From the Desk of Vickie Storm: April 2026

Franchisees,

We continue to make meaningful progress across the business, and I want to take a moment to share several important updates and what they mean for you as we move forward together.

The short-term rental market has clearly transitioned into a more mature and competitive phase. The post-pandemic surge has leveled, and success is increasingly being driven by pricing discipline, operational efficiency, and an elevated guest experience. We are also seeing shorter booking windows, continued last-minute demand, and increased price sensitivity. At the same time, larger homes and group-oriented properties continue to perform well, and guest expectations around amenities and overall experience continue to rise.

Against that backdrop, we are making significant investments across iTrip to ensure you are well-positioned to compete and grow.

We have expanded our Marketing team by 100% and increased our Development team by 50%, with a strong focus on AI and automation. We have also introduced a dedicated Unit Acquisition function to support property growth across the network with more targeted, data-driven strategies. Overall, our marketing investment is up approximately 90% year over year and will effectively double compared to 2025 with the inclusion of the rebranding and new website. These investments are already translating into new collateral, enhanced digital marketing efforts, with brand guidelines targeted for August and the new site launching in September.

Our product and technology roadmap continues to accelerate as well. We are leveraging AI to significantly speed up development cycles and introduce new capabilities within the HUB. In Q1, we delivered key enhancements across channel integrations, reporting, and operations, along with more than a dozen franchisee-requested improvements. Looking ahead to Q2, the introduction of the Unified Inbox, amenity remapping across channels, and Apple Pay integration powered through Lynnbrook will further streamline operations and improve the guest and owner experience.

Twenty-one HUBs are launching their unit acquisition focus with Rentalz with another 7 HUBs close by.

We are also making strong progress on the Franchise Agreement, with the goal of finalizing by the end of May. We appreciate the thoughtful engagement and feedback throughout this process and will continue to keep you informed as we move toward completion.

One of the most important updates is the rollout of our enhanced Limited Damage Waiver program, which will go live on May 1.  The new program is required on all booking that provides a network-wide solution that will offer improved consistency and a better overall business experience. It includes flexible pricing tiers, an increased revenue share for franchisees, and professional damage reimbursement administration through Sedgwick to ensure timely and well-managed adjudication handling. The HUB will also support full tracking via a newly designed dashboard and streamlined reimbursement workflows. Additional documentation and a dedicated webinar will be shared to walk through the details and answer your questions.

We are also introducing a new Demand Channel through Stay by Inhabit. This is a two-sided marketplace designed to unlock incremental demand from strategic partners such as airlines, credit card companies, and travel programs. Importantly, this channel is designed to preserve your existing business rules and guest experience, and participation is optional. While early, we believe this has the potential to become a meaningful source of incremental, high-quality demand over time.

Finally, I want to highlight the continued expansion of our team. We have added new talent across marketing, development, and franchise support, and we encourage you to engage with these individuals and take advantage of the resources being made available. Be on the lookout for a number of webinars and training opportunities, including sessions on LDW, the new Demand Channel, and data-driven unit acquisition strategies.

There is a great deal underway, and all of it is focused on one objective: helping you grow more efficiently and operate more effectively in an increasingly competitive market.

The iTrip Town Hall meeting was held on Thursday, 4/16. Here is a link to the audio recording of the call and the slide deck is attached.

Please click here to access the Town Hall recording and slide deck

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and commitment to iTrip.