Vrbo

Vrbo (/ˈvɜːrboʊ/ VUR-boh),^[1] an acronym of Vacation Rentals by Owner, is an online marketplace for vacation rentals. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and is owned by Expedia Group.

Vrbo – Vacation Rentals

Type of business	Subsidiary
Type of site	Vacation rental
Available in	English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Suomi, Swedish, German, Greek, Japanese
Headquarters	Austin, Texas
Area served	Worldwide
Owner	Expedia Group
General manager	Larry Plawsky
Key people	Ariane Gorin
Industry	Lodging
Services	Vacation rentals
URL	vrbo.com
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Optional, but is required for certain tasks such as booking and listing
Launched	1995; 30 years ago (1995) (as Vacation Rentals by Owner)
Current status	Active

History

The VRBO website was created by David Clouse, a programmer, in 1995 in Aurora, Colorado with the goal of renting his Breckenridge Ski Resort condo. The website soon became popular with homeowners that wanted to list their properties for short term rental.^[2][3]

By 2006, VRBO had over 465,000 rental listings^[4] and was adding 100 new listings per day.^[3]

VRBO originally had a subscription business model in which payment of an annual fee allowed homeowners to list their properties on the website.^[5]

In 2006, VRBO was acquired by HomeAway.^[6][4]

On November 4, 2015, Expedia Group announced it would acquire HomeAway, including VRBO, for $3.9 billion. The transaction closed in the first quarter of 2016.^[7][8]

In March 2019, VRBO was re-branded Vrbo, including a new logo, capitalization, and pronunciation.^[9][1]

In May 2019, the HomeAway and Vrbo websites were both rebranded as Vrbo.^[10][11]

Criticism

Strict refund policies during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb and Tripadvisor forced property owners to offer full refunds to travelers that were impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, Vrbo did not mandate that hosts offer refunds to guests, leaving it up to guests and hosts to work out the details of any refunds. This prompted calls on Twitter to boycott Vrbo.^[12][13][14] Vrbo did, however, prohibit hosts from downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic in refund negotiations with guests.^[15]

Lack of backing of guarantee

The company has been accused of not complying with its "book with confidence" guarantee. In one case, a customer claims to have lost £6,000 after the property owner of a rental property in Ibiza booked on Vrbo "disappeared". Trustpilot reviews indicate that this user experience is common.^[16]

Hidden cameras in property bedrooms

In 2022 the company was the subject of several lawsuits after customers renting properties using the platform have found hidden cameras in private areas of properties, including in bedrooms. Police have also found images of guests undressed on the computers of such homeowners.^[17][18]

Non-compliance with rental laws

In March 2022, Vrbo was sued by the city of Los Angeles for not complying with its rental laws, including allowing hosts to use the platform without registering under the city's short-term rental ordinance. City Attorney Mike Feuer claimed that 69% of bookings made in a recent 30-day period appeared to violate the city's rules.^[19][20]