Finding The Perfect Vacation Rental
Holiday Rentals by Owner offers a diverse selection of vacation homes, condo rentals, holiday rentals, cabin rentals, beach rentals and vacation home rentals for travelers on any sort of budget. No matter you wish to stay at a beach or love cherishing mountains, we help you select the best fit in your budget and fantasy.Rentals by Owners
Best 8 Websites Like Vrbo For Great Vacation Rental Deals
VRBO.com is one of the most popular websites in the United States for renting properties to stay at during a vacation. It has a huge selection of listings thtat you can sort through in a variety of ways, and it can protect your booking payments and stay through encryption technology and purchasable insurance policies . However, not all hosts will accept payment on the VRBO website, so you cant get the peace of mind of coverage there. Plus, VRBO is rather hands-off when it comes to resolving disputes with hosts notably, it cant force them to give you a refund. Many people also dont like the recent service fee that VRBO has instituted.
Here are eight VRBO competitors that can help you find somewhere a little different from your standard hotel when looking for a place to stay while out of town.
Are Service Fees Really Necessary
The big listing sites would like you to believe so because service fees mean millions of dollars in revenue to them. But when you look closer, do service fees REALLY offer you a level of protection worth paying for?
This is a copy from the VRBO Book with Confidence Guarantee.https://www.vrbo.com/info/about-us/legal/terms-conditions/bookwithconfidence
So what does the small print actually mean by MAY offer alternate accommodation? MAY offer to rebook another property? MAY reimburse you? Do those service fees give you any firm guarantees at all?
You May Like: Best Family Vacations In Greece
Best Alternatives To Vrbo
VacationRentals.com
VacationRentals.com has roughly 250 to 600 thousand visits per month, with over 80% of their traffic coming from Canada and the US alone. VacationRentals.com is part of the HomeAway family and their mission is to help families and friends find the perfect accommodations to enjoy their dream vacations together. The beautiful homes on the site feature more space, privacy, and amenities than hotels, often for less than half the cost per person.
EDITORS NOTE 5/21/18: VacationRentals.com has merged with the VRBO/Homeaway family and is no longer a viable alternative to VRBO. Vacationrentals.com is now subject to all the same rules and regulations that unfortunately are upsetting so many vacation rental owners on their platform.
Flat Fee Or Commission
Even if you do target the right audience, how many bookings do you anticipate getting? If you have limited availability and only keep your home open to guests for a couple of weeks out of the year, a flat, subscription-based fee might not be right for you.
Alternatively, if you get a lot of bookings with a large earning, you might be giving away too much of a cut by choosing vacation rental sites that operate off commission. Take a look at the average amount of bookings you had in the past year and see which option would have given you a greater return. If this is your first year operating a vacation rental business, stick with a commission-based platform with no listing fee, like Airbnb, so you dont risk losing money by not getting enough listings to cover the cost of a listing site subscription.
Don’t Miss: Vacation Rentals Near Frank Brown Park Panama City Beach Fl
Holiday Lettings United Kingdom
Holiday Lettings was the UKs largest independent vacation rental website when it was acquired by TripAdvisor in 2010. They maintain their focus on very English-esque stays like tudor-style homes and old manors tucked away in the countryside. Today, Holiday Lettings advertises 600,000 cottages, villas and apartments in over 150 countries worldwide, including nearly 55,000 in the UK.
Holiday Lettings Fees
| Host fees | Listing fees | |
| Travelers are charged a booking fee, which typically varies from 8% to 14.5% depending on the rental rate. | Hosts pay a 3% fee on confirmed bookings, deducted from the guests booking total. | There are no listing fees for Holiday Lettings |
The Best Vacation Rental Sites For Groups And Families
There are a lot of vacation rental sites out there, and it may not be immediately clear what makes one better than another. Theres also the complicating factor that there are two different types of vacation rental websites:
In this story, well focus on the best vacation rental booking platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and others. But be sure to check out our story on vacation rental booking agencies for a simple explanation of the benefits and a look at some of the best agency websites if you want to go that route.
GET AWAY:10 Best North America Vacation Spots for Couples This Year
Even when you narrow your search to just the best vacation rental websites, youre still going to find a lot of variation in the approach these booking platforms take. There are some like Airbnb that mix full-house rentals with room rentals in private homes. There are online travel agency sites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Expedia that function both as hotel booking sites and vacation rental booking sites, and mingle both in listings. And there are also dozens of smaller vacation rental sites, many of which offer region-specific short term rentals.
Also Check: Best Vacation Rental Management Software
Look Closely At The Listing
That initial price you see may not be telling you the whole story. Be sure to click into each listing to see all the fees before you make a decision.
