The Fundamentals 

‍

AirBnb

‍

Airbnb, which began in 2008 as Air Bed and Breakfast before rebranding in 2009, is a home rental platform with a simple premise: connect homeowners with clients looking for short-term rentals. The concept originated in 2007 when creators Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were looking to rent space in their San Francisco apartment to help them afford the rent. 

‍

Airbnb was founded after they hired Nathan Blecharczyk as chief technology officer. Since its inception, Airbnb, along with other businesses such as Uber and Task Rabbit, has been regarded as a cornerstone of the sharing economy.

‍

Vrbo

‍

Vrbo(Vrbo is an abbreviation for Vacation Rental By Owner, and as the name suggests, it specializes in all forms of holiday rentals: houses, apartments, condos, villas, and so on. The service, which was created in 1995, allows landowners to display their property listings to potential renters. Vrbo was acquired by HomeAway in 2006 and became part of the HomeAway network, which also includes VacationRentals.com.

‍

Rental classifications

‍

Airbnb

‍

If there is one thing that distinguishes Airbnb from other platforms, it is the service's huge host network, which includes millions of listings. Indeed, Airbnb reported in 2017 that it hosts over 4 million properties in 191 countries. Anyone may become an Airbnb host and rent out places ranging from a whole house to a single room.

‍

The company also offers unique and imaginative housing experiences: on Airbnb, users may rent everything from a Lego-built house to Donald Trump's boyhood home (if you're like that kind of thing).

‍

Vrbo

‍

Vrbo, like Airbnb, allows anybody to post a property, and the site offers a variety of rental kinds such as houses, apartments, castles, tree houses, and more. However, unlike Airbnb, Vrbo only allows you to rent full homes, which means it has fewer rentals than Airbnb. (According to Vrbo's website, it has over 2 million rentals worldwide, compared to Airbnb's 4 million.)

‍

Vrbo only lists larger places — full houses, condos, or flats that consumers will have to themselves rather than sharing with the homeowner or other visitors. Indeed, "don't share" became a marketing element in a 2016 advertisement pitting Airbnb against HomeAway (Vrbo's parent business). Hence, while Vrbo has fewer rentals, users can be confident that the room they find will be entirely theirs.

‍

Ready to elevate your Airbnb hosting experience in London? Explore our Airbnb Management London services and discover how we can assist you in maximising your property’s potential. Whether you’re an experienced host or just starting out, our expert team is here to help you achieve seamless property management and higher rental returns. Find out more about our services and embark on your journey to success today.

‍

Reviews

‍

Airbnb

‍

Seeing property data is merely one approach for Airbnb users to learn more about a potential house listed on Airbnb. The site also has an active review culture, which allows guests to offer feedback after their stay, evaluating everything from the veracity of the listing's description to the cleanliness of the property. The review component of the site is also searchable, so if you have a specific issue while reserving an Airbnb, you can filter reviews to meet those concerns.

‍

Furthermore, the site features a host community section where hosts can share tips and methods for successfully listing a property on Airbnb.

‍

Vrbo

‍

Vrbo also has a review feature where users can rate their stay at a specific home. The site does, however, allow homeowners to respond to the reviewer, which is shown beneath a specific review. This implies that Vrbo users can not only learn more about the experience of staying at a property, but they can also learn more from homeowners before beginning the process of scheduling a stay.

‍

Other Benefits

‍

Airbnb

‍

Airbnb displays restaurants and experiences in addition to home rentals. Airbnb is to blame.

‍

When Airbnb first launched in 2008, it was just a place to list and search for short-term accommodations. Now, ten years after its inception, Airbnb has grown, adding new options to the service that make it a one-stop shop for finalising trip plans.

‍

Aside from rentals, the website has a very extensive "experiences" section that helps consumers to discover activities near their selected destination. Walking tours, beach yoga, and a stroll through a forest with wolves are just a few of the experiences available on Airbnb (Opens in a new tab).

‍

In addition, in 2017, the service collaborated with Resy to enable customers to book restaurant reservations directly through the site.

‍

Vrbo

‍

You can look for something as precise as a lake view cabin with outdoor grilling and a fireplace using Vrbo's filters. VRBO is to blame.

‍

Vrbo's set of filters distinguishes it from Airbnb. Visitors can search by location type — seaside, lake view, mountain view, ski rental, and other options — as well as more specific property kinds. (You can select if you simply want to stay on a boat, for example). While Airbnb filters by location type and property type, Vrbo's filters are more extensive and robust.

‍

Looking for expert insights on Airbnb management in London? Explore our comprehensive guide to discover valuable tips, strategies, and solutions for successful hosting in the vibrant city.

‍

Fees

‍

Airbnb

‍

Airbnb charges fees to both hosts and visitors. Typically, guests are charged 5% to 15% of the reservation sum. Meanwhile, hosts are charged a 3% fee every time an Airbnb booking is finalized. In addition, if you host an experience, Airbnb will charge a 20% service fee.

‍

Vrbo

‍

Vrbo, like Airbnb, levies fees to both proprietors and guests. Guests are often paid a service fee ranging from 6% to 12%. For homeowners, the service cost is more difficult. They must pay a subscription fee to list a rental on Vrbo. 

‍

Vrbo hosts can choose between two subscription payment options: pay-per-booking, which charges hosts 8% for each booking received through the site (Vrbo recommends this option for new renters or people who rent for less than six weeks per year), and annual subscription payment, which charges homeowners a flat $499 fee up front for the year (The company recommends this option for year round hosts).

‍

Continue reading: Exploring the Top 13 Airbnb Alternatives to Consider in 2023

‍

Which one should you go with?

‍

It depends on the type of trip you're searching for. Given the rental type flexibility, broad host network, and suite of "explore" capabilities, Airbnb may be better for anyone looking for a more adventurous trip.

‍

If you're looking for a full vacation, a true escape for yourself, Vrbo may be a better fit. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule, and each website provides a variety of tools and rentals to assist you in planning your dream vacation.

‍