Improved host standards and updates to industry-first guest policy make booking holiday homes easier and stress-free 

7 NOV, 2025, SYDNEY – Just in time for the busy summer travel season, Stayz is revealing major changes aimed at solving travellers’ number 1 complaint about the entire holiday home category: stays not meeting expectations. Stayz has released several new features on its platform that help elevate the quality and consistency of holiday homes, giving guests the confidence they need to book their next weekend getaway or family holiday. 

“Stayz has been a trusted name in holiday homes for over 20 years. Over time, we’ve seen the industry drift away from what travellers truly value — a consistent, reliable, high-quality experience,” said Larry Plawsky, General Manager of Stayz. “That’s why Stayz has made a series of changes to our products, policies, and host programs to clean up the category, build traveller trust, and take the worry out of trip planning. We’re using AI to optimise the shopping experience and help guests find the perfect holiday home, while expanding our industry-first traveller  guarantee — now called StayzCare — to reassure guests that Stayz has their back if problems arise before or during their stay.” 

StayzCare: Stayz first introduced an industry-first with Book with Confidence Guarantee. Now named StayzCare, this longstanding policy promises travellers that Stayz will help them find another place to stay when certain things don’t go as planned. StayzCare can provide safeguards in the event of host-initiated cancellations, check-in issues, fraud, and significant property misrepresentation. Travellers do not need to pay extra for StayzCare; every booking made through Stayz is automatically backed by the StayzCare guarantee. 

One of the top benefits of StayzCare is that Stayz agents can help rebook guests if they experience check-in issues or host-initiated cancellations. Previously, Stayz would help rebook guests into comparable accommodations if their reservations occurred within 30 days. Stayz has now expanded the eligibility of StayzCare’s rebooking benefit, offering rebooking assistance for stays occurring within 90 days, where applicable.  

High quality standards for properties and hosts: Stayz has added features to the shopping experience that improve listing accuracy and make key information easier to find. These updates are breakthroughs for holiday home guests, offering clear, data-driven quality indicators that help identify top-tier listings and the most reliable hosts.  

• Loved by Guests: The Stayz Loved by Guests badge identifies properties previous guests have given near-perfect reviews. Properties earn the Loved by Guests designation if they have a 9.4 or above overall rating and also score 9.4 or above on cleanliness, location, listing accuracy, and ease of check-in. Travellers can find Loved by Guests properties using the “Loved by Guests” filter on the Stayz site and app. 
   

• Premier Host: For years, Stayz has recognised the most exceptional hosts through the Premier Host program, rewarding them with increased visibility and higher search rankings. Now, Stayz is introducing stricter criteria for the Premier Host program, so travellers can expect an even higher level of quality from Premier Host properties. Starting early next year, the Premier Host designation will transition from a host-level to an individual listing-level recognition. This means hosts with multiple listings must meet the new standards for each listing to earn the Premier Host badge. New qualifications include: 

• 99% acceptance rate 

• 0% cancellation rate 

• 9.2+ review rating 

Travellers can find properties managed by Premier Hosts by using the “Premier Host” filter and will see a new Premier Host badge on corresponding listings. In addition to recognising the top hosts on the platform, Stayz also removes hosts who fail to meet our high standards. 
 

Enhanced shopping experience to help guests find the perfect home for them: Travellers rely on accurate property descriptions, images, and trusted, verified reviews from former guests to inform their travel plans and booking decisions. Only real guests are allowed to leave verified reviews on Stayz, and Stayz does not alter them in any way. Guests can also leave a rating for listing accuracy as part of the review experience. This reassures future travellers that the images and descriptions on listing pages are accurate, relevant, and current. To further improve the search and shopping experience, Stayz has rolled out: 

• AI Guest Review Summaries: GenAI instantly scans and summarises guest reviews, making it quick and easy to see at a glance what real guests consistently call out about properties. 

• AI Property Q&A: Pulling from verified reviews and listing details content, AI Property Q&A can instantly answer commonly asked questions about a holiday home property. This helps guests find the answers they need quickly and minimizes time spent on back-and-forth communication with the host. 

• Guest Photos: Stayz now displays photos from former guests to help future bookers make informed holiday home decisions. Travellers can upload photos alongside their written reviews, and shoppers can see the photos in the reviews section on the property description page or in the listing’s photo gallery.  

• Property Highlights [Coming soon]: This feature uses AI to dynamically showcase a property’s unique qualities, leveraging verified guest reviews and listing details. Using AI, Stayz displays the highlights that are targeted and personaliszed for the traveller.    

With summer travel fast approaching, Stayz’s 24/7 live customer service team is available to support guests around the clock. Travellers can find contact information for Stayz’s support team in multiple places: the Help Center on the app, the StayzCare page, and in booking confirmation emails.  

Download the Stayz app to plan your next holiday with Stayz. 

FAQ section:  

Q: What is StayzCare? 

A: StayzCare is the new name for Stayz’s Book with Confidence guarantee policy. It offers protection and support to guests who book on Stayz, if certain issues arise before or during a stay, e.g., host-initiated cancellations, fraud, misrepresentation, or safety concerns. 

Q: What’s new about StayzCare? 

A: Stayz has expanded the eligibility for StayzCare’s rebooking assistance. Previously, for host-initiated cancellations, Stayz provided rebooking support for trips occurring within 30 days. Now, Stayz has broadened the book-to-stay window for this benefit, offering rebooking assistance for a wider range of reservations. Where applicable, travellers with reservations occurring within 90 days will receive rebooking support.  

Q: Does StayzCare cost anything? 

A: No. Every booking made on the Stayz site or app is automatically backed by the StayzCare guarantee. 

Q: How is Stayz improving holiday home quality? 

A: Stayz is improving holiday home quality by raising standards for hosts on Stayz. New badges, filters, and updates to shopping pages help travellers easily identify top-rated listings. 

Q: What is the “Loved by Guests” badge? 

A: The “Loved by Guests” badge indicates top-rated, quality listings on Stayz. This badge is given to listings with 9.4+ ratings for cleanliness, location, listing accuracy, and ease of check-in. Travellers can use the “Loved by Guests” badge to find these properties in their searches. 

Q: What’s changing with the Premier Host program? 

A: Starting in January, Stayz hosts will have to meet stricter criteria to earn the Premier Host recognition. Properties must meet a 99% acceptance rate, 0% cancellation rate, and 9.2+ review rating to earn Premier Host status. The badge will now apply at the individual listing level instead of the host level. 

Q: How do travellers contact Stayz’s 24/7 live customer support? 

A: Travellers have access to 24/7 customer support throughout the entire booking process. Travellers can find contact information for Stayz’s support team on the Help Center on the app, the StayzCare page, and in booking confirmation emails.