Expedia vacation rentals: why should hosts list here?

When it comes to Expedia, many vacation rental hosts might need some clarification on what Expedia Group comprises and why listing with Expedia is a good strategy to secure more bookings. In this article, we’ll delve into Expedia’s partners, booking potential, and how to get listed there. Let’s dive in!

Expedia: a global company, a global audience

By listing your property on Expedia, you tap into a vast global network encompassing various Expedia brands.

Expedia travel partners

Expedia.com partners with: Hotels.com, Vrbo, Wotif, trivago, Ebookers, CheapTickets, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, Carrentals.com, Expedia cruises, Expedia group partner solutions and Expedia group media solutions. By listing properties on Expedia you are upping the visibility of your properties tremendously, to travelers and users across all of these different platforms.

Expedia Group is an umbrella brand for many tourism companies

Reach a fresh audience with Expedia

Expedia helps you target spontaneous bookers and attracts travelers who opt for package deals, leading to longer stays and fewer cancellations. By listing on Expedia, you can tap into this diverse range of guests not easily reached on other platforms.

Vrbo, one of the travel agencies owned and operated by Expedia, has experienced rocket-like growth over the past years and is currently responsible for 24% of Expedia total revenue.

Visitors on Vrbo’s website increased by 189% from 2020 to 2022, compared to Airbnb’s 15% over the same time period (Expedia data). This trend can most likely be attributed to Expedia’s continued commitment to branch out and invest in the vacation rental industry.

Annual user growth 2020-2022 Vrbo/Airbnb

Expedia Group commissions for hosts

Expedia.com commissions

The commission rate on Expedia.com varies, typically falling between 10% and 30% of the booking price. The exact rate will depend on the type of property you are renting and the location of it.

Expedia’s commission model is largely based on their primary customer base, the hotel industry. But as the vacation rental industry continues to grow Expedia has pivoted its sister company Vrbo to meet the demand. When you try to publish a vacation rental on Expedia today you will automatically do so through Vrbo’s interface.

VRBO commissions for hosts

Vrbo’s commission is set up in a unique manner. As a host on the platform you can choose to either pay an annual fee of $699 + a 3% payment processing fee, or alternatively, a straight up 8% pay-per-booking fee (5% booking fee, 3% payment processing).

Since you have to pay a 3% payment processing fee regardless of the model you pick, the choice between the two different commission models can be simplified to either $699 annually or 5% per-booking.

To help illustrate which Vrbo commission model will fit your rental the best, depending on your annual vacation rental earnings, we’ve constructed a simple table below.

Comparing pay per-booking and fixed fee models of VRBO

Here is a revenue calculator that we’ve built so you can estimate your short-term rentals revenue.

4 useful tips to promote your listing on Expedia

1. Enable instant bookings

Guests prefer instant bookings over waiting for approval. This saves time for both hosts and travelers, and boosts reservations by eliminating the waiting period. Enabling instant bookings also helps hosts comply with Expedia’s diversity and inclusion guidelines, preventing discrimination.

Expedia allows listings to be published on multiple online travel agencies that are owned by the Expedia group without having separate accounts. This feature however, requires instant bookings in order to be compatible and eligible for listing on multiple platforms. 

If you are hesitant about instant bookings and prefer to confirm bookings upon request you can use Your.Rentals channel manager, where you can link Expedia and 50+ other travel channels in one single spot.

2. Customize your listing

When setting up your Expedia profile, make sure to provide as comprehensive and detailed information as possible.

Listing customisation in Your.Rentals listing builder

Craftinging a both accurate and unique listing name will boost your visibility amid a sea of alternatives on the search result page, making it an important step for grabbing customer attention.

Expedia offers its hosts a section to highlight your property’s location. Use it to describe popular local attractions, dining options, transport links, and more to meet guest expectations. Incorporating location tags further enhances listing visibility for guests seeking specific experiences or locations.

