VRBO stinks if you're looking for a holiday rental.
Todd and I spent hours searching for apartments on VRBO (also known as "HomeAway" and "Vacation Rental By Owner"). We submitted booking requests to 14 different properties in Virginia and Dublin that showed available on our preferred dates, only to be later notified that every single one of the properties was not available! We finally ditched VRBO when we could not trust the site's availability calendar.
One holiday home owner told me that she lists her rental property on three sites: VRBO, airbnb and flipkey. When her property is booked via VRBO, the property availability calendar automatically updates to the other sites, but when it's booked via airbnb or flipkey, frustratingly, the VRBO site calendar does not update (thus tricking holiday-goers into believing they can book the place). The home owner has inadvertently double-booked on a few occasions because of the VRBO calendaring snafu.
I believe that's what was going on when I was searching. We finally had success using both airbnb and flipkey.
VRBO didn't always deceptively show many (many many) more listings than they actually have. In fact, in the past, we have booked several excellent holiday homes on the site over the years. But that was before this go-round; before their competition sites became so well established, and VRBO fell behind the technology.
VRBO didn't always deceptively show many (many many) more listings than they actually have. In fact, in the past, we have booked several excellent holiday homes on the site over the years. But that was before this go-round; before their competition sites became so well established, and VRBO fell behind the technology.
Until VRBO fixes their availability calendar, unless you have all the time in the world to endlessly surf the web making fruitless rental searches, and you masochistically enjoy having your hopes dashed time and again, you'll save yourself frustration by using other sites to find your holiday rental.
Aaaarghhh :(
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