How “hotel level” expectations are reshaping short-term rentals

The short-term rental market has come a long way from its “send an enquiry and hope for the best” beginnings. Travellers today expect a booking process that’s as smooth and reliable as a hotel; instant confirmation, no surprise cancellations and a consistently great stay.

According to Tim Rosolio, Vice President of Vacation Rental Partnerships at Expedia Group, this shift is driving a major transformation in how short-term rental platforms like Stayz (part of Expedia Group) are operating. Speaking with AccomNews, Tim outlined how traveller expectations, new technology, and tougher quality standards are reshaping the space—and what it all means for property owners and managers across Australia and New Zealand.

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From “quote and hold” to click-and-confirm

With more short-term rental supply in the market than ever before, guests expect an exceptional experience, starting with the booking process.

“Years ago,” Tim recalls, “you’d reach out to a property manager, wait to see if dates were available, and the whole thing was a bit loosey-goosey.

“Now travellers expect a proper e-commerce experience,” he says. “Bookings should be accepted immediately, they shouldn’t be cancelled, and guests expect five-star stays.”

Expedia Group has been “doubling down” on quality and reliability across its platforms. More than 100,000 properties have already been removed from the website this year for not meeting standards. Meanwhile, the company’s Premier Host program has become more selective, rewarding those who deliver consistently great experiences with trust badges and better visibility.

“The goal is to focus our strong traveller demand on the supply that really delivers. We want people to have such good experiences that they come back to the category again and again,” Tim says.

Through improvements to the Stayz booking experience, Expedia Group hopes to make booking a holiday home as easy as booking a hotel room.

Still, Tim concedes there are key differences. “You can cancel a hotel room the night before and the property can often shuffle guests around,” he says. “But if it’s a five-bedroom home in coastal Australia over a holiday weekend, that’s a single unit—it’s a big part of the owner’s income.”

That means some flexibility will always be limited, but the goal remains a seamless, trustworthy booking experience while maintaining the personal, local touch of a short-term renal stay.

“We’re focused on delivering great experiences,” Tim says. “If something does go wrong­—say the property isn’t as described or there’s a last-minute cancellation—our new confidence products, such as Stayz Care, are there to find guests a suitable alternative.

“Our extensive portfolio of properties means we can offer guests other options, so their holiday doesn’t need to be interrupted.”

Expanding reach: Five-times more eyes on listings

A major development for hosts is expanded distribution across Expedia Group’s global network. Stayz properties will now appear not only on the Stayz website, but also across Expedia.com and other partner channels.

“The depth and breadth of Expedia Group demand is five times what we’d traditionally see on a vacation-rental-only platform,” Tim says. “That means five times the number of travellers seeing your property.”

Related AccomNews article: Op-Ed: Recognising the true value of short-term rental accommodation

The expansion also includes B2B partnerships with large brands like airlines and fintech companies, opening even more potential exposure. For property managers, new audiences will be unlocked—families booking holidays, business travellers wanting longer stays, or members of Expedia’s One Key loyalty program, who can now compare hotels and holiday homes side-by-side in one place.

Raising the bar for hosts

With more visibility comes more responsibility. To keep quality high, Expedia Group is introducing a performance-milestone system that gives hosts direct feedback on how they measure up.

“You’ll see metrics like your acceptance rate, cancellation rate and review scores, and how they compare to others in your market,” Tim explains. “If you’re performing at the top level, you’ll unlock badges like Top 1%, Loved By Guests or Premier Host. If you’re not meeting standards, we’ll have the conversation about improving—or parting ways.”

The system is designed to coach hosts towards excellence, rewarding those who go above and beyond, and ensuring consistency across the platform. Expedia Groups is actively encouraging hosts to excel, ensuring it can deliver on its promises of quality and consistency.

Expedia Group has also made improvements in onboarding and content management. What used to take days now takes just hours. “It’s much more intuitive and self-service,” says Tim. “Inventory can be live within hours, and we’re rolling that out across multiple property-management software partners.”

This improvement makes it easier for property managers—from small local operators to larger management companies­—to get their listings online quickly and efficiently.

Harnessing the power of AI

Artificial intelligence is also starting to make an impact, helping travellers make confident choices and assisting hosts to showcase their properties.

A key tool Expedia Group has rolled out is AI-powered review summaries. “Some listings have hundreds of reviews,” Tim says. “It’s overwhelming for guests to read them all. AI can summarise the key themes, so travellers instantly understand what people love about the property.”

Read more news from the short-term rental market on AccomNews HERE

Expedia Group’s AI tools also handle property Q&A, answering common traveller questions directly from the listing information. “It helps guests get what they need quickly,” says Tim.

Guest-uploaded photos are also becoming powerful trust signals. “We’ve all seen the issue where somebody takes pictures of a property years ago, and those pictures aren’t necessarily updated. Plus travellers always have a worry in the back of their mind­—will the home actually be the way it is pictured?

 “When travellers see recent guest photos that match the listing images, it builds huge confidence,” Tim said. “Consistent photos of a property provide confidence to guests that they’re going to get the type of stay that’s reflected in the listing.”

What success looks like

As these features roll out toward 2026, Expedia Group will be watching two key metrics: conversion (how many visitors book) and repeat rate (how many come back).

“For me, the proof will be in the pudding,” says Tim. “If people keep coming back to the category, it means we’re delivering the quality and consistency they expect.”

For property owners and managers in Australia and New Zealand, his advice is straightforward:

“We’ve always attracted travellers who book early, stay longer, spend more, and respect homes. As we expand that demand through Expedia and our partner network, we’ll bring even more of those valuable travellers to you, but quality and consistency are key.”

Final thoughts

The short-term rental market has evolved quickly in the past decade. Travellers now expect the same seamless experience they get from hotels, with the added space, comfort and authenticity that only a holiday home can offer.

Leaning into technology, quality and global reach, Expedia Group sees the future of short-term rentals hinging on operators who deliver hotel-level reliability with the warmth of a home.

“We want to be a responsible player on both sides of the marketplace,” Tim says “That helps both the traveller and the host.

“Quality and consistency across the category can only strengthen the experience for both the travellers and the hosts, and improve the short-term rental market for everyone.”

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