Expedia Group launches new Stayz and Escapia

Expedia Group has unveiled its largest-ever product launch for the Stayz holiday rental brand and the Escapia property management platform. The company announced a series of new features for partners, with several already live and more planned through 2027.

Tim Rosolio, Vice President of Vacation Rental Partnerships at Expedia Group, called it one of the most exciting eras in the company's holiday rental history. He stated the investments were designed to delight travelers while driving growth for partners.

New Stayz tools for partners

Stayz is introducing new advertising tools, rates, and policies. A global rollout of Vrbo Sponsored Listings is now live. This pay-per-booked-night advertising solution offers partners premium placement at the top of relevant Stayz search results with no upfront risk.

New promotional tools aim to help partners meet the needs of the 91% of holiday rental travellers who are influenced by promotions. One live feature allows eligible partners to opt in for same-day bookings, tapping into the last-minute traveller market by enabling bookings within 24 hours of a stay.

Several other rate and promotion features are coming soon. Limited Time Offers will spotlight properties during peak shopping moments like Black Friday. Holiday Rentals on Expedia Packages will let Stayz properties be booked as part of a package with flights and car rentals. Partners will also soon be able to surface both refundable and lower-priced non-refundable rates on eligible properties.

Two new flexible cancellation policies are now live. Partners can choose to offer guests a full refund up to five days before check-in, or up to one day before check-in.

Escapia software upgrades

Expedia Group is also launching new features for its enterprise-grade property management software, Escapia. The updates focus on smarter, more connected tools to simplify operations, optimise distribution, and simplify payments.

A new Reservation Grid is now live, upgrading Escapia's most-used tool to a modern, visual workplace. It enables partners to manage availability, reservations, and quotes, and includes new multi-quote support to compare and send multiple property options in one email.

Distribution optimization improvements are being rolled out in phases. These help partners manage third-party OTA reservations and include folio management and commission enhancements already live, with more automation tools coming soon.

A pilot program for Vrbo Payments is also underway. This combines payment processing with an improved traveller experience designed to reduce cancellations, and offers enhanced fraud and chargeback support.

Joel Schoen, General Manager of Escapia, said there is tremendous momentum behind the software's next chapter. He stated the new features are just the beginning of efforts to make Escapia a more intuitive, flexible, and intelligent platform for professional property managers.

The company is encouraging partners to visit its website to stay updated on the latest holiday rental products and features.