Also, scrutinize available images to be sure you’re getting what you are paying for. Do they show the neighborhood, street, building exterior and interiors? In a listing for a two-bedroom, do you see two real bedrooms, or is the landlord counting a family room with a sleeper sofa as a second bedroom?
If a feature is important to you look for it in the images you don’t want to dream of and pay for lounging on a riverside perch only to discover the apartment faces a wall.
Check the map. Is the rental as close to what you want to see or do as advertised? Are there nearby restaurants? Is there a busy nightclub located on the street below? Is it convenient for public transportation? Is there free parking?
Avoid Vrbo/homeaway/airbnb Service Fees
You don’t mind paying a few extra hundred dollars on your next vacation rental, do you? According to HomeAway & VRBO you don’t. The brilliant minds at VRBO/Homeaway have actually said “travelers don’t mind paying a service fee”. We’re not sure what reality they are living in!
In January 2016 HomeAway & VRBO were bought out by corporate giant Expedia for 3.9 BILLION dollars. The next month they rolled out a new Service Fee that they are charging to travelers who book through their websites in an effort to be more like Airbnb. While Expedia said originally that the fee will range between 4% and 9%, more recently they’ve raised the service rates to 6% to 15%. AirBnb has already increased their service fees to 20%. We’ve heard about internal memos from HomeAway/VRBO stating their end goal is also “a 20% take rate”. 20 PERCENT!!! Added for nothing!
Traveler Confusion
The Service Fee these big companies are charging the travelers is for booking through their sites do not go to the homeonwer. These companies all the money. The homeowner gets none of it. However, they label it simply as Service Fee on their site. Understandably, renters are often confused, as they think the homeowner is charging this Service Fee, and are unaware that it is charged by HomeAway/VRBO/Airbnb and the homeowner has no control over it.
Limiting What you See
What Can the Traveler Do?
Read Also: The Worlds Most Amazing Vacation Rentals
Make Your Next Vacation Stay
Do you expect to make your next vacation the most memorable with your loved ones this year? All things considered, you can’t envision a frolic-filled winsome time with your travel mates without perfectly fitting accommodation! While getting ready for a getaway, the prime thing is none other than the accommodation! Obviously, it must be one of a kind just as deserving of your time and venture. We all need an agreeable stay hailing with the capacity to put a wide smile on their family’s faces.
If you are a human who is more worried about the accommodation arrangements than the entire tour, we are here for you! Our whole group of specialists is no less than a joy for each sort of traveler. Regardless of whether you are an independent explorer or the one with your perfect partner or family, you have our back! All our vacation rentals perfectly suit each one of your needs, just as choices.
You need to choose from the full scope of vacation rental alternatives given on our site. Other contact details will be predominant, and later on, you can straightforwardly connect with the owner of that property. We have consistently strived to encourage you with comfort, security, moderateness, and a peaceful staying experience like none else!
Why List With Us
We are the best choice to maximize your investment! Just like we have the inside knowledge of a renter, we also have the knowledge of being an owner. We know how to make it easy and give you the best results out there. Were as passionate about the owners as we are the renters.
As owners, we felt with all the constant changes the online booking sites were doing to take control of our rentals there had to be a better option. The website was created with the owners in mind and we intend to live up to our name! Our marketing plan is to solicit travelers when searching for a vacation rental in an area specific to Panama City Beach, FL
We like to keep it simple. With our website, owner communications is at the top of our list. We added important functions such as nightly rates, calendar import, detailed booking quotes with pricing optimization for add-ons and links for verification. We also added some popular destinations to make it easy on travelers while searching to narrow their choices. If you choose to add reservation software for online booking, we integrate with Owner Reservations
Were more affordable too! $99 annual subscription fee we knock out other big listings/booking sites which start at the lowest subscription level of $149 and go all the way up to $599. We dont see the need to create tier level subscriptions, so we keep it simple to make it easier on you. Not only are you getting a quality experience, but youre also not breaking the bank.
Read Also: Government Vacation Rewards Customer Service
Reach A Wider Global Audience
You can have the best beach house in the whole Outer Banks, but that still wont help you to tap into a global market if you arent properly advertising your property. When you list your vacation rental on local sites and global listing pages, you help to scale up your business to reach guests from all over the world who might be more than interested in staying at your property!
