Online Vacation Rental Show Showcases St. John

Matt Landau of the Vacation Rental Show speaks with Abigail Hendricks of St. John about the island's recovery after the 2017 hurricanes. (Image from The Vacation Rental Show)
Matt Landau of the Vacation Rental Show speaks with Abigail Hendricks of St. John about the island’s recovery after the 2017 hurricanes. (Image from The Vacation Rental Show)

The latest episode of “The Vacation Rental Show,” a series streamed in partnership with hotel booking giant Booking.com, showcases the beaches, sights, sounds, food and culture of St. John, hoping to entice some more visitors to U.S. Virgin Islands.

The show emphasizes the impact visitors can have on the ongoing hurricane recovery efforts.

A show that explores the emerging world of vacation rentals and seeks to change the way people travel, “The Vacation Rental Show” combines the feel of premium television with the immediacy and versatility offered by modern digital distribution. Season two launched in March.

Hosted by Matt Landau and produced by his longtime production team at TFP Company, season two follows Landau to various corners of the globe to meet the inspiring hosts making the vacation rental movement happen. In an age of massive travel, finding the right home and host can be the key to unlocking a fun, sustainable, and rewarding trip for groups of any size.

Landau talks about the damage the 2017 storms did and how vacation rentals like those of Tropical Blessings, have risen to fill the gap. He take a running tour of the island, visiting different beaches and talking about the process of construction, the best place to get a beer and some thoughts about St. John.

As the world leader in booking accommodation online, Booking.com offers more than 28 million total reported listings across 30 different property types. This includes more than 5.5 million listings in homes, apartments, and other exotic places to stay, with options in more than 136,000 destinations in every corner of the globe.

“The vacation rental industry is growing quickly and continuing to evolve in exciting ways as more people discover how satisfying and liberating it can be to stay in someone else’s home when they travel, or even to consider listing a property themselves,” said Olivier Grémillon, vice president at Booking.com. He leads the company’s strategy in homes and apartments.

“We’re very pleased to be working together with the team from ‘The Vacation Rental Show’ and are looking forward to inspiring even more travelers and owners through the stories we’re planning to share together this season,” he said.

The show’s first season saw Landau hunting for truffles in Le Marche, Italy, jumping off secret rope swings in Hawaii, and learning to fly fish in the Blue Ridge mountains. With destinations lined up in seven countries, season two will double down on experiential travel and help usher the once-cottage industry into the mainstream.