The 12 Best Vacation Rental Sites for Hosts and Travelers

The role of vacation rental sites and marketplaces is increasing. Each day they attract millions of visitors who seek accommodation for their vacation. For hosts, vacation rental sites are the perfect place to reach their target audience at the right place and time. So, if you are looking for new ways to maximize the number of bookings, you should start by advertising your properties where your potential guests are. 

As a guest, you might want to find the best home away from home for your next vacation. To help both guests and hosts, we’ve researched the top 10 vacation rental websites.

Read on to find out which of these platforms are the best short-term rental sites for you.

1. Airbnb

Airbnb is the top trusted vacation rental site. It offers hosts the opportunity to make money from listing their short-term rental properties and experiences.

It has the largest community of vacation rental hosts. As one of the largest vacation rental companies, Airbnb offers over 7 million listings to guests in more than 220 regions and countries around the world. For guests, it means a lot of options to choose from.

It is also one of the fastest-growing vacation home rental websites. Airbnb has the best brand recognition among hosts and guests in the short-term rental market.

For hosts, there is no fee to list a property. However, hosts should pay a service fee per booking. Depending on where your property is based, you will either pay a fee of up to 15%, or the guest will pay a fee of up to 15% while you pay up to 3%. 

Top Features:

• Offers a $1 million Host Guarantee insurance policy;
• No fee to create a rental listing;
• The host service fee is 3-15% per booking (depending on your location).

2. VRBO

Previously known as VRBO (vacation rental by owner), it recently merged with its sister site HomeAway, to relaunch as Vrbo. Vrbo is part of the Expedia Group and specializes in providing vacation rentals in the United States. This makes it an excellent option for hosts who own or manage vacation rentals in the USA. It’s also one of the most popular vacation rental listing sites in the world. 

To rent a property on Vrbo hosts either pay per booking or an annual subscription of $499 per year. If a host opts for a pay-per-booking option, he/she pays a 5% commission with a 3% credit card charge per booking.

Top Features:

• Only private apartments and houses can be listed;
• Hosts can choose between the annual subscription or a pay-per-booking option.
• Attracts families and travelers to US destinations.
• Guests are to pay a service fee of up to 12% per booking or sometimes higher. There can be additional fees such as a pet fee, cleaning fee, or other fees.

Although Vrbo has a lot in common with Airbnb, there are some major differences to consider. While you can list different types of properties on Airbnb (including shared rooms, cabins, beach houses, and treehouses), Vrbo only allows hosts to list private spaces. If you have a spare room to rent, keep in mind that you can’t advertise it on Vrbo.   

Another difference is the type of audience Vrbo caters to. Since only private home rentals are allowed on Vrbo, it tends to attract older audiences who travel with a family and are looking for kid-friendly spaces.  

3. Booking.com

Booking.com boasts more than 27 million properties listed on the platform with over 1.5 million nights booked daily. The site is primarily known for listing hotel rooms and not vacation rentals. However, in recent years the number of vacation rentals listed on Booking.com has grown significantly.

Booking.com doesn’t have its own payment system. Instead, it allows hosts to choose the payment options they prefer. As a result, Booking.com charges hosts a 15% commission on each booking. The costs are deducted from your account by direct debit.

If a guest makes a cancellation on a reservation, Booking.com doesn’t charge any fees. However, a guest can receive a bill from a hotel or another property that they have booked. 

If you need to cancel a reservation on Booking.com, contact the hotel or property directly to discuss your situation.

Top Features:

• You can list your property for free;
• Hosts are to pay a 15% service fee per booking; 
• Instant booking only;
• Guests don’t have to pay any extra commissions when making a reservation.

4. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor was founded in 2000 and is one of the oldest and best sites for vacation rentals. As a result, it has great brand recognition making it an ideal place to list your rentals.

TripAdvisor is also a famous comparison website. It features more than 859 million reviews on hotels, restaurants, vacation rentals, and tourist attractions. It also owns a host of the best vacation rental sites for homeowners including FlipKey, VacationHomeRentals, and HouseTrip.

TripAdvisor charges a 3% commission per booking. Once you list your property on TripAdvisor, it will automatically be featured on FlipKey as well. This means more visibility and exposure for your vacation rental.

Top Features:

• Hosts can list their properties for free;
• Low commission rate (3% per booking);
• Plenty of reviews on local attractions, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and short-term rentals collected over the years;
• The guest fee ranges from 8% to 16%, but sometimes it can be lower. The fee is automatically added to the guest’s invoice.

5. Expedia

Expedia is one of the largest online travel shopping platforms offering secure booking options for accommodation, air tickets, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacation packages.

It offers a variety of accommodation types in addition to vacation rentals such as hotels, villas, motels, guest houses, etc. Users looking for vacation rentals specifically can filter their search results based on the “sort by” functionality. 

Top Features:

• Listing on Expedia is free. However, the commission ranges between 10 and 30%. You, as a host, will find the exact amount of the commissions to be paid to Expedia in your final contract. 
• Expedia is a trusted, world-renowned OTA that attracts millions of visitors a year;
• Guests use Expedia to plan their getaways from start to finish. They are likely to book a rental property while purchasing air tickets and car rentals. Your listing has an even greater chance of being seen by the right guests on Expedia.

6. HomeToGo

HomeToGo is one of the most popular vacation rental search engines for finding rentals listed across different platforms, such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.

By typing in your destination and budget, HomeToGo will bring up hundreds of available listings that you can click on and browse. After clicking on a listing you’ll be redirected to the original listing page on the source website. 

The advantage of HomeToGo for guests is that you’re able to quickly compare listings across multiple short-term rental platforms to choose the one best suited for you. For hosts, making your listings available on the HomeToGo platform increases their visibility and booking potential. 

