Should I be listing somewhere other than Airbnb and VRBO

Question

I'm seeing more and more posts about Expedia and hipcamp and other medium's that hosts are using. My STR's are higher end and in Iowa. Does anyone have any first had experience with other booking sites?

Greg Janes · Answer

Agreed with looking into Marriott Homes and Villas - good suggestion @Myka Artis - we haven't listed any there yet but have been exploring. If you can also get listed on HomeToGo we have had really good success with them -- but they limit who can be listed on their sites.

As @John Underwood said it really depends on how full your calendar is. We list a couple of our properties on a single channel (i.e. Airbnb or VRBO) and have actually found that it can increase your bookings by focusing on specific channels. Our lake house in Wisconsin does great on VRBO and we are consistently fully-booked at well above recommended rates - so we list it only on VRBO. Our place near downtown Chicago is only on Airbnb as we just didn't see much with VRBO and it's not really the demographic that we are appealing to -- but it also stays booked consistently.

Without knowing exactly what goes on in the "black boxes" the search engines, what we've discovered is more velocity is applauded. That means the more times you can complete a cycle (shown below), the better they like it and the more likely they are to show your property higher in the search results:

1. You show up in search (because you're available and meet the search criteria)

2. Guests click on your listing and ends up booking

3. Guests leave a 5-star review post-stay

If you list on multiple channels, you limit the number of times you get through this cycle because your property is not available as much as it would be if you were only on a single channel.

Make sense?

This is anecdotal (I'm not a scientist nor have a done a controlled study) but this is a fairly established hypothesis that I've seen be successful numerous times.

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Brett Baker, so other sites simply don't have the reach that AirBNB and VRBO have.

Booking.com is really pushing it's STR stuff but their cancellation terms are very anti owner. You will get stuck often with last minute cancellations.

Myka Artis · Answer

If you're on the higher end, look into Marriott Homes and Villas. They usually pay significantly more and have a different clientele. We don't get bookings from them often, but when we do, they pay significantly more.

Patricia Andriolo-Bull · Answer

I'm on a bunch of sites which is easy since my PMS integrates with them but honestly, I get 60 - 70% from airbnb, 10 - 20% from VRBO (which by the way gets you on the Expedia network so you are broadly showing in other places), and the remainder are either direct, Booking.com, Houfy, Google Vacation Rentals. So I don't get very much from being on those other sites.

Sameul Ahsan · Answer

I tried Hipcamp and didn’t have a great experience—definitely not for me. Haven’t tested Expedia yet, but it’s interesting that others are using it. We also gave Booking.com a shot and didn’t like it either. At the end of the day, we just stick to Airbnb and VRBO. Simple and reliable.

Collin Hays · Answer

Your VRBO listing should be in Expedia by default, since they are the same company. VRBO gets our homeowners on plenty of channels. We do not use Airbnb.

John Underwood · Answer

It depends on how full VRBO and Airbnb are keeping your calendar.

You could always have Google Ads or FB ads that drive more business to one of your OTA sites or to a direct booking site.

Joseph Sauer · Answer

Hey Brett,

I started using Booking.com back in March and I'm still deciding if it's worth it. I got a booking within 2 days, but I there was an issue with the connection with the PMS and ended up having to cancel due to a double booking, which was a first. I've had one booking since then. It's a pain to set up the listing too, at least for me. A lot of extra steps that may be relevant in other countries, but not so much here. Also, I'm not a huge fan of having to pay booking.com separately. They don't take their fee out prior to sending me the deposit, so they send me a bill, which just seems unnecessary.

I'll probably keep it for a year to see if it helps with bookings, but if i had to choose right now, I'd probably delete the listing.

Andrew Street · Answer

Hey Brett - I’ve seen more hosts branching out too. Expedia (via Vrbo) can be great for reaching a broader audience, especially international travelers. Hipcamp tends to work well for unique or nature-based stays like cabins or glamping setups. Curious if anyone’s had solid bookings through Booking.com or other lesser-known platforms?

Josh Sedivy · Answer

Since you're managing high-end properties, it's best to focus on platforms that attract guests who are willing to pay for quality. Airbnb and Vrbo remain your top options unless you're looking to scale or target niche markets. Do most of your guests come for vacations, events, or work trips? Understanding this can help determine if another platform would be a good fit.

Should I be listing somewhere other than Airbnb and VRBO

Should I be listing somewhere other than Airbnb and VRBO

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