Tim Rosolio on SNADs, quality, and fastest way to be de-ranked!

Steve Schwab interviews Tim Rosolio, VP of Vacation Rental Partnerships at Expedia Group, about VRBO’s recent transition to a common Expedia tech stack that expands VRBO inventory across Expedia demand and a growing B2B network (including Uber), enables hotel-style promotional tools, and intensifies a focus on quality and trust to reduce traveler anxiety. Rosolio explains how quality signals—acceptance rate, cancellation rate, and reviews—drive conversion, badges, and search ranking, with last-minute cancellations the fastest way to lose position. They discuss VRBO Care’s protections (accuracy, 24/7 assistance, fraud protection, rebooking support) and common failure points like SNAD and denied entry. Rosolio notes operators delivering consistent experiences are winning as weaker supply exits, and highlights conversion drivers like strong photos, disclosed amenities, and tangible hospitality upgrades. They also cover distribution shifts, upcoming flight-plus-rental packaging, AI features (chatbots, Q&A, review summaries, natural language search), and preparing for AI-based discovery.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:09 Tim as a Host02:23 Expedia VRBO Strategy04:41 Trust and Quality Shift08:14 Vrbo Care Explained10:13 Ranking and Quality Signals13:11 Conversion Boosting Amenities15:37 Distribution Channels Today18:16 AI Reality Check21:41 What Works and Whats Next22:41 OTA vs Book Direct24:07 Final Tip and Wrap Up