Top Features:

• Offers a variety of listing options across short-term rental platforms;
• Is a quick and convenient way to find the ideal vacation rental property;
• Offers integration support to hosts who wish to list their properties on the site.
• Charges a commission fee to hosts for bookings made on the platform. The fee amount depends on the original site the booking is made on and your subscription plan to the site.

7. Tripping

Like HomeToGo, Tripping is also a search engine that aggregates listings from different booking platforms, allowing users to browse offerings from multiple OTAs at the same time.

Tripping offers a map that appears alongside listings on the search results page. It displays hotels and hostels in addition to vacation rental properties, so users can filter their search options using the “Accommodation Types” filter. 

Like HomeToGo, one of Tripping’s greatest perks is the wide range of properties it displays to users. For guests that offers a greater variety of options, and for hosts, it expands your visibility. 

Top Features:

• Partners with the top OTAs;
• Offers quick and convenient means to compare properties across listings;
• There are no fees that hosts or guests need to pay to Tripping—the platform is free to use.

8. Homestay.com

Homestay.com offers vacation rentals and private room rentals in over 160 countries. With more than 55,000 rooms available, Homestay.com has served more than 200,000 guests since 2013.

The main difference compared to other vacation rental websites is that a guest can stay at a host’s place without any monetary remuneration. For example, a guest and host can exchange their homes or a host can stay at a guest’s place later.

Stays can be provided on a barter basis as well (for example in exchange for housekeeping or work at a host’s property).  

Hosts should pay a 3% service fee per booking. If a host offers additional services, such as laundry or cleaning, he/she should discuss the price with guests before they decide to book.

Top Features:

• Specializes in private rooms/solo traveler accommodations;
• Hosts can negotiate the pricing directly with guests.
• Guests can check-in and stay for free or in exchange for housekeeping or work at a host’s property.

9. atraveo

atraveo is one of the biggest vacation rental sites and offers plenty of accommodation options mostly across Europe. This site has currently more than 300,000 vacation home rental listings.

Hosts are charged a 15% service fee on confirmed bookings (plus VAT if applicable). There’s no fee to list a property.

Top Features:

• Hosts can list their properties for free;
• Once listed on atraveo, your property will be advertised on more than 1,000 affiliate websites throughout the whole of Europe;
• atraveo operates as a mediator of vacation rental accommodation and tourist services. The platform charges a service fee for business transactions. It’s already included in the price of the property.

10. OneFineStay

OneFineStay is a vacation rental site backed by the Accor hotel chain. The site currently offers more than 5,000 high-end vacation rental home listings in popular locations, such as London, New York City, Rome, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.

To list a property on OneFineStay, a host should send an application. The OneFineStay team will review it and decide if the property is a good match. If it is, OneFineStay will offer a full-service property management solution.

OneFineStay operates on an income-sharing model. Hosting income depends on many factors, such as the size, design, and location of the property. In addition to managing your property, OneFineStay promotes it through its network of vacation rental sites and marketing channels. This allows you to extend your reach to a wider audience of travelers on the lookout for luxury stays.

Top Features:

• Luxury properties only;
• Full-service management for property owners.
• Fees depend on the property size, design, location, and the number of days a host is willing to rent out his/her accommodation.
• Guests don’t pay any additional fees when making a reservation.

11. Interhome

Interhome has provided vacation rentals since 1965 and this is one of the oldest vacation rental websites. The vacation rental platform currently offers 95,000 holiday homes and apartment rentals in 31 countries.

Fees depend on the country, region, and type of services provided by the Interhome team. Hosts can opt for hiring professional property managers. However, you may also manage your property yourself.

Top Features:

• Personal in-resort service for guests from local Interhome offices;
• Full-service property management for hosts;
• No booking fees for guests.

12. 9flats

Launched in 2011 in Hamburg, Germany, 9flats is a popular vacation rental site serving hosts and guests in 104 countries. Many of the properties listed on 9flats are in Europe.

The company charges a service fee of 12% for listings that accept an instant booking and 15% for listings that don’t accept an instant booking.

Top Features:

• You can list a property for free;
• Unusual accommodations, such as treehouses, castles, and boats, can be also listed; 
• Hosts should pay a 12% fee for instant booking listings and a 15% fee for non-instant booking listings;
• No booking fees for guests.

Conclusion: What is the Best Vacation Rental Site?

Finding the best vacation rental site where you can list or book a property might be a challenge. There are plenty of options for hosts and guests to choose from. If you are looking for a vacation rental for your next holiday, first determine your needs and budget. 

If you are a host in search of a platform on which to list a property, start with your goals, and identify your target audience. This way, you’ll be able to shape your offer and select the most suitable place to list your rental. 

If you want to maximize your earnings, a good idea is to list your rental on several top vacation rental sites. Explore each of the options in more detail and then decide which of them looks the most promising in terms of bookings and revenue.

No matter what platforms you choose, managing multiple listings on various vacation rental sites can eat up all your time. To maintain full control over your business, consider using vacation rental software. A solution such as iGMS has integration with Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo and allows you to manage all the major aspects of your business hassle-free. With iGMS, you can:

• Synchronize your bookings on different OTAs and manage them via a single dashboard;
• Automate guest communication and get all your messages displayed within a unified inbox;
• Automate reviews using functionality that allows you to create review templates and post reviews directly from the software;
• Create essential business reports using a reporting feature;
• Automate cleanings, set tasks, and manage your team efficiently;
• Process payments securely via Stripe integration;
• Manage direct bookings using the iGMS direct booking management toolkit.