CASE STUDY

Work-from-home amenities attract new guests who stay longer

As work life continues to evolve and remote work becomes the norm, vacation rental hosts can capitalize on this increased flexibility by providing work-from-home-friendly amenities that encourage longer stays.

Vacation rentals Inventory distribution

76%

of business travelers are currently planning to extend a work trip for leisure purposes*

28%

of business travelers are currently planning to take a “flexcation” to take advantage of remote work combined with leisure travel*

Challenge: Accommodate evolving traveler demand for work-friendly stays

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted major shifts in traveler behavior that are still relevant today. As a result, many vacation rental owners have adapted to these trends, and found new ways to thrive in this evolving travel landscape.

Because work and school arrangements both became less tied to a single location, many families embraced the idea of a flexcation—a longer stay that mixes work and play. In fact, our 2023 Traveler Value Index found that more than three-fourths (76%) of business travelers have plans to extend a work trip for leisure purposes.*

Heather Barbiere is one partner who has seen the impact of this trend in her own business. Heather has worked with Vrbo since 2016, and has several rental properties listed on our platform.

Heather, like many owners during the pandemic, saw unusually high cancellations, lots of refunds, and lower booking volume. She started studying what other rental owners in her area were doing and spent some time researching what was appealing to guests booking getaways.

Solution: Keep listings and amenities that facilitate remote work up to date

After looking closely at the dynamics in her market area and reviewing trend data from Vrbo about what travelers were looking for, Heather decided to promote her properties not just as destination rentals, but as destination homes.

Heather saw an opportunity to promote her properties to busy professionals looking for a place to both work remotely and satisfy the need for a family getaway. In this new-normal environment, longer stays are possible, as there’s less need for travelers to cut a weekend trip short to get back in time to punch the clock on Monday morning.

To start reaching these potential guests, Heather didn’t need to make any major changes to her homes. She just updated her listing to highlight her properties as ideal work/play destinations with loads of work-friendly amenities. She found that these longer-staying guests seem to treat her homes more like their own.

“I think the new normal is going to be more people working from home, or from wherever they are able. I’m going to continue to promote our rental homes as having great spaces to enjoy both working and vacation time.”

Heather Barbiere

Vacation Rental Owner

Results: Better bookings, longer stays

After several months of bookings, Heather learned there are several key factors remote workers are seeking in a flexcation property:

Strong Wi-Fi bandwidth
Quiet areas with desk spaces (so kids can play without disturbing work calls)
Play spaces and ways to keep kids busy at the home
Cleaning processes that help ensure a safe stay
Discounts for longer stays, and calendar dates available well in advance so they can book early

Heather says that attracting these remote-work professionals definitely improved her rental volume, even while the pandemic posed travel challenges. And the longer stays have helped her reach a goal of having her vacation homes fully pay for themselves.

Though the pandemic is largely behind us, the strategy has been so successful that Heather plans to continue to promote her properties as flexcation destinations for working professionals and their families. Now, she has her sights set on expansion and adding additional homes to her vacation rental portfolio for future guests.