While traveling, finding a space that is comfortable and affordable can be difficult. For providing people with such spaces, there are a lot of agencies and companies in existence. They work in almost the same way. People can find a room in most places around the globe. Airbnb and VRBO are two such companies.
Airbnb vs Vrbo
The main difference between Airbnb and Vrbo is that Airbnb has more listed spaces in comparison with VRBO. These companies are working in almost the same pattern. Due to which it seems there is no difference between them. However, they have many differences, such as foundation, rental types, rates, and fees.
Airbnb or Airbnb Inc. is an online platform or marketplace for lodging, stay vacation, tourism, and rental spaces. It is a company based in San Francisco, California, America. This platform can be accessed through the online website or mobile app of Airbnb. The company does not own any of the listed properties.
Vrbo is a company based in America that is also an online platform for lodging, stay, vacation, tourism, and rental spaces. The company was later acquired by HomeAway. It was also rebranded with all new characteristics, and the site was merged. This company, too, does not own any of the listed properties.
Comparison Table Between Airbnb and Vrbo
| Parameters of Comparison | Airbnb | Vrbo |
| Founded | Airbnb is comparatively younger as it was founded in 2008. Its full name is Air Bed & Breakfast. | VRBO is comparatively a very old company founded in 1995. Its full name was Vacation Rental by Owner. |
| Rental Types | On Airbnb, the users are allowed to put shared spaces on rent. | Their focus is exclusively restricted to private homeowners. This is why users are not allowed to put shared spaces on rent. |
| Host Network | It currently has more than 5.6 million rentals in 100,000 cities across 220 countries and regions. | It currently has more than 2 million rentals worldwide. |
| Host Commission rates | The host commission rate for owners is 3% on Airbnb. | The host commission rate for owners is 5% along with a 3% credit card processing fee on VRBO. |
| Service Fees | Typically the service fee charges are below 14.2%. In many cases, it can also be 16%. | Typically the service fee charges are between 6% to 15%. |
What is Airbnb?
Airbnb, short for AirBedandBreakfast, refers to an online platform that acts as a marketplace for rental spaces for the purpose of lodging, staycation, and vacation. The rental spaces are diverse that include rooms, hotels, and resorts. There are more than 5.6 million rentals in 100,000 cities across 220 countries and regions. However, the company does not own any rental space. The company makes a profit on the basis of the bookings. Here, the owner of the rental space lists the space for rent on the platform and earns commission from the booking. The bookings take place via the online website- Airbnb.co.in or the mobile app.
The one factor which differentiates it from the other sites is that it allows owners to list shared spaces. For example: If A and B share an apartment of 3 bedrooms and want to give the third room for rental purposes, they can. The time period may be short or low depending on the requirement of the traveler or guest. Even though it faces some criticism, it is one of the companies which has a global reach. People are likely to find Airbnb in almost every city.
What is Vrbo?
Vrbo ( originally Vacation Rentals by Owner) refers to a company based in America that is an online platform for vacation rental spaces. It was primarily a place for homeowners to list their places on a short-term basis. At that time, bookings mostly took place via classified ads. It currently has more than 2 million rentals worldwide. The site VRBO.com was first created in 1995 by David Clouse. HomeAway procured the acquisition of this company in 2006. Later, HomeAway company was acquired by Expedia in 2015. This company was completely rebranded in 2019, and the websites were merged in 2020.
Even here, the company does not own any rental space. The company makes a profit on the basis of the bookings. And the owner of the rental space lists the space for rent on the platform and earns commission from the booking. The Vrbo is strictly restricted to private spaces. This means that people who own shared spaces cannot list the space for rental purposes. For example, a person stays in town A and also owns a property in town B. He can list the property in which no one currently stays, which is in town B. This differentiates vrbo from Airbnb.
Main Differences Between Airbnb and Vrbo
Conclusion
Airbnb and Vrbo are both a part of the same online marketplace. Both of them work in a similar way by listing the properties of homeowners for rental spaces and earning a commission. The companies that started out small have turned into the massive global chain it is.
They provide verified, comfortable, and affordable rental spaces. Both the companies work online and also in a similar pattern. However, they have some differences between them. These differences make them unique and suitable for different homeowners as well as clients.
References
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