Vacation Rentals on Rapid Overview

Give your travelers more of what they want by surfacing 850,000+ vacation rentals via the Rapid API

Please Note: Vrbo inventory is a new product that is currently only available to a limited number of partners.

Overview

Vacation rentals form an exciting and growing segment in the online travel market. More than 30% of travelers booked a vacation rental in 2018† and the popularity of these properties has continued to grow. Since COVID-19, global vacation rental occupancy has increased 60%††. In addition, vacation rentals tend to be booked further in advance, have a longer length of stay, and have a higher average booking value†††.

Rapid has over 850,000 vacation rentals, meaning you can benefit from bookings with a longer length of stay, longer booking windows, and higher average booking value. Vacation rentals on Rapid can be split into two types:

  • 265k integrated with Expedia Group that are primarily (98%) managed by professional hosts.
  • 585k integrated with Vrbo that are primarily (75%) managed by private hosts or property owners.

Why Travelers Choose a Vacation Rental

Selection: More locations and superior amenities such as private hot tubs or kitchens.

Value: The leading reason why travelers choose a vacation rental over a hotel is for greater personal and shared spaces†*.

Experience: Over 40% of rental travelers chose a vacation rental for a unique experience†**.

How to Identify Vacation Rentals on Rapid

Vacation rental properties can be identified using the category object in the Rapid Content API. There are 13 vacation rental categories:

Category IDCategory
7Condo
9Cabin
10Chalet
11Cottage
14Villa
16Apartment
17Private vacation home
18Houseboat
22*Aparthotel
23*Condominium resort
24Campsite
33*Residence
44Mobile home (Caravan/RV)

*These property types may also be included in hotel search experiences, especially when multi-unit.

Vacation rentals are more likely to require a customized property details display, additional guest education, and facilitation of post-book communications between the host and guest. The level of customization required may vary depending on whether they are single- or multi-unit, and have a front desk onsite.

  • Multi-unit vacation rentals with a reception: These are the closest to conventional lodging, and may be included in a hotel search path as well as a vacation rental specific shop experience.

  • Multi-unit vacation rentals without a reception: These have organized management but may require additional operational dedication as there is no front desk.

If you only want to map multi-unit vacation rentals, you can filter by the multi-unit flag in Rapid Content. Additionally, if you only want to show properties with a reception, you can use the filter above, and look for ‘24-hour front desk’ and ‘front desk (limited hours)’ in the amenities:

Multi-Unit Properties Example

  • Single-unit vacation rentals: These require a high level of communication with end travelers prior to arrival. To offer these properties, you must clearly communicate that the property has no front desk (so check-in instructions will be provided post-booking), and whether the location is exact or has been obfuscated for privacy reasons.

To facilitate two-way communication between the property and the traveler, e.g. to confirm check-in instructions post-booking, please enable Property Message Center.

Rapid API Types of Vacation Rentals Example

Vrbo on Rapid

Eligible Rapid partners now have access to select Vrbo inventory which they can offer to their customers using Rapid API to build a full shopping experience. This feature gives partners the power to offer customers access to 600,000+ single-unit vacation rental properties globally.

Vrbo properties offered through the Rapid API will increase in future as more property types, connectivity sources, and booking flows are enabled. Please note that a key requirement for single-unit vacation rentals offered by Vrbo is enablement of guest-to-host communications facilitated by Vrbo. As a result, it is not yet possible for Vrbo bookings made on partner sites to be enabled in a fully white label environment.

Supported APIs

Currently, the following Rapid APIs support Vrbo inventory:

  • Geography API
  • Content API
  • Guest Reviews API
  • Availability and Price Check APIs
  • Booking API
  • Retrieve Itinerary API
  • Cancel API (for eligible bookings)
  • Notifications API (cancellations)

Un-Supported APIs

Currently, the below Rapid APIs are not supported:

  • Hold/Resume
  • Change room details including guest name, stay dates, occupancy, and pets
  • Cancel API (for ineligible bookings)
  • Notifications API (changes)

Current Key Limitations

General:

  • Vrbo vacation rental properties must be displayed using a tailored vacation rental property details page template, not a hotel template
  • Vrbo supply may not be eligible for sale in some countries
  • Must be using Rapid V3 Standard, not Basic
  • Only standalone rates are supported

Book:

  • Guest contact info (email and phone number) must be provided with every booking

Payments:

  • Valid credit card is required (customer or virtual card)
  • Expedia Affiliate Collect (EAC) is not available

Post-Book

  • Display of Vrbo branding and clear information for the guest on Vrbo’s role in the transaction are required
  • An additional site review based on Vrbo-specific launch requirements is required prior to launch

FAQ

Q. Am I required to display the Vrbo name or logo to my guests?

A. Yes. As Vrbo provides confirmations, booking-related information, and facilitates communications between the guest and the host; partners must educate the guest during check-out to expect post-book communications from Vrbo.

References:

† Phocuswright, US Consumer Travel 2019: Travel Product Consumption

†† The Ultimate List of Vacation Rental Statistics 2020 edition

††† Initial EPS production results from an EPS US-based partner (2019)

†* Turnkey, 2018 Consumer Travel Survey

†** Turnkey, 2018 Consumer Travel Survey

Did you find this page helpful?
How can we improve this content?
Thank you for helping us improve Developer Hub!