Airbnb is the vacation rental goliath right now. Unfortunately, some disillusioned travelers and owners find themselves asking “What else is out there?” Whether they’re turned off by the selection, the customer service, or the fees – something is leading them to search for a better alternative.
For Florida vacation rental travelers & owners, it’s smart to consider what the top listing sites are, and what each one offers. We’re a short term rental site ourselves (you can read more about us in the post below), but we’re here to assess the current marketplace and suggest a few smart alternatives to Airbnb. You’ll also learn the differences between VRBO, Homeaway, Flipkey, and more.
Though there are new sites launching every year, the websites listed below are the most established and most popular vacation rental sites in the industry. So let’s start looking into who’s who and the best competitors to Airbnb.
Top Airbnb Competitors
VacationRentals.com
For Travelers: VacationRentals.com is part of the HomeAway family, the world’s most comprehensive, trusted source for vacation rentals. They help families and friends find the perfect accommodations to enjoy their dream vacations together. The beautiful homes on their site feature more space, privacy, and amenities than hotels, often for less than half the cost per person. They are dedicated to helping you create unforgettable experiences by staying together. That’s our promise.
They want to inspire your next getaway, help you search through the world’s largest selection of vacation rentals, and easily book your dream vacation. No matter what your destination, occasion, or budget, their family of brands can help you find the ideal property for your getaway.
For owners: VacationRentals.com has roughly 250 to 600 thousand visits per month, with over 80% of their traffic coming from Canada and the US alone. VacationRentals.com is part of the HomeAway family and their mission is to help families and friends find the perfect accommodations to enjoy their dream vacations together. The beautiful homes on the site feature more space, privacy, and amenities than hotels, often for less than half the cost per person.
EDITORS NOTE – 5/21/18: VacationRentals.com has merged with the VRBO/Homeaway family and is no longer a viable competitor to Airbnb. Vacationrentals.com is now subject to all the same rules and regulations that unfortunately are upsetting so many vacation rental owners on their platform.
VRBO
For travelers: HomeAway has the best websites around the world to book beach homes, cabins and condos. With more than two million places to stay in 190 countries, travelers can find the perfect vacation home to meet their needs, whether it’s a pet-friendly beach house for 12 or a treehouse for two. We give travelers, owners, and property managers the tools, data, and insights they need to create the best all-around experience. HomeAway and its brands, including VRBO.com, are part of the Expedia Group family of brands.
For owners: List your property on HomeAway.com now. Get Results. The HomeAway network is the #1 vacation rental marketplace with over 53 million visits per month. Incredible Returns. Properties listed on HomeAway could earn up to $56,000 per year in rental income* Easy-To-Use Tools.
TripAdvisor Rentals
For travelers: TripAdvisor Rentals is a leading platform where thousands of travelers find their perfect rental.
Whether you’re looking for a stylish city apartment, spacious poolside villa or cozy cabin, they have the rental for you, no matter what your budget or where you want to be in the world.
Using the power of TripAdvisor’s global travel community, TripAdvisor Rentals pairs the insider knowledge of homeowners with the collective wisdom of millions of reviews. You’ll discover not only the best vacation rentals, but the best attractions, the best restaurants, and the best things to do.
TripAdvisor Rentals travelers always stay the smarter way, thanks to Payment Protection and a wealth of insider recommendations. TripAdvisor is an ever-growing resource where you can plan and book every part of your trip in one place. You can know better, book better, and go better. And rest assured that your vacation and your money is in safe hands with Payment Protection.
For owners: All the subsidiary brands combine to power the vacation rental experience on TripAdvisor. With billions of visitors a year to the site (researching reviews on hotels, flights, rentals, and attractions) that’s a lot of potential eyeballs for your listing!
They recently simplified the owner experience on the platform, with one simple log in and ability to edit all your listings. When signing up, you’ll be listed on all points of sale, with some international affiliates too, if applicable.
It is FREE to list your property on any TripAdvisor site, though you pay a commission on each booking. The more popular your rental, the more you’ll be giving back to TripAdvisor
FlipKey
For travelers: FlipKey is part of the TripAdvisor family of companies and offers mostly the same properties as TripAdvisor Rentals.
For owners: Offering properties globally with a specialization in North America and traditional warm-weather rental locales. FlipKey was the first site purchased by TripAdvisor and powered the VR experience on TripAdvisor for many years. It’s free to publish your listing. They deduct 3% from your guest’s payment.
FloridaRentals.com
For travelers: We have a passion for the Sunshine State. Our mission is to help travelers find and book the perfect vacation rental for their next visit to Florida. Whether it’s a week long trip with your children, a romantic long weekend with your spouse, or a reunion on the beach with a large group of friends – we have Florida vacation rentals to suit every need.
For owners: We started FloridaRentals.com in 2017 with over a decade of experience in the industry. We know what owners want, and we know exactly what they’re NOT getting from some of the big names on this list.
What sets us apart? Well, we only work exclusively with properties in Florida. From the theme parks to the warm gulf waters and the sugar sand beaches – you can’t beat a trip to Florida. Travelers know that if they want the best inventory of Florida properties, they should book with us.
We charge NO service or booking fees – which saves you 20% over other rental websites. Our team consists of rental industry experts, and we take pride in providing the best customer service to travelers.
You can trust that the properties listed are as advertised. We also allow travelers to connect directly with owners, removing communication restrictions normally placed on rental sites.
We have subscription fees ONLY. We’ve heard from thousands of rental owners that they hate the “pay per booking” model and we do not have that. Many of the larger sites are forcing owners to adopt this model, and we will never do that
Booking.com
For travelers: Every day, more than 1,550,000 room nights are reserved on this platform. So whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodations quickly and easily with Booking.com – without booking fees and backed by their promise to price match. Through our Customer Experience Team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 40 languages, anytime day or night.
For owners: Over one million properties list on Booking.com and there are 6.3 million room nights booked daily! That’s a lot of potential business. You pay per booking here, too, like many of the other large sites. Booking.com is the #1 most-visited travel site online which means you can get your property in front of more people. The site has some extra costs for owner fees and traveler fees, so it’s up to you if the extra eyeballs are worth the cost.
What’s more, it’s 100% free to list your property with them. Your properties will also be distributed to many of their international affiliates. Although you don’t have to pay commission on bookings for guests who never show, all guest bookings are instantly confirmed and deemed commissionable. Which means that potential guests can book without communicating with you beforehand or your consent to the transaction.
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