21+ Best Vacation Rental Sites [2022] : Wheelhouse Blog

21+ Best Vacation Rental Sites [2022]

August 9, 2022 | Amelia Melching

It’s time for your well-deserved vacation! Will you cruise the Caribbean Sea or take it easy in a nearby cozy cabin? Whatever your destination, it’s easy to bookyour accommodation through the best vacation rental sites.

Or, you might be a new short-term rental owner looking for the best sites to list your vacation home so you can boost and manage some supplemental revenue. You’ll want to use the best rental site for vacation property owners for that!

So let’s take a look.

What is a vacation rental site?

21+ Best Vacation Rental Sites

By the end of this list, you’ll be well equipped to choose your perfect place to book accommodations or list your rental home.

Airbnb

Airbnb is one of the most popular vacation rental sites available, catering to a wide range of vacationers’ needs. The platform launched in 2010 as an iPhone app in the United States but quickly went international. The site has over 7,000,000 listings and a clean user interface that keeps thousands of hosts jumping on the platform each month.

As a customer, you have endless options on Airbnb. The user-friendly app lets you filter results by amenities, location, price, type of home, and more. Each listing has reviews and photos for you to browse. The site also has convenient features like Instant Book and Superhost status, where customers can rely on a metric that indicates a good host.

Why vacationers and property owners use Airbnb: Easy user interface, variety of listings, relatively low fees for guests and owners, compatibility with many other property management software.

Website: https://www.airbnb.com/

Vrbo (Homeaway)

Vrbo (previously Homeaway) is a respected name amongst the best vacation rental sites, catering to older demographics and families — those are the people that can afford the platform’s more expensive and sometimes upscale listings. The site primarily features listings for entire properties instead of small apartments or cohabitating spaces.

Guests enjoy 14-day full-refund cancellation policies and innovative features, allowing you to plan your vacation with a friend. Vrbo’s unique Trip Board feature lets you plan and toggle long vacations with multiple listings and ideas.

Vrbo reportedly offers a very respected customer service process and team.

Why vacationers use Vrbo: Group vacations and upscale listings.

Website: https://www.vrbo.com/

Also Read: Airbnb vs Vrbo vs Booking.com

Flipkey

Who hasn’t checked a review from the established, credible Tripadvisor? You can enjoy that same credibility with the company’s vacation rental site, Flipkey. The platform features endless listings with extensive filtering features, house rules, reviews, and profiles for hosts. Its user-friendly website also offers a “Trip Ideas” tab to offer inspiration, from beach holidays to eco travel.

However, some customers complain about the hefty deposit required to make a booking, and unclear cancellation policies.

Why vacationers and property owners use Flipkey: Easy interface, variety of listings, instant booking.

Website: https://www.flipkey.com/

Agoda

The Singaporean travel website Agoda features vacation rentals, flights, and airport transfers for budding travelers. Guests enjoy immense variety through the platform’s over 2,000,000 listings and presence in 200 countries.

What we love most about Agoda is its deals tab, which often features upscale listings at competitive prices.

Why vacationers and property owners use Agoda: Comprehensive vacation planning; Asia-centric vacations

Website: https://www.agoda.com/

Stayz

Stayz platform started with Australian listings, but has since expanded to include some worldwide locations after being acquired by Expedia. Stayz is in the same “family” as Vrbo, Abritel.fr, FeWo-direkt.de, and Bookabach.co.nz.

However, some Stayz reviews are poor from the guest’s perspective, citing harsher policies that favor the host.

Why property owners use Stayz: Australia-centric booking site and policies that favor the host.

Website: https://www.stayz.com.au/

9flats

9flats boasts how guests can satisfy every traveler’s desire with various property types, from cozy cabins in the countryside to sleek city condos…and igloos — from entire apartment bookings to short-term room reservations.

Why vacationers and property owners use 9flats: Euro-centric vacations and multiple home types

Website: https://www.9flats.com/

Homestay.com

Homestay offers unique shared accommodations for travelers craving local connections. Most listings are the spare rooms of hosts eager to interact with guests and show them their country’s culture. The platform is a fantastic option for friendly travelers on a budget and offers a unique experience. But travelers that seek private accommodation won’t find it on Homestay.

Payment is flexible because guests pay on-site or in advance, depending on the host’s needs. However, this might not fare well with some travelers that prefer the security that comes with more oversight.

