# Vrbo

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/vrbo  
**Vertical:** Travel & Hospitality  
**Subcategory:** Short-Term Rental  
**Tier:** Leader  
**Website:** vrbo.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

Whole-home vacation rental OTA owned by Expedia Group; 2M+ properties in 190+ countries; focused exclusively on entire-home rentals for families and groups; B2B vacation rental distribution revenue up 24% in 2025 via cross-listing with Hotels.com and Expedia.com.

## Company Overview

Vrbo (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a whole-home vacation rental marketplace founded in 1995 and acquired by HomeAway in 2006, then by Expedia Group in 2015. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vrbo differentiates from Airbnb by focusing exclusively on entire-home rentals—no shared spaces or room rentals—making it the preferred platform for families and groups booking getaways. The platform lists over 2 million properties across 190+ countries, from beach houses to ski chalets and lakeside cabins.\n\nVrbo's subscription and per-booking fee model gives property owners flexibility in how they list. Integration with Expedia Group's demand ecosystem—including cross-listing on Hotels.com and Expedia.com—gives Vrbo properties broad distribution. Vrbo also powers B2B vacation rental distribution through Expedia's supplier API, enabling travel agents and corporate booking tools to include vacation rentals in itineraries.\n\nVrbo operates within Expedia Group, which reported near all-time-high revenue of ~$14B in FY2025. Expedia's B2B revenues surged 24% in 2025, with Vrbo's whole-home inventory playing a key role in corporate and extended-stay bookings. Vrbo has positioned itself as the family-focused alternative to Airbnb, emphasizing verified reviews, owner responsiveness metrics, and no-shared-space policies.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the difference between Vrbo and Airbnb?
Vrbo lists only entire homes, cottages, and villas—no shared rooms or hosted stays. Airbnb offers shared rooms, private rooms, and entire homes. Vrbo is preferred by families and groups who want full-property privacy.

### Who owns Vrbo?
Vrbo is owned by Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE). It was acquired as part of the HomeAway purchase in 2015 for $3.9B and operates as a standalone brand within Expedia's portfolio alongside Hotels.com and Travelocity.

### Does Vrbo charge property owners a fee?
Vrbo offers two fee structures: an annual subscription (~$499/year) with no per-booking commission, or a pay-per-booking model charging approximately 5% commission per reservation plus a 3% payment processing fee.

### What is Vrbo and how does it differ from Airbnb?
Vrbo (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a vacation rental marketplace that focuses exclusively on whole-property rentals including houses, cabins, condos, and villas — unlike Airbnb which also lists private rooms and shared spaces, Vrbo only shows entire properties, making it the preferred platform for families and groups who want an entire home to themselves rather than sharing space with a host or other guests.

### What is Vrbo's relationship with Expedia Group?
Vrbo is owned by Expedia Group, which acquired HomeAway (Vrbo's parent company) in 2015 and consolidated its vacation rental brands — with Vrbo now integrated into Expedia's traveller ecosystem where Expedia members can earn and redeem points on Vrbo bookings, and Expedia Group's supplier and technology infrastructure supporting Vrbo's growth in the whole-home vacation rental market.

### How does Vrbo handle payment protection and host verification?
Vrbo requires all bookings to be processed through its platform payment system rather than off-platform payments, providing a layer of payment protection for travellers and ensuring payment security for hosts — and Vrbo's Book with Confidence Guarantee provides refund coverage if a property is not as described or the host cancels shortly before arrival, giving travellers recourse that direct owner bookings do not provide.

### What types of properties are most listed on Vrbo?
Vrbo is strongest in traditional vacation destination markets including beach houses at coastal resorts, mountain cabins and ski chalets, lake houses, large family homes in popular US vacation destinations such as Florida, the Outer Banks, and Hawaii, and internationally in European villa markets — reflecting its origins as a platform for vacation property owners who rent seasonally to families rather than urban apartment owners targeting business travellers.

### How does Vrbo's traveller review system work?
Vrbo allows both travellers and hosts to leave reviews after a completed stay, with reviews only available to post after checkout to ensure they reflect actual stay experiences — displaying the property's average rating and detailed reviews prominently in search results so prospective guests can assess property quality, host responsiveness, and accuracy of the listing description before booking.

## Tags

b2c, global, platform, marketplace, north-america

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*