If you have purchased (or are considering purchasing) a vacation rental home, odds are you will want to monetize your investment at some point in your endeavor.
Whether you purchased your vacation rental home simply to get away from the colder weather for a few months a year, or you see yourself as more of a rental investor, there are several ways that you can effectively market your vacation rental property.
In today’s modern age, the best way for a homeowner to make their vacation rental home listing visibly to the maximum number of potential renters is through a vacation rental site. If you’re in the vacation rental management or real estate investing game, you’ve without a doubt heard of at least a few of the many vacation rental sites like Airbnb, Expedia, and TripAdvisor.
If you’re new to vacation property management, or just a little bit behind in the technology sphere as a vacation home renter, it would be advantageous to get familiar with these vacation rental sites. Luckily, with this quick and easy to read guide, we will simplify this process.
Staying informed about evolving fee and commission models is critical for maximizing profits. Airbnb offers flexible fee structures, ranging from a 3% host-only service charge up to a 14–16% host-only fee that can simplify the guest's payment experience.
Vrbo stands out for whole-home rentals, letting owners choose between an 8% pay-per-booking fee or a $699 annual subscription, which can be cost-effective for frequent hosts.
Meanwhile, Booking.com charges around 15% commission but retains a strong international user base.
Some platforms, like Houfy, offer zero commissions, though they require more self-management.
In general, owners benefit by comparing these structures and possibly listing on multiple sites to balance exposure and operational costs.
If you're going to list your vacation rental property on any vacation rental platform, Airbnb stands head and shoulders above the rest. With over 9.5 million listings across more than 150,000 cities as of 2025, Airbnb dominates the vacation rental marketplace.
The platform now hosts over 1.5 billion guest arrivals since its founding and continues to capture 40% of the global short-term rental market share. It's the most popular vacation rental site for property owners looking to maximize their exposure, with data showing that 51% of U.S. listings are only on Airbnb and 28% are cross-listed on both Airbnb and Vrbo.
There's no question that Airbnb is the titan of the vacation rental industry. With listings in over 220 countries and regions, the platform has integrated with many of the best channel management software companies, allowing owners andmmanagers with multiple properties to efficiently manage their vacation rental listings. For pure visibility, Airbnb typically delivers the highest quality traffic to your property listing. The platform also makes it extremely easy to list your property, walking you through their entire step-by-step process .
While Airbnb is undoubtedly the most popular vacation rental platform, it may not be the best fit for every property. With over 2.9 million hostsand more than 14,000 new hosts joining monthly, your listing risks getting lost in oversaturated markets. There's also a small but notable 3% host service fee to consider when calculating your potential returns.
In comparison with Airbnb, Vrbo has emerged as an excellent alternative or additional vacation rental site for property owners. After Expedia acquired Homeaway in 2015, they combined and rebranded the site to its current name, Vrbo. With over 2 million listings worldwide, Vrbo offers another viable platform to list your vacation rental home.
Unlike popular vacation rental sites like Airbnb, Vrbo only lists entire vacation homes or properties, rather than individual rooms. If you are looking to rent out your entire condo, cabin, or vacation house, Vrbo may be a better vacation rental site to list your property on than other alternative sites.
In addition to not allowing single room rentals, Vrbo places the tax burden on the property owner rather than collecting taxes at the point of booking. This can be a significant obstacle for those seeking a hands-off approach to managing their vacation rental properties. Vrbo guests have also reported steep service fees (ranging from 6-15% of the booking total), which may create another barrier when managing your vacation rental listing .
Similar to TripAdvisor, Booking.com is one of the longest-established names in the vacation rental marketplace. Starting primarily with hotels, Booking.com has expanded to include over 6.2 million homes, apartments, and other unique vacation rental listings.
Booking.com functions as both a flight booking siteand vacation rental platform, meaning potential guests can discover your property while arranging their travel. This integration offers a significant advantage over niche listing sites. Additionally, Booking.com benefits from strong loyalty among seasoned travelers, many of whom book exclusively through the platform due to familiarity and their rewards program.
Booking.com charges a standard commission fee of 10-25% of your total booking price, depending on your property's location. This is significantly higher than Airbnb's 3% fee, which is important to consider when calculating your potential revenue across different platforms.
As the parent company of Vrbo and Homeaway, Expedia is another major player in the vacation rental industry. While primarily focused on hotel accommodations, Expedia has made significant efforts to incorporate private vacation rental listings on their platform. As the largest online travel group globally, Expedia operates an extensive network of high-profile travel subsidiaries.
Listing your vacation rental on Expedia exposes your property to millions of potential renters daily. The platform's sophisticated algorithm tailors the user experience, increasing the likelihood that travelers who discover your listing will find it compatible with their specific needs. Expedia's commission structure ranges from 15-20%, which falls between Airbnb's lower rates and Booking.com's higher fees.
Expedia has historically been known primarily as a hotel booking platform, which may discourage some travelers from seeking vacation rentals on the site. This perception could potentially limit visibility for your property compared to dedicated vacation rental websites with more targeted audiences.
TripAdvisor is another great vacation rental site for owners to list their properties. As one of the older staples of vacation home rental listings, it is a tried and true vacation rental site that has been used for decades.
TripAdvisor is one of those vacation rental platforms that has been around long enough that even older demographics are familiar with it. Listing your property on TripAdvisor may help attract the older demographic, who often have more flexible schedules and budgets for longer bookings. The TripAdvisor InstantBook feature simplifies the booking process, allowing property owners to manage their rentals with a more hands-off approach.TripAdvisor charges a 3% commission fee, similar to Airbnb's base rate.
