. You’ll just need to meet several, simple criteria to be eligible to opt in: have been live on Vrbo for less than 90 days, have received no more than 3 bookings and had no more than 3 reviews.
Offering discount pricing on his new listings helped Michael stand out. In fact, one of his properties was slow to get bookings at first but after adding a new listing discount, he was able to secure three months of reservations in just a week.
Travellers searching for places to stay can have confidence in their choice and view the new listing as good value compared to more established properties.
As he heads into the coming year, Michael plans add new properties on Vrbo. New listing discounts will help him get faster bookings and position his properties for success.
