Vrbo is an Expedia Group vacation-rental marketplace connecting travelers with owners and professional property managers of whole homes and other private accommodations.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Vrbo is a U.S.-origin vacation-rental marketplace whose name began as an acronym for Vacation Rentals by Owner. David Clouse created the service in 1995 after purchasing a condominium in Breckenridge, Colorado, and building a website to help owners advertise vacation properties directly to travelers. The original concept was narrower than the modern platform: it focused on whole-home and second-home rentals rather than hotel rooms or shared accommodation. The business became part of the development of the online vacation-rental sector by giving individual owners a way to market properties outside traditional newspaper listings, property-management offices, and travel agents. Its early model was primarily listing-based, with travelers contacting owners or managers about availability and terms. As online travel distribution matured, the service added more structured booking, payment, search, review, and trust features. Vrbo was one of the brands consolidated under HomeAway, a vacation-rental group founded in 2005. HomeAway acquired Vrbo in 2006 and used the brand alongside other regional and category-specific vacation-rental sites. Expedia Group acquired HomeAway in 2015, bringing Vrbo into the same corporate portfolio as Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, and other travel brands. The acquisition gave Vrbo access to a larger global travel ecosystem, marketing infrastructure, technology resources, and distribution relationships. In 2019, the company changed the consumer-facing brand presentation from VRBO to Vrbo and promoted the pronunciation “ver-bo.” The refresh was intended to create a single international identity and distinguish the service from the generic phrase “vacation rental by owner.” Vrbo continued to emphasize entire homes, villas, cabins, apartments, and other private lodging rather than shared rooms. Its principal competitive set includes Airbnb, Booking.com’s alternative-accommodation business, direct property-management channels, and regional vacation-rental platforms. The platform’s supply includes privately owned vacation homes as well as properties managed by professional operators. Hosts and managers can publish listings, set prices and rules, manage calendars, receive inquiries or bookings, and use payment and guest-communication tools. Travelers can search by destination, dates, party size, property type, amenities, and trip requirements. The exact availability, fees, cancellation terms, and protection features vary by listing, market, and booking conditions. Vrbo’s business has been shaped by the broader shift toward online travel, mobile booking, professionalized short-term-rental management, and demand for space suitable for families and groups. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted travel but also increased attention to private accommodations, flexible booking, and domestic or drive-to leisure trips. After the pandemic, Vrbo and its parent company focused on rebuilding travel demand, improving host and guest tools, and integrating alternative accommodations into Expedia Group’s wider technology and loyalty initiatives. Today, Vrbo remains an active Expedia Group brand centered on whole-home vacation rentals. It is not a separately listed company, and Expedia Group reports corporate financial information rather than a standalone public stock price for Vrbo. The brand’s identity continues to rest on private, self-contained accommodations for leisure travelers, families, and groups, while its marketplace increasingly includes professional property managers and internationally distributed inventory.
History
Vrbo originated in 1995 when David Clouse created a website for owners of vacation properties. After buying a condominium in Breckenridge, Colorado, Clouse sought a practical way to advertise the property and avoid relying solely on conventional rental channels. The resulting service was named Vacation Rentals by Owner, commonly shortened to VRBO. Its early proposition was direct and relatively simple: enable owners of vacation homes to promote available dates to travelers through the internet. The service emerged during the early expansion of consumer web commerce, when online classified listings and specialized travel websites were beginning to replace print advertising and telephone-based booking processes. Vrbo concentrated on entire properties, including condominiums and houses, which gave it a distinct identity from hotels and from later room-sharing platforms. In its early years, transactions often involved direct communication between travelers and owners, while the marketplace gradually developed more formal listing, inquiry, payment, and reservation capabilities. HomeAway was established in 2005 as a vacation-rental marketplace group and acquired Vrbo in 2006. Rather than eliminating the brand, HomeAway retained Vrbo as a recognized consumer service and operated it with other vacation-rental brands in different countries and market segments. This structure enabled the group to assemble a larger international inventory while preserving local or established brand identities. The expansion of broadband access, online payments, user reviews, digital photography, and search advertising helped vacation rentals become a more visible alternative to hotels for family and group travel. In 2015, Expedia Group announced the acquisition of HomeAway. The transaction placed Vrbo within a major online travel company and connected it to Expedia Group’s global marketing, technology, distribution, and customer-service