While TripAdvisor offers excellent exposure to certain demographics, you may miss out on reaching younger travelers if you list exclusively on this platform. Consider listing your vacation rental property on both TripAdvisor and a newer platform like Airbnb or Vrbo to maximize your visibility across different age groups and maximize your booking potential.
As another established vacation rental website operating since the 1990s, OwnerDirect has maintained a solid reputation in the vacation rental marketplace. Registration is free, and OwnerDirect is known for transparency regarding service fees and costs for both guests and property owners, with commission rates typically ranging from 5-10%.
Thanks to decades of experience in the vacation rental industry, OwnerDirect has developed one of the most efficient customer service models available. Their superior customer support and user-friendly calendar management tools make OwnerDirect particularly well-suited for property owners managing multiple vacation rentals, as it simplifies guest communication and booking management.
While OwnerDirect is a well-established vacation rental platform, the site may struggle to attract younger travelers who prefer the modern interfaces and mobile experiences of newer platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo.The platform's monthly traffic is also significantly lower than the major players, potentially resulting in fewer booking inquiries.
If you've designed your vacation rental property to be family-friendly, Kid & Coe may be the perfect niche vacation rental site for your listing. This specialized platform connects family-oriented property owners with parents seeking kid-friendly accommodations in popular family destinations.While their commission structure is higher (typically 15-20%), the targeted audience can make it worthwhile.
Focusing on your family-oriented niche target market ensures that you'll attract the type of renters you want to your property, and will likely yield higher conversion rates on listing views. Guests visiting Kid & Coe know exactly what they're looking for, and if your property meets their family-friendly requirements, they're typically willing to pay premium rates for the assurance of a child-appropriate environment.
Being such a specialized vacation rental platform, listing on Kid & Coe will primarily attract families with children. Only list your property here if you're genuinely committed to providing family-friendly accommodations, as negative reviews citing child safety concerns or misleading amenities could severely damage your listing's credibility and affect your performance on other platforms as well.
By listing your vacation rental property on Hotels.com , you immediately benefit from the extensive reach of the Expedia Group, which acquired the company in 2001. As another long-established name in the travel industry, Hotels.comenjoys strong brand recognition and customer loyalty, with many travelers booking exclusively through the platform. Their commission structure typically ranges from 15-18% of the booking total.
As stated, Hotels.com enjoys the far-reaching scope of the Expedia Group. This means that millions of potential renters will come to the site each day, thus increasing the likelihood that your property listing will be viewed. As a household name, Hotels.com experiences a high volume of loyal seasoned travelers that book exclusively on the sight.
As implied by its name, Hotels.com originally focused exclusively on hotel listings. While they've expanded to include vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and other unique accommodations, the platform still struggles to attract users specifically seeking vacation rental properties. Despite excellent exposure potential through the Expedia network, most visitors come to the site primarily looking for traditional hotel accommodations, which may result in lower conversion rates for vacation rental listings.
Staying competitive in 2025 requires owners to leverage real-time data and flexible strategies. Tools like channel managers and dynamic pricing solutions help align nightly rates with demand, capturing more bookings while maintaining profitability.
Airbnb and Vrbo remain top choices, but emerging platforms give you a chance to stand out if you serve a unique niche. Analyze guest demographics and location-specific trends to guide your amenity offering. Hosts can add amenities—like remote work setups—that drive longer stays and higher revenue.
Many managers use performance analytics to monitor booking windows, track competitor rates, and optimize listings for peak seasons. With interest rates slowing new supply, data-driven pricing and distribution decisions often give your property an edge.
When selecting the best vacation rental sites to list your property, it's crucial to research each platform's audience, fee structure, and booking patterns. Consider using a combination of these platforms to maximize your listing's visibility and reach the right guests.
Many successful vacation rental owners use channel management software like Uplisting to efficiently manage multiple listings across different platforms, synchronizing calendars and automating guest communications to create a seamless booking experience regardless of which site your guests use.
The best platform can vary based on your property's location, target guest, and listing goals. Nevertheless, most owners choose Airbnb for its global reach and straightforward platform, along with Vrbo for its family-friendly focus.
Other sites like Houfy or direct booking websites can offer lower fees if you don’t mind extra management. Research shows many owners list on more than one channel to maximize bookings and revenue.
Vrbo faces stiff competition from Airbnb, which also caters to a global audience of short-term rental guests. Other contenders include Booking.com and Expedia, both of which reach millions of international travelers each day. Though Vrbo specializes in whole-home rentals, alternative platforms have expanded their offerings to attract family and group bookings. According to market research, owners often cross-list on Vrbo and Airbnb to attract diverse demographics.
Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com are widely recognized as the top platforms for short-term rentals, given their large user bases and broad market reach. Airbnb excels at attracting global travelers and a wide range of property types, while Vrbo is beloved by families seeking entire-home rentals. Booking.com often appeals to international guests making complex travel arrangements. For owners preferring minimal fees and more autonomy, Houfy or direct booking sites can be worthwhile alternatives.
Yes, many owners find it profitable to rent out vacation homes, especially in high-demand seasons and prime locations. Revenue usually depends on factors like occupancy rates, nightly pricing, and the platform’s reach. Hosts able to offer unique amenities and responsive communication often see better reviews and more frequent bookings. Before listing, however, it’s essential to consider local regulations, taxes, and ongoing property maintenance costs. As competition grows, advanced strategies like dynamic pricing and channel management can help maintain strong profitability.
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