The word is out. Airbnb, VRBO.com, HomeAway, and TripAdvisor charge fees to consumers.
Unlike in the hotel industry, where the booking fees are passed on to the hotels, these sites are charging guests for the use of their online catalogs. And the charges are not insignificant with an additional 6 to 20 percent surcharge added to the rental rate, which translates to consumers paying hundreds of dollars more just to use these big websites.
But there is hope. With a little extra sleuthing, travelers can avoid fees and guarantee a better experience for their next vacation rental.
5 Ways to Bypass Fees and Book Directly with the Vacation Rental Manager or Owner
1. Search Google Local
When searching for a vacation rental, scroll past the paid listings (that say Ad in small letters underneath them) down to the Google Local listings next to the map. Click on the map find a treasure trove of local listings for vacation rentals.
2. Use Convention and Visitors Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)
Convention and Visitors Bureaus and DMOs are tax-funded and provide listings of vacation rental management companies and homeowners. Plus there is an added benefit. Since these sites are funded by tax dollars, guests can rest assured that the listings, management companies, and owners are licensed and providing legitimate vacation experiences.
3. Try Google Image Search
Using Google image search, travelers can search photos instead of marketplace sites to find the right rental for their family. Additionally, if you find a home you love on Airbnb or VRBO, try copying the picture into Google image search to find the original source of the photo.
4. Look for Clues in Descriptions
If you do find the perfect home on one of the big sites, look for clues in the description, in photo captions, or in reviews leading directly to the owner or manager. If that fails, copy the description into the Google browser to find the direct source of the booking.
5. Check out Facebook
Don’t neglect Facebook in the search for a perfect vacation home. Almost all homeowners and managers have Facebook pages. A Facebook search may take as long as a search on Airbnb, but at least you are communicating directly with the owner or manager and saving a ton of money in the process. Plus, there are a ton of great reviews on Facebook.
Many of the best home and deals are not even listed on the big websites because of the costs and headaches of working with these channels. In addition, vacation rental managers and owners have intimate knowledge of the area and their homes and can provide local, insider information that makes the stay exponentially better. Plus, they often have deals and tips on how to optimize your dates and budget.
Besides saving money, booking directly with the vacation home manager or owner provides travelers with an all-around better experience.
The OTA’s charge owners in 2 different ways either as an annual subscription or pay as you go which attracts a higher percentage rate. They also charge 3% for payment processing when paying the owners invoice.
The customers also pays a booking fee to the OTA.
The OTA actually makes a lot of money for simply hosting a data record and not doesn’t include the damage deposit in the overall holiday costs to make the holiday appear more attractive to customers.
SAVE 25% – ALWAYS BOOK DIRECT! USE THE POWER OF THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP THE SMALL FRY LIKE ME
Thanks for the tip that I should also do some online image searches when looking for vacation house rentals. I’m thinking about taking my boyfriend on a staycation soon because it would be two years since we started dating soon. It was surprising that our relationship survived throughout 2020 without meeting much so I’d like to be able to do something quite significant of the both of us once we meet soon.
My wife and I have always wanted to go vacationing on other states but don’t really know where to start looking for listings. It really helped when you suggested using conventions and visitor bureaus as guides for listings so that we can have trusted reviews and recommendations, as this was one of my wife’s biggest concerns. We’ll be using these tips to hopefully plan our vacations out in advance and then look for a vacation home rental service to accommodate us when we know where to go. Thank you!
Excellent article, it is easy to bypass the OTAs and go direct to the owners and score big discounts. Like you said, most owners leave little bits of hints. Airbnb is SO BIG most of its formerly manual scrubbing was turned over to the automated department so at least right now its easy to bypass the AI you know what I mean? Like please contact me at spiderlakecottage COMmunication and I can offer some great deals. Eventually, that ability will diminish and we will have to think of different ways to skip around the systems.
Thank you for your tip to search google local listings and not the paid advertisements for vacation rentals. My brother wants to plan the next summer family reunion at a cabin vacation rental, so we were trying to find some ways that would make it easier to search for them. We’ll be sure to utilize these tips, so we can find a great vacation rental.
The OTA’s are getting savvy to this. BookingDOTcom as well as some other sites already charge the manager directly. Pretty soon they are all going to get on board with that. When that happens It will be less clear…. but companies will likely offer a discount code for direct booking. 🙂
Great article Amy, beneficial for those who don’t want to pay unnecessary prices to big OTAs
I am using “TinEye Reverse Image Search” instead of Google Image Search.
Also, sometimes, the owner name is handy to find the owner on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Besides, some regional websites ( not all ) are also great places to search for your vacation rental, such as HawaiiChee for Hawaii.
I like how you mentioned that when choosing a vacation rental you should use google image search instead of marketplace sites to find the right place for your family. I want to go to California this summer with my family, and want to find a nice vacation rental to stay in. I will definitely keep your tips in mind when looking for the perfect vacation home for my family to stay in!
I find it great when you said that one way to get a great vacation home is to look for listings managed by DMOs. My sister and I are looking for a place where we can have a staycation this summer. Aside from your tips, we will also ask our local realtor for their recommendations this weekend so that we can continue with our summer plans.
I’m grateful for your advice about checking out Facebook for reviews. This is I think the most effective and easiest way of searching for a vacation home rental. We are planning to have one this coming holiday season so we’ll check all ways and means known to us for the best vacation home rental we could ever find. Cheers!
I love that you suggested looking at the actual property through Google image search to also have an idea about the sites near the property. I will definitely do this with my boyfriend tomorrow when he gets back home. We plan to celebrate our fifth anniversary in a different place this time, and we thought that we’d try to rent a vacation rental because we’ve never tried that before. Thanks!
I liked what you said about a Facebook search helping you communicate with the owner. My family is taking an extended vacation this summer and we’re trying to think of the best way to find a vacation home. I think that we’ll try out a few of your tips and see where it takes us. Thank you for your help!
I like that you mentioned to look for ways to contact the manager of the vacation home, as it can save you money. My friend wants to go on vacation and I think renting a vacation home would be great, as she has anxiety and large groups of unknown people make her nervous. I also think a rental home would provide more privacy for our friends.
Thank you for all the helpful tips on how I can book vacation rentals. I really want to find a good vacation rental at a good price, but I don’t know what to do. I really like your idea of checking out Facebook. You are right that they would have a Facebook page about their rentals. Thank you for the tips!
Thank for giving us the idea how to book vacation rentals..
Its really helpful for choosing best rentals with best accomodation service.
Thank you Amy for this great initiative. Your comment “vacation rental managers and owners have intimate knowledge of the area and their homes and can provide local, insider information that makes the stay exponentially better” is so true.