Why vacationers and property owners use Homestay: Meet new people, engage fully in a culture, budget-friendly accommodations

Website: https://www.homestay.com/

Interhome

Interhome is one of the most reliable vacation rental sites for its property quality. The company conducts property checks, so guests feel at ease when clicking “book.”

The platform has many positive reviews (unlike many others) that speak to its reliable cleaning, property check, and customer service team. If you’re looking for a quality, vetted vacation, Interhome delivers.

Note that it only has listings in 27 countries so the variety is limited, especially when compared to some bigger vacation rental sites.

Why vacationers and property owners use Interhome: Peace of mind in property listings due to listing checks; host accountability; great customer service.

Website: https://www.interhome.com/

Onefinestay

Onefinestay is for the traveler seeking luxury. The platform boasts 5,000 luxurious listings in 50 countries, catering to its client’s upscale needs. You’ll find lavish villas and ultra-sleek condominiums in luxury destinations like Los Angeles or Turks and Caicos.

Each listing belongs to an owner who is away at the time of your booking — however, you’ll receive hotel treatment with dedicated full-service management and cleaning teams.

Why vacationers and property owners use Onefinestay: Luxury listings

Website: https://www.onefinestay.com/

Atraveo

Atraveo is a German company specializing in European listings but features accommodations worldwide. The platform prides itself on its wide variety of vacation ideas, from fincas and huts to villas and mansions.

Atraveo does fall short in its website navigation. The user interface isn’t nearly as easy to use as competitors like Vrbo or Booking.com.

Why vacationers and property owners use Atraveo: Property owners get comprehensive visibility on their listings through Atraveo’s other European travel site partnerships; Guests receive a variety of listings that cater to different vacation needs.

Website: https://www.atraveo.com/us_en/

Booking.com

Booking.com functions similarly to Expedia in its one-stop-shop nature for accommodations, flights, accommodations, and car rentals. Guests can enjoy a smooth booking that even includes tourist attraction deals and airport shuttles.

The platform boasts a wide variety of listings and ample budget accommodations through its frequent sales and discounts. Moreover, due to its credibility and vast listing variety, it’s one of our list’s most reliable vacation rental sites.

Why vacationers and property owners use Booking.com: Property owners benefit from wide visibility and revenue potential, while guests enjoy frequent deals and discounts

Website: https://www.booking.com/

Expedia

Expedia is a popular vacation rental site that combines flight bookings, car rentals, accommodations, and even entire vacation packages all in one site. The sheer variety and planning comprehensiveness makes Expedia a great one-stop-shop solution for guests. You might also enjoy the travel points you collect with each booking, though if we’re honest, your travel credit card points are likely more impressive.

Why vacationers and property owners use Expedia: One-stop shop for vacation needs (flights, hotels, etc.); loyalty points

Website: https://www.expedia.com

Hometogo

HometoGo is a bird’s-eye view of countless other vacation rental sites. You can use its meta-search capabilities to find endless property listings and book them on Airbnb, Vrbo, and other popular platforms. HometoGo boasts extensive filtering options, from price range to accommodation type and amenities, and a handy “instant book” feature.

However, you might notice the partner site linked might have a different price than listed on HometoGo, making some guests question the site’s credibility.

Why vacationers and property owners use Hometogo: Reviewing multiple vacation rental site offerings in one place

Website: https://www.home-to-go.com

Casamundo

Casamundo is a vacation rental hub featuring over 700,000 worldwide listings. The platform has an interface similar to Airbnb, making it quite user-friendly.

The platform offers all kinds of different types of accommodation to choose from, ranging from cabins and beach houses to mansions and condos in in the coolest cities in Europe and the US. You can find your perfect rental home in the most amazing destinations. Some of our most popular offerings include dreamy houses by the pool in Croatia, cultural trips to Italy and chalets for skiing in Switzerland.

Why vacationers and property owners use Casamundo: Easy to use; Specialized European locations; marketing support for property owners

Website: https://www.casamundo.com/

Tripping.com

Tripping.com functions similar to HometoGo in their shared meta-search capabilities to compare multiple vacation rental sites side-by-side. Guests can compare over 12,000,000 vacation listings from over 190 countries.

If you’re looking for the best possible deal, Tripping.com aims to provide it by weighing some of the best vacation rental sites against each other to display each one’s suitability for your unique needs.

