Expedia

I follow a forum with discussions on vrbo/ha hosts who get occasional Expedia bookings. And that it often is not a clear or smooth experience. I get the feeling Expedia (Orbitz, etc) is not exactly seamlessly integrated like the others (vrbo, ha, etc)

How does OR work with Expedia and those other sites? Any setup/tracking advice?

Upon examining a sample Expedia listing (which owns HA/BRBO), I notice these Amenities categories. I tried to copy them here and separate them for clarity.

The Question: Does the Amenities selections map from Ownerrez into Expedia cleanly? There seems to be a somewhat different structure, and a complaint about Expedia is that it is difficult to control/change how they display your listing (even being incorrect)...

Property amenities

Ski:
Close to skiing

Internet:
Internet access

Parking and Transportation:
Onsite parking

Kitchen:
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Microwave
Dishwasher
Toaster
Coffee/tea maker
Cookware/dishes/utensils

Bedrooms:
5 bedrooms
Linens provided

Bathrooms:
2 bathrooms
Hair dryer
Towels provided

Living Spaces:
Living room
Dining room

Entertainment:
Flat-screen TV with cable/satellite service
DVD player
Books

Outdoor Areas:
Garden

Laundry:
Washing machine and dryer

Comfort:
Heating

Pets:
No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility:
Smoke-free property

Services and Conveniences:
Iron/ironing board
Phone

Things to do:
Hiking/biking trails, ecotours, and mountain biking nearby

General:
Sleeps 10
Events/parties not allowed
Minimum guest age: 25 years old

Nearby things to do:
Activities
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

The amenities in OwnerRez are based on the HomeAway model with some additions, so it should match that pretty close.

We don't have direct integration with Expedia, but if you're on HomeAway with instant book enabled they can distribute those listings over to Expedia automatically.

I am not aware of how amenities on owner res (per property) are mapped to amenities on Airbnb, TripAdvisor, HomeAway family, Etc.

When I define amenities on owner res, are they all mapped over to the OTAs automatically, or do I have to do a lot of redefining of amenities there to make them fit ?

They are all mapped automatically assuming the channel supports it. HomeAway supports almost everything in OwnerRez (and we support everything you can put on HomeAway). TA and Air have a much smaller taxonomy of amenities, but we match in what we can.

Would you consider to add Expedia as a direct API Channel?

Likely not, as they are part of the same company that is HomeAway, Vrbo, CanadaStays, and many other brands. They've been consolidating into one main API connection, and we think most likely that'll happen someday to Expedia too.

As it is, if you are using our Vrbo API, your properties are eligible for Expedia listing:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/instant-book-vs-request-to-book#havrbo

so i have a old expedia account. do i have to make a new account with VRBO and conect the API for VRBO. or is there a way to use the expedia central partner? maybe conect the iCal. whats your advise?

I would recommend configuring OwnerRez first, and then, setting up a new Vrbo account through our API system.  Vrbo accounts and Expedia accounts are not at all the same thing unfortunately, even though they are the same company.

ok. so my partner central account is no longer compatible with OR, API. and i should start over with VRBO.

understood.