Alternatively, by using a channel manager, like Your.Rentals, you can add all your relevant information location tags and amenities in one place and automatically have it registered with all your listing channels at once.

3. Crafting a detailed and compelling description for Expedia

A thorough description will reflect positively on your listing. Taking your time and  carefully crafting a detailed description will result in a customer that feels more comfortable, has less questions and experiences less hesitation.

Do not forget to include all relevant information such as, house rules, available amenities, unique features etcetera, to avoid late cancellations and having to deny reservations. 

Canceling and denying reservations is something that you wish to avoid as much as possible since it negatively affects Expedia’s likelihood of advertising your listing. 

4. Manage customers and reviews

Encourage guests who have stayed at your property to leave positive reviews and ratings. Positive reviews can significantly impact a potential guest’s decision to book your property and improve your ranking in search results. Provide excellent customer service and ensure that guests have a pleasant experience during their stay.

Commonly asked questions regarding expedia vacation rentals

Is Expedia connected to Vrbo?

Vrbo, which stands for vacation rental by owner, was launched in 1995 and later acquired by HomeAway in 2006. When the expedia group took possession of HomeAway in 2015 they also took possession of Vrbo by extension. So, yes, Vrbo is connected to Expedia as they are both owned and operated by the same company.

Is Expedia part of Airbnb?

No, both Expedia and Airbnb compete for the same market share within the vacation rental space and are therefore competitors.

How much does Expedia charge hosts?

As with most booking channels, listing your property on Expedia comes with no upfront fees, allowing you to access their massive customer base without any initial payment.

Expedia instead monetizes its platform with a 10-30% commission on all bookings. Most owners and hosts, however, should expect their commission rate to fall somewhere closer to 15-20%, though the exact percentage can vary depending on location, room rates, and other factors.

How to sign up your vacation rental directly through Expedia

If you’re looking to explore Expedia as a stand alone online travel agency before integrating it through a vacation rental software, such as Your.Rentals, you can do so at Expedia.com.

The Expedia sign up page is very simple and straightforward. They list a few reasons as to why it would be beneficial for a business to list their property on Expedia, for example:

• The access to millions of global travelers visiting Expedia Group sites every day
• The ability to target specific types of customers through their range of products (e.g. long-stay guests, specific market segments, and international guests),
• The access to a wealth of data and traveler insights collected by their data analytics teams, which can be invaluable for revenue management and decision making.

The first step towards listing your expedia vacation rental is pressing the “list your property” tab at the top of their homepage.

Expedia home page

This will redirect you to an intermediate webpage where you are prompted to differentiate your listing between Conventional lodging (hotels, bed and breakfasts, motels etc) and vacation rentals. 

First step of the listing process on Expedia

Selecting vacation rentals at this stage will transfer you to Vrbo where you will finish the last stages of setup. This includes details, information, pictures and pricing in regard to your vacation rental. The information you enter here is ultimately what your future customers will see when they are browsing Expedia, or any of its associated vacation rental websites.

Vrbo’s continued listing process on Expedia

If you plan to get reservations from multiple platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia, think about using Your.Rentals channel manager, as with it you won’t need to create individual accounts on any new travel channel. Your.Rentals is a true All-in-One solution that will generate you accounts seamlessly on all required platforms.

Conclusion: give Expedia Rentals a go!

As the industry has evolved, so has Expedia, positioning itself as a cornerstone within the industry. Expedia was one of the earliest online travel agencies (OTAs), and is a legacy name in the hospitality industry. Its strong presence provides lots of opportunities for those who use it.

An efficient way of expanding to new markets is by advertising your listing on as many credible travel agencies as possible. As mentioned earlier, you can bypass managing multiple passwords and emails by using vacation rental management software.

Your.Rentals can give you a better overview of all your listings in one place, help you avoid double bookings on different sites and get you started with clever Smart rates to maximize seasonal profits.

So if you haven’t tried it already get started with Your.Rentals for free!