Watch out for changing prices, though. You might notice more inconsistencies on Tripping.com versus other websites, but that can happen with comparison sites.

Why vacationers and property owners use Tripping.com: To find the best deals across multiple vacation rental sites.

Website: https://www.tripping.com/

Hotels.com

Maybe a short-term apartment rental isn’t your thing. If you’re still after the traditional hotel experience, Hotels.com provides that tenfold with endless hotel listings. It even features a Deals tab to find traditionally pricy hotels for a fraction of the price.

Unfortunately, many guests have complained about conflicting information from Hotels.com and the actual hotel upon arrival.

Why vacationers and property owners use Hotels.com: Hotel experience with full-service bookings

Website: https://hotels.com/

Tripadvisor Vacation Rentals

Holiday Lettings is a Tripadvisor vacation rental site with over 700,000 listings for apartments, villas, and cottages in over 150 countries.

The platform is UK-centric (let is a British synonym for “rent”) and features rentals directly from property owners. The interface is comparable to Airbnb’s, perhaps with a more quaint touch.

However, guests and property managers frequently complain about Holiday Lettings’ predatory fees and commissions. The platform has introduced 15% commission on peak times on occasion, giving a greedy impression to interested bookers. Apart from those complaints, the site’s advertising clearly displays a 3% commission fee.

Why vacationers and property owners use Holiday Lettings: British-centric vacation rentals

Website: https://www.holidaylettings.com/

Housetrip

Originally from the UK, HouseTrip was acquired by TripAdvisor and now offers hundreds of thousands of listings in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia. HouseTrip says that their stays mean “authenticity, privacy, value for money, and flexibility.” Enjoy the many benefits that vacation rentals have to offer: more space, extra bedrooms, a kitchen, and WiFi and laundry facilities at no extra charge.

Most reviews cite a competent refund policy and customer service team, though there have been some issues with overbooking.

Why vacationers and property owners use Housetrip: Popular for UK destinations; Home owners can opt for housetrip.fr, housetrip.de, housetrip.es and housetrip.it to create a listing in the language of their choice.

Website: https://www.housetrip.com/

Niumba

Niumba is a vacation rental site that started in Spain, catering to Spanish-speaking audiences. Moreover, Niumba primarily offers listings in Spain, with in-depth coverage of tourist destinations and local neighborhoods. Vacationers looking for the ultimate travel experience in Spain will find it on this site.

While the platform initially only offered Spain listings, it’s since grown to include listings from other European countries to meet customer needs.

Niumba features a user-friendly interface and informative listings converting quick facts, payments, and property manager stats like response rate.

Why vacationers and property owners use Niumba: Spain-focused; hosts can charge higher deposit fees

Website: https://www.niumba.com/

Vacation Home Rentals

Yet another company acquired by Trip Advisor, Vacation Home Rentals is a platform with thousands of listings worldwide. Unfortunately, you can’t instant-book listings, as the site forces you into email communication with the property manager first.

The Deals tab website offers various discounted listings, but the prices aren’t too much lower than other websites.

Why vacationers and property owners use Vacation Home Rentals: Wide variety of listings; has special services for property owners with 25+ listings

Website: https://www.vacationhomerentals.com/

What to Consider When Choosing a Vacation Rental Site

All the above vacation rental sites have unique features that make some more suitable for you than others.

If you’re a host, look for:
- Platform commission
- Payout per night
- Cancellation policies
- Rewards (or better frees) for multiple listings
- Customer service support
- Ease of use
- Insurance policies
- Low host service fees
If you’re a traveler, look for:
- Location and lodging variety
- Deals and discounts for long or mid-length stays
- Lower fees and deposits
- Customer service for inaccurate listings and other issues
- Specific filtering options
- Instant booking

Bottom Line on the Best Vacation Rental Site

The best vacation rental sites offer variety, a clean user interface, transparent fees, and exciting prospects for your travel.

But of course, guests and property managers alike should seek vacation rental sites that cater to their unique needs. If you’re a property manager, make sure you pick a site with a proven track record of appealing to your desired audience.

Whichever site you choose as a property owner, using dynamic pricing strategies optimizes your pricing to improve revenue without turning away your customers. Check out Wheelhouse’s dynamic pricing tool today to unlock your portfolio’s revenue and profits.

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