If you’re a host or vacation rental manager, you’ve likely weighed the pros and cons of listings your properties across various platforms such as Airbnb, HomeAway, Vrbo, and others. While Airbnb and HomeAway are competing platforms, the difference between Vrbo and HomeAway (along with companies in the HomeAway family) can be less clear.
Here’s a quick rundown of HomeAway vs Vrbo and what you need to know to maximize your listing’s exposure.
HomeAway 101
HomeAway was founded in 2005 and went public in 2011. During its time operating as an independent company, HomeAway acquired more than 20 companies, which included Vrbo. Some of these acquisitions were for competing short-term rental platforms, while others were for vacation rental software or mobile app technologies.
This means that if you list on HomeAway, your property will automatically be displayed on these platforms (if applicable).
Below is a list of acquisitions that are now part of the HomeAway family, including Vrbo. Most of these listing sites focus on a specific regional area or cater to speakers of a specific language.
Regional Sites
Bookabach
- Audience: Travelers looking for accommodations in New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands
- Website: www.bookabach.co.nz
Stayz
- Audience: Travelers looking for accommodations in Australia
- Website: www.stayz.com.au
TravelMob
- Audience: Travelers looking for accommodations in East and Southeast Asian locations such as Bali, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Taipei
- Website: www.travelmob.com
Toprural
- Audience: Travelers looking “casas rurales,” which are boutique country properties that are mostly located in Spain, but also exist in other parts of Europe
- Website: www.toprural.com
Language-specific Sites
AlgueTemporada
- Audience: Portuguese-speaking travelers
- Website: www.aluguetemporada.com.br
VacationRentals.com
- Audience: English-speaking travelers
- Website: www.vacationrentals.com
Vrbo
- Audience: English-speaking travelers
- Website: www.vrbo.com
Arbitel
- Audience: French-speaking travelers
- Website: www.abritel.fr
Homelidays
- Audience: French-speaking travelers
- Website: www.homelidays.com
FeWo-direct
- Audience: German-speaking travelers
- Website: www.fewo-direkt.de
Short-term Rentals and the Expedia Group
In 2015, Expedia Group acquired HomeAway. While the sites above continue to be part of the HomeAway family, there are additional sites that are part of what Expedia call its “expanded distribution network.” This network consists of sites like Trivago, Hotels.com, and other places where travelers are looking for accommodations but might not be considering a short-term rental just yet.
According to Expedia, listings that are eligible for the expanded distribution network will be automatically enrolled in the program. You can read more here or contact HomeAway support if you have questions about your rentals.
HomeAway vs Vrbo: Which Do Travelers Prefer?
Travelers in different markets have different brands that they associate with short-term rentals. When they’re looking for a place to stay, are they more likely to search for a short-term rentals on Vrbo or HomeAway? The answer largely depends on where they live.
Based on search volume, Vrbo dominates North America while HomeAway is the clear winner in Europe, Australia, India, and Brazil.
While they are essentially the same company, travelers in North American are more likely to come across your listing if it’s on Vrbo, while travelers in Europe, Australia, India, and Brazil are more likely to see your property if it’s on HomeAway.
Thankfully, if you’re already using HomeAway, your properties will automatically be distributed across the HomeAway family of sites (where applicable) to help you maximize bookings.
HomeAway vs Vrbo: What does this mean for AirDNA data?
We recently integrated HomeAway into MarketMinder data, allowing hosts and vacation rental managers to get a complete view of their market. Instead of only seeing individual listing performance, you can now see how properties themselves are performing—regardless of which platforms they’re listed on.
If property is listed on HomeAway—or any of HomeAway’s associated platforms listed above—it’s part of AirDNA’s global data set of over 10,000,000 unique properties across 80,000 markets.
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