Integration overview

About

Vrbo is an American vacation rental online marketplace originally known as Vacation Rentals by Owner or Vrbo.

In 2006, Vrbo was acquired by HomeAway, and on December 15, 2015, Expedia Group, Inc. acquired HomeAway. As of April 2019, the site listed more than 2 million properties across the world that travellers could rent.

Minimum requirements to connect

In order to connect the Property Manager’s (PM’s) property to the Vrbo, the following requirements must be met:

• Company profile in Rentals United needs to be filled in (phone number, email address and so on).

  Tip: First of all, make sure that you filled in the Merchant name and the Company name in the Company Profile. If the information are missing, you will not be able to connect to Vrbo.
  

• Address (Street treets number, Post code) and Location (Geo-coordinates) need to be complete;

• Licence number must be provided;

• Description: minimum 400 characters, maximum 10,000 characters;

• Bathroom: At least 1 bathroom. If the property does not have a bathroom room type, Vrbo will create a bathroom with a toilet automatically.

• Kitchen: There must be a kitchen at the property.

• Photos: minimum 6 photos (minimum width: 1024 px; minimum height: 768 px) are uploaded and the number of photos cannot exceed 50;

• Bedding composition across rooms needs to be provided;

• Prices and availability are provided for some seasons;

• Cancellation Policy: Cancellation Policy is selected;

• Arrival information, Normal check-in and check-out times, as well as Arrival instructions are provided.

Integration model

Additional info

Inventory type

Channel performance

* According to the Vrbo Traveler Value Index 2025

Charges & Payments

Commission

Contract & Onboarding

Contact & Support

Categorization

This channel is categorised as a Holiday Rental Website (HRW). An HRW website is a booking platform that follows a vacation-rental–oriented business model. HRW sites list each property as a unique unit - for example, an entire apartment, villa, or holiday home.

In this set-up, availability and pricing are managed individually for each property, reflecting its distinct features, location, and capacity. This model is tailored to guests seeking a “home away from home” experience, often preferring unique stays over standardised hotel-style rooms. For property managers, HRW platforms emphasise showcasing each rental’s individuality through photos, descriptions, and amenities, making differentiation a key factor in driving bookings.

• Rentals United property refers specifically to a single apartment;

• Single apartment belongs to the Advertiser ID.

For Vrbo, each user is provided with Advertiser ID, which is generated when connecting properties. It is possible to have more than one Advertiser ID for one user.

Good ranking in Vrbo

To be successful on Vrbo, it has to be understood how to receive a good ranking. Accounts positioned high in the ranking typically receive more bookings. To achieve this, Vrbo works with an algorithm called Best Match. This algorithm tracks your performance, which decides about your position in the ranking.

See more about how to rank higher on Vrbo.

The following aspects are taken into account:

• Follow Minimum requirements to connect;

• Reservation cancellation principles must be followed;

• Response time in less than 15 minutes

• Competitive and market prices

• Calendars and pricing should be accurate for the next 12 months

• No changes in price throughout the booking process

• Less than 10% cancellation rate

• Comprehensive and accurate listing content

• Reviews (at least 5 per property)

• Average rating (higher than 4.5)

• Instant booking process is utilised;