Vrbo Adds Pay-Later Booking, A Year Behind Airbnb
Vrbo now lets guests reserve a rental without paying upfront, matching a feature Airbnb rolled out last year to cut booking abandonment.
Vrbo
Wyndham Adds Vacation Rentals to Its Hotel Loyalty Program
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has rolled out Homes & Havens, a collection of professionally managed vacation rentals that members of its Wyndham Rewards program can now book and earn points on.
Airbnb Masks Phone Numbers, Cutting Off a Host Rebooking Tool
Airbnb will route calls and texts between large hosts and guests through temporary numbers, closing a channel property managers have used to move renters off the platform.
Airbnb's Amex Exclusive Shuts a Door Vrbo Was Opening
Airbnb's exclusive short-term rental tie-up with American Express Travel also locks Expedia's Vrbo out of a wholesale booking channel it had only just started supplying.
Vrbo Keeps Some Hosts on Subscriptions, Won't Say Why
Hosts and property managers being pushed off Vrbo's flat-fee subscription plan say a subset of listings is quietly being allowed to keep it, with no explanation of who qualifies.
Report Finds Just 11% of Operators Run Fully Linked Tech
A new paper from hospitality tech advisory group TAG and vendor Cendyn argues most operators are still running booking, payment and guest-data systems that don't talk to each other.
Airbnb Follows Vrbo and Marriott With Rain-Refund Guarantee
Airbnb now offers an automatic payout to guests when rainfall at a listing crosses a set threshold during their stay, matching programs already running at Vrbo and Marriott.
HostUplift Adds Sykes Cottages to UK Distribution Mix
Short-term rental manager HostUplift will list eligible UK and Ireland properties on Sykes Holiday Cottages, giving owners a booking channel beyond Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com.
Booking.com Makes Its Case to Hosts as AI Reshapes Search
In a trade interview, a Booking.com executive argues OTAs still earn their commission as AI changes how travelers search, but the comments contain no new fees, tools or dates for property managers to act on.
VRMA's Nashville Conference Puts Platform Fees Under the Microscope
The vacation rental industry's largest annual gathering, running this week in Nashville, is dominated by hallway math on new platform commissions and a fresh push to formalize operator training.
Vrbo to Loosen Rate Parity Rule After Commission Backlash
Vrbo plans to relax the clause forcing hosts to match its prices elsewhere, after raising host commissions drew complaints that guest fee cuts were just cost-shifting.
Vrbo to Double Host Commissions, Closing Gap With Airbnb
Vrbo plans to roughly double what it charges hosts in commission, moving its take rate closer to Airbnb's while leaving the guest-facing fee structure untouched for now.
Vrbo Doubles Host Commission, Won't Fix Guest Fees
Vrbo is roughly doubling the commission it charges hosts to move its pricing closer to Airbnb and Booking.com, but it will keep charging guests a separate fee at a rate it has not pinned down.
Airbnb Rolls Out AI Tools Years After Its Rivals
Airbnb is adding AI-powered search and trip-planning features already running at Booking.com and Expedia, shifting the competition from timing to execution.
Vrbo to Overhaul Fee Structure Starting October 2026
Expedia Group says it will change how Vrbo compensates hosts and partners on October 29, 2026, though it has not yet published the new rates.
Airbnb and Vrbo Still Split Host Costs Very Differently
Commissions, cancellation overrides and guest-vetting tools still work differently on the two platforms, and hosts running both are absorbing the gap heading into 2026.
StayTerra Adds 2,000 Homes Through Gather Vacations Deal
A distribution partnership pushes StayTerra's listing count past 2,000 properties, with new inventory concentrated in Hawaii, California and Washington.
Geneva, NY Considers Bed Tax on Airbnb, Vrbo Hosts
Geneva, New York's city council is weighing a new occupancy tax on short-term rentals, a move that would add a per-stay fee for local hosts if it clears a vote.
Free Contract Template Targets Direct-Booking Legal Gap
A new downloadable short-term rental agreement template aims to give hosts who take bookings outside Airbnb and Vrbo's built-in terms of service a signed contract to fall back on.
Napa Operator Skips Airbnb, Books 36 Estates Direct at $1,295 a Night
A boutique Wine Country operator has pulled all three dozen of its luxury estate rentals off Airbnb and Vrbo, taking bookings only through its own channels at rates averaging $1,295 a night.