Is it better to book a hotel or a short-term vacation rental? In some ways, this is like asking whether boxers are better than briefs or whether crunchy peanut butter is better than creamy. And the answer is the same: It depends.<\/p>\n
Yes, there are some\u00a0clear-cut differences\u00a0between the two. Short-term rentals can be better for\u00a0large groups\u00a0or unique stays. Hotels are generally more predictable and offer benefits such as rewards points and elite status perks.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve railed against Airbnb Well, Airbnb\u2019s biggest competitor,\u00a0Vrbo, now has a\u00a0rewards program called One Key, which also includes Expedia \u201cVrbo is also the first major online vacation rental platform to offer a rewards program,\u201d a Vrbo spokesperson told me in an email, \u201cSo this is a game-changer for the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Will One Key tilt the scales in the hotels-versus-rentals debate? Is it worth it? And will I finally get that gold star?<\/p>\n The idea of a short-term rental loyalty program isn\u2019t new. Airbnb announced a \u201cSuperGuest\u201d program back in 2017 but never launched it. And Airbnb\u2019s CEO Brian Chesky seemed to dismiss the idea during a recent earnings call.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best loyalty program is building a product people love so much they want to come back,\u201d Chesky says. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to pay them to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n Airbnb has dominated the short-term rental space, so it hasn\u2019t been compelled to earn its customers\u2019 loyalty. Airlines and hotels offer such lavish perks to frequent travelers because of the fierce competition between these brands. Without that competition, there\u2019s no need for loyalty programs.<\/p>\n Vrbo is trying to change that story and stop playing Bing to Airbnb\u2019s Google Don\u2019t miss:<\/strong> New York City Airbnb hosts bail on guests due to new short-term rental laws, leaving them high and dry<\/p>\n Expedia Group, the parent company of Vrbo, created the One Key rewards program to work across all three of its travel booking platforms. You can earn rewards on Vrbo, Expedia or Hotels.com and then spend those rewards on any of the others.<\/p>\n There are essentially two parts to the One Key program:<\/p>\n Unfortunately, this second part of the program doesn\u2019t do much for Vrbo loyalists. You won\u2019t receive any benefits for staying at a Vrbo property, even if you achieve the highest \u201cplatinum\u201d level in the One Key elite status program.<\/p>\n So basically, Vrbo\u2019s inclusion in the larger Expedia One Key program means that you\u2019ll get 2% worth of travel credits for spending on vacation rentals. Shrug.<\/p>\n And actually, it\u2019s not even that much. The rewards are based on the rental\u2019s base price, before taxes and fees, not the total cost. Add-on fees such as\u00a0cleaning fees can be a big part of the final bill, so this can have a big impact on the effective rate of earned rewards.<\/p>\n When I looked up a one-night stay on Vrbo to see how it shook out, a $252 rental only earned $2.58 in rewards \u2014 a little more than 1% of the total cost.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all to say that Vrbo\u2019s One Key program doesn\u2019t offer much tangible value for vacation rental regulars, though it\u2019s a whole lot better than nothing.<\/p>\n Plus<\/strong>: Don\u2019t wait to book your travel for the holidays: Here\u2019s how to save on flights this year<\/p>\n
\n ABNB,
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\n in the past for\u00a0failing to offer a rewards program\u00a0to its most loyal customers. Despite spending a whopping $26,243 on its platform since 2016, I don\u2019t have a thing to show for it \u2014 not even a gold star.<\/p>\n
\n EXPE,
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\n and Hotels.com. That means that short-term renters on Vrbo finally get something back for all their spending.<\/p>\nWhat took so long?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n GOOGL,
\n How does the One Key rewards program work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Is it worth it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n