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How Vacation Rental Hosts List Property on Expedia in Four Steps
If you're a vacation rental host looking to drive bookings from different channels, Expedia is a perfect choice. You know that keeping all your eggs in one basket is not an ideal strategy, so you don't want to be overly reliant on one platform like Airbnb.
Some hosts get confused about how to list property on Expedia, so we created this guide to show you the exact steps to list on Expedia Group and all the answers on how to leverage visibility across multiple platforms within the Expedia universe, including Expedia itself.
We'll also share some fresh, actionable, and experience-backed tips in this blog post on how to attract more travelers on Expedia.
Why List Your Property on Expedia?
Expedia is a leading online travel agency in the travel industry with a global reach, famous for bundle deals for leisure and business travelers. Property owners can secure more bookings for vacation rentals through the Expedia Group.
You don’t need to sign up for Expedia group brands separately. One sign-up includes your property on multiple Expedia brands like Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia.com (where your property type qualifies). Expedia is offering rental cars, flights, and vacation rental properties to attract potential guests, often in bundle packages.
Travelers booking bundle deals tend to stay 33% longer, and pay 29% higher daily rates. Because they book in advance and take longer trips — 11.8 days on average, they typically cancel less.
Another reason for vacation rental owners to consider this platform is exposure to the global market. Expedia Group operates in 70+ countries, and gets millions of daily booking searches. All things considered, your property can get great visibility and revenue streams if listed on Expedia and its distribution network.
Step-by-Step Guide to List Your Property on Expedia
Here's how you can list your vacation rentals on Expedia in 4 simple steps.
1. Go to Expedia Partner Central Portal
To get listed on Expedia, access the Partner Central portal or go directly to the Expedia website. In both cases, you're looking for a link that says "List your property."
On the Partner Central portal, the link appears just below the login form.
2. Click "List your property."
After you click "List your property," you’ll be taken to a page where you can choose between two options.
The Lodging option is used for listing hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. The other is Private Residence, which is intended for apartments and vacation rentals.
Here we see that vacation rental owners are directed to click Private Residence, which leads to a sign-up form on Vrbo, one of Expedia’s brands. Basically, they want you to sign up through Vrbo first, as it’s the Expedia platform specialized for short-term rentals.
You could technically choose the Lodging option and select “vacation home” later in the process if you don't want to be listed on Vrbo, but the onboarding process would be more similar to that of hotels. For most short-term rental property owners, it makes more sense to be listed on Vrbo first.
3. Create an account
What you will do is quickly finish sing up process by filling:
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Property's adress
- Sign up form with your name, phone number, email
Now that you created and verified your account, it's time to create your listing.
4. Create a listing
This is the most detailed part of the process, but if you have everything prepared, such as high-quality photos and a well-written description, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Be sure to provide detailed and accurate information in the following areas:
Property type
Apartment, villa, cabin, entire home.
Listing headline and description
Write a catchy headline and a detailed, engaging description. Highlight what makes your place unique.
Room details and layout
Include all the rooms, and any notable features like balconies or workspaces.
Amenities offered
Basic amenities like free wi-fi, air conditioning, washer/dryer, kitchen equipment, or extra amenities.
Rates
Set your base price and adjust it by season, weekends, holidays, or length of stay.
Photos
Upload high-resolution photos of all rooms and any standout features (hot tub, view, BBQ area)
Fees and deposits
Cleaning fee, pet fee, etc.
Cancellation policy
Keep in mind that many travelers filter by flexible cancellation.
Check-in/check-out details
Let guests know how and when they’ll access the property.
House rules
Outline what is and isn’t allowed by checking boxes and by setting custom rules (no parties, quiet hours, pet policy).
In the process, you may also need to check with the local government to set tax and regulatory information.
Eligible, good-performing Vrbo listings get automatic placement on Expedia and partner sites, so you don't need to create listings twice or more times for each brand.
Tips to Optimize Your Expedia Listing for Visibility and Bookings
See how you can maximize the platform's potential and attract more bookings.
Optimize your listing
The process of listing optimization involves highlighting unique features, available amenities, high-quality photos, and competitive pricing to stand out from other properties.
Review your competitors' listings in your area. See what they emphasize—and make sure your listing highlights what makes yours better.
Set competitive pricing
Pricing your property right is crucial on Expedia, where travelers compare listings side by side. Use market insights to adjust your rates based on seasonality, demand, and local competition (strategy called dynamic pricing, based on real time market pricing). Consistent pricing is important to list your property across the sites in the Expedia network.
Become a Vrbo Premier host
As a vacation home owner, you'll likely be listed on Vrbo first, as discussed above. Since Vrbo and Expedia are the same company, the good news is that once you have a Vrbo listing, Expedia can automatically list your property on Expedia and other relevant travel brands in their network.
Being a Premier Host plays a role in getting placement on Expedia because it signals that you're a reliable, high-performing host. Premier Hosts often enjoy higher visibility, better ranking in search results, and increased booking potential across Expedia Group platforms.
Turn on Instant Book
Hosts report that one of the key recommendations for getting your listing placed on Expedia is to enable the Instant Book feature on your Vrbo account. Expedia prioritizes listings that allow guests to book without waiting for host approval, as they want to incentivize last-minute bookers.
Turning on Instant book will also lead to more visibility and quicker conversions.
Care about guest reviews
To succeed on Expedia, focus on guest satisfaction. Great reviews boost your credibility and visibility, while fast, clear communication builds trust.
Using a property management system like iGMS helps automate tasks such as messaging guests and reviews. Timely, helpful communication increases your chances of earning stellar reviews.
Use promotion strategies and special discounts
Offering special discounted rates on Expedia is a powerful way to stand out and attract more bookings. Discounts within package deals significantly boost visibility and draw in high-value travelers, and Expedia wants you to use promotion strategies and other marketing programs.
Does Expedia Charge Fees for Bookings?
The Expedia compensation for reservations varies depending on the service they provide.
If you list your vacation rental via Vrbo (which is part of Expedia Group), you’ll pay Vrbo’s commission, usually around 8% booking fee or a flat annual fee, depending on the plan you choose. You’ll be charged the same fees as on Vrbo for bookings on Expedia and affiliated sites.
Can the Expedia Loyalty Program Benefit Hosts?
Expedia’s One Key loyalty program, launched in 2023, is the first Expedia loyalty program to include vacation rentals in their reward system, giving hosts access to millions of engaged, repeat travelers.
When guests book a vacation rental on Vrbo, they earn OneKeyCash—2% back on most bookings, which they can later redeem on sites in their distribution network.
This rewards ecosystem makes home rentals attractive to travelers who want to maximize their benefits across multiple trip types. Hosts benefit from increased visibility to loyal Expedia Group users, especially high-value guests with elite status, who tend to book more frequently and spend more per trip.
How Does Expedia Compare to Airbnb?
While both Expedia and Airbnb are popular platforms for vacation rental bookings, they offer different advantages. Airbnb is known for its easy-to-use platform and strong brand recognition among younger and leisure-focused travelers. In contrast, Expedia caters to a broader audience, including business travelers, and is part of a global network with an extensive portfolio of travel services, such as flights, car rentals, and vacation packages.
Expedia also provides advertising solutions and marketing tools that can help hosts increase visibility across its many partner sites. This broader reach can drive more bookings beyond just one platform.
However, managing listings on multiple OTAs like Expedia and Airbnb can lead to double bookings and time-consuming manual work. To solve this, many professional hosts rely on a property management system. iGMS is a PMS that allows you to sync calendars across platforms, and automatically perform daily tasks like guest messaging, reviews, and assigning tasks to yout team.
