Vrbo: FAQ & restrictions

What is a master brand?

With Vrbo, a master brand is the main page (website) where your advertisements are placed. For example, vrbo.com/en-gb/. This basically determines the country in which you are advertised, in which language, and which currency is used. Your offer will also be visible on other Vrbo websites and in other languages, but the master brand is the basis for data management and currency transactions.

What is the safety margin?

The safety margin in the Vrbo app settings serves to minimise the risk of double bookings.

In the synchronisation of availability between Booking Experts and this channel, the number of available objects per type per day is transmitted. This does not contain any information about which objects these are exactly. This could lead to the following situation:

The channel sees that there is 1 available object on three consecutive days. This corresponds to the availability in Booking Experts, but on the Planboard it is clear that this is a different object on each of the three days. Existing reservations with various arrival and departure dates have booked the other dates. The channel does not know this, and sells a three-day stay. This creates a problem for you, because you do not have an object that is available for three consecutive days.

A safety margin of 1 object per day ensures that the availability passed on to the channel is 1 less than what is actually available. This significantly reduces the chance of the above scenario occurring. If a type only contains 1 object, this safety margin is not applied.

Can I update prices and availability manually?

Yes, you can! Prices and availability are updated automatically, but you can also do this manually as needed. To do this, go to the installed Vrbo app, and via advertiser and administration, click through to the linked type for which you want to update information. There, you will find two buttons: ‘Send current pricing information’ and ‘Send current availability’. Click on one or both buttons to complete the action.

My type is not visible on Vrbo, why is that?

Vrbo sets a number of requirements for a listing (type advertisement) before it can become active on their websites. If your type is not active on Vrbo, you can check in the PMS whether it meets all the requirements.

This is how: in the PMS, navigate to the relevant type. At the top you will see the ‘Apps’ button, in this dropdown you choose ‘Vrbo: Check type restrictions’. Then select the master brand of this type. You will receive feedback stating which requirements this type still needs to meet in order to become active on Vrbo.

You can also read the requirements again in this Vrbo article, under the heading ‘Project Kickoff’.

Restrictions

The Vrbo link does not transfer all your PMS settings. You will have to adjust some of them to ensure reservations run smoothly. Others are simply not available through Vrbo.

Discounts

Discounts with guest group limits are not supported. If you have set up such a discount in your PMS, it will be ignored by Vrbo.

Coupon codes and packages

Discount codes and packages are not supported and will be ignored by Vrbo.

Costs

The costs set in your PMS are synchronised with Vrbo. When setting up your link, you may list exceptions to this. Vrbo calculates the total price itself based on the synchronised costs. The following applies:

Vrbo only uses two age groups: up to 8 years and 8 years and older. If you have set a cost for adults only, Vrbo will apply this to the 8 years and older group.
Vrbo asks about the presence of pets, but not about the number. Any costs of the type ‘Per pet’ or ‘Per pet per day’ are always applied by Vrbo as being for 1 pet.
Make sure that costs such as cleaning costs, deposits, and tourist tax, etc., are marked as such under ‘Kind of cost’ in the settings of the cost item. This has consequences for Vrbo's calculation of, among other things, the commission and their ‘traveller service fee’.
Mandatory costs with a negative amount are not supported.
Costs with a standard price that changes on a certain date in the future are not properly supported. Vrbo would like to see one current price, and any changes to that price are put into effect immediately.
The box ‘Do not include in all-in prices’ under ‘Invoicing’ in the cost item settings should not be checked.

A cost that is not supported by Vrbo can be sidelined by excluding the Vrbo channel in the settings of the cost, under ‘Applicability’. To still be able to charge these costs via Vrbo, create a new cost that is only applicable to the Vrbo channel. Set this up in such a way that Vrbo supports synchronisation and the price matches the original costs.

Types

Vrbo sets a number of requirements for the content of an advertisement before it becomes active. Some of this content is taken from the type settings. This includes the description, short description and photos. In addition, the following also applies:

All objects must be bookable immediately.
The ‘Do not invoice the rent’ box must not be checked in the type settings.
The number of bedrooms cannot be 0. If this field is empty, Vrbo assumes 1 bedroom.
If the ‘number of bathrooms’ field is empty, Vrbo assumes 0 bathrooms.
Check-in and check-out times are synchronised at the type level for the entire week.
Amenities are only synchronised at the type level, and a ‘Linked channel amenity’ must be specified in the settings of the relevant amenity.
The pet settings of the type are adopted by Vrbo. Exception: if the type allows pets, but one of its objects does not, the entire type will be marked as pet-free by Vrbo.
If the address/location differs from the organisation's location, a postcode must also be entered.

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