Skift Take
Airbnb will definitely be able to take this Expedia/Vrbo punch.
Outgoing Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern said a technology platform migration completed late last year hurt Vrbo's ability to convert lookers into bookers, but that now the company's vacation rental unit is ready to get back on offense.
Kern referenced Vrbo's recent ads attacking Airbnb, saying he's "really excited about our new brand work that is designed to punch our main competitor squarely in the nose, and we are leaning back into spend." (See one of the ads below.)
The tech transition placed Vrbo's front end on an Expedia tech platform along with sister brand Hotels.com. Kern said that led to "conversion degradation" for Vrbo, and Expedia had reduced its marketing spend on Vrbo.
Noting Vrbo "had a hole to dig out of, Kern said "we are clawing back conversion at a breakneck pace." He said the company is now increasing marketing spend and that he expect