September 4, 2025
Vrbo’s Crackdown, Accor’s Subscription Push and Europe’s AI Lag
Skift Daily Travel BriefingAbout this episode
Vrbo will begin enforcing 100% penalties on U.S. hosts starting October 1 if guests are denied access to booked homes, with fines equal to the reservation amount and potential suspensions, as part of broader crackdowns by Vrbo and Airbnb on poor host service. Accor is consolidating its regional subscription cards under the global All Accor+ brand, extending discounts and perks across more than 4,000 properties in 100 countries (e.g., Asia Pacific cardholders now get 15% off worldwide). Meanwhile, although 93% of European tourism boards have experimented with AI, most lack formal strategies or expertise, with interest strongest in translation and other content tasks. Vrbo Cracks Down on Bad Hosts: 100% Penalty for Stranding Guests Europe’s Tourism Agencies Report High AI Interest But Low Use: Exclusive Accor Goes Global With Subscription Cards to Boost Hotel Loyalty Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.