OwnerRez Wins Vrbo Elite Status for the 5th Consecutive Year!

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Hey, it's that time again - the time of the year when OwnerRez is one of a handful of companies worldwide awarded the Elite status from Vrbo! Woot Woot!

We're back for the 5th year in a row! In case you missed it, read about our Elite status in 202120222023, and 2024. 🥇

(Oh, and we should mention that we are the only independent channel manager on the dais that has won it 5+ years.)

Elite Connectivity Partner status matters! It is a benchmark of excellence in the vacation rental industry. Only a select few of over 100 integrated partners meet Vrbo’s rigorous standards for this honor. This badge reflects the trust, reliability, and technical expertise we deliver to help your vacation rental business thrive.

Another Year of Collaboration and Progress

2024 was a year of growth and innovation for OwnerRez and Vrbo. Together, we developed and enhanced tools to help you stand out in the competitive vacation rental market. These advancements are part of our shared vision to make travel seamless and rewarding for both property managers and guests. One of the key updates that stands out is the Vrbo review sync and auto 5-star reviews. You no longer need to run a channel bridge to import your reviews from Vrbo. Our advanced API connection now syncs all Vrbo reviews automatically! We also added real-time listing static updates and many other improvements behind the scenes.

We want to thank the incredible team at Vrbo—including Shelby, Stacey, Jill, Gavin, and many others—for their collaboration and support. Your dedication to the vacation rental community inspires us to push boundaries and raise the bar each year.

What Does Being an Elite Connectivity Partner Mean?

Achieving Elite status isn’t about popularity or transactions—it’s about meeting the highest performance criteria. Vrbo evaluates partners based on strict metrics, including:

  • Technical Reliability: Consistently high server uptime and fast response speeds.
  • Listing Optimization: Maintaining exceptional listing quality for better visibility and guest engagement.
  • Booking Excellence: Maximizing booking success rates with minimal errors.
  • Innovative Tools: Building advanced features to simplify property management and enhance guest experiences.

Our partnership with Vrbo ensures that your business benefits from the most reliable and innovative solutions, allowing you to focus on what you do best—delivering unforgettable stays to guests.

Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond

As we celebrate this milestone, we remain focused on the road ahead. OwnerRez is committed to innovation, reliability, and providing the tools you need to succeed. With Vrbo as a partner, we’ll continue to elevate the vacation rental experience for owners, managers, and travelers around the globe.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Here’s to another amazing year of partnership and progress!

11 Comments (add yours)

Kimberly R
Jan 24, 2025 7:27 PM
Joined Jan, 2021 4 posts

Congrats! Can you leverage this relationship to establish VRBO as Merchant of Record when API integrated (similar to how you do it with Airbnb) so we can stop using Channel Bridge?

Scott J
Jan 26, 2025 1:27 PM
Joined Mar, 2019 202 posts

When will OwnerRez's CRM come out of beta?

Chris Hynes
Jan 27, 2025 7:08 AM
OR Team Member Joined Oct, 2012 1402 posts

Congrats! Can you leverage this relationship to establish VRBO as Merchant of Record when API integrated (similar to how you do it with Airbnb) so we can stop using Channel Bridge?

by Kimberly R – Jan 25, 2025 12:27 AM (UTC)

Yep, this is already in the works! Merchant of Record with Vrbo is on the roadmap and will be releasing either later this year or early 2026! The exact schedule depends on development timelines and when we get access to the new MoR API's from Vrbo.

Once released, that'll be a full API integration where Vrbo is the merchant of record and manages taxes, similar to how Airbnb works. It's a complete new API version, not an upgrade to the existing connection, which is why it's a larger undertaking.

Julie S
Jan 28, 2025 12:46 PM
Joined Jun, 2020 5 posts

Hi Chris,

Does this mean that hosts will no longer be permitted to be the merchant of record, even when we are fully API integrated?  This is one feature of OwnerRez that I really hope will continue, with the option to "opt out" of processing credit cards or to "opt in" to remaining in control of credit card charges.

Julie 

Scott J
Jan 28, 2025 12:51 PM
Joined Mar, 2019 202 posts

Hi Chris, 

When will OwnerRez's CRM come out of beta?

Paul W
Jan 28, 2025 3:04 PM
OR Team Member Joined Jun, 2009 857 posts

Does this mean that hosts will no longer be permitted to be the merchant of record, even when we are fully API integrated? This is one feature of OwnerRez that I really hope will continue, with the option to "opt out" of processing credit cards or to "opt in" to remaining in control of credit card charges.

According to our sources at Vrbo, being a merchant of record or giving that over to Vrbo (and following the Airbnb model) will remain an option. Vrbo intends to add the merchant of record option for those who want it and are currently not connecting to Vrbo via API because they don't want to deal with credit cards. It's a pretty large group.

Shawn H
Jan 28, 2025 3:04 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2021 279 posts

Hi Chris, 

When will OwnerRez's CRM come out of beta?

by Scott J – Jan 28, 2025 5:51 PM (UTC)

The new inbox is coming out soon, if that's what you're referring to.

Paul W
Jan 28, 2025 3:06 PM
OR Team Member Joined Jun, 2009 857 posts

When will OwnerRez's CRM come out of beta?

Hey Scott, can you clarify what you mean by this?  Are you talking about the new Unified Inbox?  If so, very soon - like hours from now. 😉  Are you taking about Vrbo reviews or another aspect of CRM?  The new Unified Inbox sweeps up some other work like a change to the guest conversation view to make it more timeline centric.

Scott J
Jan 28, 2025 3:11 PM
Joined Mar, 2019 202 posts

Hey Paul, I think of the unified box as a CRM if that means, which I have understood it mean, from where all communications with guests are contained and managed.

Hours from now sounds pretty sweet!

Paul W
Jan 28, 2025 3:29 PM
OR Team Member Joined Jun, 2009 857 posts

(FYI - hours as in Thursday, not tomorrow)

Scott J
Jan 28, 2025 3:31 PM
Joined Mar, 2019 202 posts

🙏