Where Can I Find High End Vacation Rentals
If youre looking for an upscale rental, and especially one with lots of bedrooms, start with either a worldwide managed agency or area specialist. By going with a managed agency, you have the peace-of-mind of working with an established rental agency rather than an owner who may be hard to track down in theres an issue. Renting a high-end vacation rental through a managed vacation home booking agency generally incurs less risk than renting through a booking platform because if you encounter a problem, you know how to reach a responsible party, or who to request a refund through. This is a particularly important detail if youre renting an expensive property based solely on online descriptions and pictures.
Read Also: What Does Hearing Vacated Mean In Family Court
Worlds Best Vacation Rentals Are Here
Direct Bookings Open Communications No Service Fees
Planning for a world tour, but worried about where to stay with value for money, safety, and security? Dont worry! Vacation Rentals by HRBO is the best solution for your flawless journey. Find the perfect place for your vacations at Holiday Rentals by Owner, a name you can trust upon. Rentals by Owners
Get our newsletter and stay current on vacation rental deals and specials.
The 12 Best Vacation Rental Sites For Hosts And Travelers
Guides,All posts,Vacation Rental Tips
The role of vacation rental sites and marketplaces is increasing. Each day they attract millions of visitors who seek accommodation for their vacation. For hosts, vacation rental sites are the perfect place to reach their target audience at the right place and time. So, if you are looking for new ways to maximize the number of bookings, you should start by advertising your properties where your potential guests are.
As a guest, you might want to find the best home away from home for your next vacation. To help both guests and hosts, weve researched the top 10 vacation rental websites.
Read on to find out which of these platforms are the best short-term rental sites for you.
Also Check: Building A Vacation Rental Home
Home & Villas Marriott
Even the hotel industry is getting in on the vacation rental action. As renting private homes grows in popularity, other chains and hospitality companies are figuring out ways to bridge the two. Marriott sought out this opportunity by creating Home & Villas Marriott, under the umbrella of the larger Marriott International group.
Whats so great about this listing site is the ability to monetize off what would otherwise be hotel-only traffic. Loyal customers of Marriott and the hotel industry at large now dont have to stray, as they can book private homes with a company theyre already familiar with. Marriott even allows guests to use their Marriott points towards vacation rentals listed on their site. Bonus!
Home & Villas Marriott Fees
| Host fees | Listing fees | |
| The guest service fee varies depending on the stay and duration but the cap is 10-15% per booking. | Home & Villas Marriott charges a customized host fee depending on the stay. | Home & Villas Marriott charges a customized listing fee depending on the stay. |
Final Decision: Which Listing Is The Best
Our recommendation is that you list your property on as many sites as you can manage.
If you have to choose one listing site, then pick the one that makes the most sense for your vacation rental based on fees, traffic, and the audience.
The cost difference between Vrbo/HomeAway, Airbnb, and FlipKey/TripAdvisor is slim, especially when you factor in all the components above, which is why we think its better to prioritize getting your properties in front of as many travelers as possible.
If you really want to make more money, your focus shouldnt be on picking the platform that saves you a few hundred dollars your focus should be on getting more bookings overall. The more bookings you make, the more rental income youll earn. Its as simple as that.
With Evolve you dont have to choose.
When you partner with Evolve, you dont have to choose which marketplaces to list your property on. Not only do we create a custom property listing with professional photography, but we also distribute your listing on all of those major marketplaces, getting you full exposure across the top online travel sites.
Our goal is to drive more guests to your property for maximum income, while giving you more choices with fewer rules all for an industry-low 10% management fee .
See if you qualify or call one of our Vacation Rental Advisors today to learn more at .
Recommended Reading: Vacation Home Rentals Nova Scotia
Are Orlando Vacation Rentals Licensed
Yes. Every vacation home in Orlando is regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. You can check records to make sure the owner is licensed: License Check at MyFloridaLicense Most owners are individually licensed and should be easy to find, but some are licensed under their Management Company. Dont be alarmed if you dont find a license. Speak to the owner and ask them for their license number. They should be able to either show you a copy of the license or provide you with the link to the management company license.
Why Should You List Your Property On Vacation Rental Sites
If you already receive a significant amount of direct bookings, you might be wondering whats the point of listing your property on an OTA in the first place. After all, there arent many vacation rental sites without fees and every host wants to keep as much of the grand total as possible. If you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, youll see that adding your property to vacation rental listing sites will actually increase your profits, fees and all.
Also Check: How Far In Advance To Book Disney Vacation
The Best Vacation Rental Sites
To help you sift through the options, I tested more than a dozen top vacation rental sites to figure out which ones offer the best combination of plentiful inventory, useful filters, informative listings, and fair prices, without too many hidden fees. I discovered that theres no single best vacation home rental site, but that each one has pros and cons to suit different types of travelers.