infrastructure. The ownership change also reflected a strategic shift in travel distribution: major online travel companies increasingly viewed vacation homes and other alternative accommodations as an important complement to traditional hotel inventory. The service underwent a substantial brand refresh in 2019. The familiar uppercase form VRBO was presented as Vrbo, and the company promoted the pronunciation “ver-bo.” The change sought to establish a consistent international brand while moving away from treating the original acronym as the primary consumer identity. The company continued to stress private, entire-home stays and positioned the service as particularly relevant to families and groups seeking kitchens, living areas, multiple bedrooms, and other features not always available in hotel rooms. Vrbo’s marketplace subsequently served two overlapping supply groups. Individual owners could list second homes and vacation properties, while professional property managers could operate larger portfolios with more systematic pricing, calendar, guest-service, and maintenance processes. The platform’s functions expanded beyond advertising to include digital booking flows, payment handling, messaging, reviews, property details, cancellation policies, and tools for managing reservations. Features and protections have varied by market and by the terms selected by individual hosts. The COVID-19 pandemic created a major operational shock for Vrbo and the wider travel industry. Cancellations, travel restrictions, public-health concerns, and changing government rules affected both travelers and property owners. At the same time, the private nature of whole-home accommodation supported demand for domestic trips, longer stays, and travel by families or small groups once restrictions eased. Vrbo and Expedia Group subsequently focused on rebuilding demand, improving flexibility and trust features, and adapting to changes in how consumers planned and booked leisure travel. Vrbo now operates as an Expedia Group brand rather than an independent public company. Its principal business remains the digital marketing and booking of vacation homes and related private accommodations. The brand competes with Airbnb, Booking.com’s alternative-accommodation inventory, regional rental marketplaces, direct owner and manager websites, and traditional lodging providers. Its durable distinction is its emphasis on entire homes and private stays, although the supply base includes both individual owners and professional managers and the platform operates across numerous international markets.
- 2020
Pandemic-era travel response
[3]Vrbo updates its operations and customer guidance in response to widespread cancellations, travel restrictions, and changing lodging expectations.
- 2019
Global rebrand to Vrbo
[3]The service adopts the stylized Vrbo name and promotes a consistent pronunciation and identity across markets.
- 2015
Expedia Group acquires HomeAway
[4]Vrbo enters Expedia Group through its acquisition of HomeAway.
- 2006
Vrbo becomes part of HomeAway
[1]HomeAway acquires Vrbo and incorporates the established service into its growing vacation-rental portfolio.
- 1995
Vacation Rentals by Owner is founded
[1]David Clouse launches an online service for advertising vacation properties directly to travelers and owners.
Products and positioning
A whole-home vacation-rental marketplace for families, groups, owners, and professional property managers, positioned around private accommodations rather than shared-room lodging.
Online travel marketplace · 1995
Vrbo vacation-home marketplace
The core Vrbo marketplace lets travelers search and reserve private accommodations such as houses, apartments, condominiums, cabins, villas, and beach properties. Listings generally represent entire homes rather than shared rooms. Search and booking information can include dates, occupancy, amenities, house rules, fees, cancellation terms, reviews, and host or manager details, with available functions varying by market and listing.
Marketplace management tools
Vrbo host and property-manager tools
Vrbo provides owners and professional managers with tools for publishing property information, displaying photographs, setting availability and pricing, communicating with travelers, receiving reservations, and managing booking-related workflows. Professional operators may use the platform for larger portfolios, while individual owners can market second homes or occasional vacation rentals.
Travel software
Vrbo mobile applications
Vrbo’s mobile applications support accommodation discovery, trip planning, booking management, traveler communications, and access to reservation information. They extend the marketplace experience to smartphones and complement the company’s web-based booking service.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Vrbo brand refresh
United States · International markets
Vrbo introduced a unified visual and verbal identity based on the stylized name Vrbo, replacing the more heavily acronym-based presentation of VRBO.
Outcome. The refresh established the name and pronunciation used in the brand’s current consumer positioning.
Brand decisions
2020
Adapt marketplace operations during the pandemicStrategyBackground
Travel restrictions, cancellations, health concerns, and rapidly changing government guidance disrupted vacation rentals and other forms of lodging.
Action taken
Vrbo and Expedia Group updated traveler and host guidance and adjusted operational processes around cancellations, flexibility, and changing travel conditions.
Aftermath
Private vacation homes became relevant to domestic, group, and longer-stay travel during the recovery, although the sector continued to face regulatory and operational uncertainty.
2019
Adopt the Vrbo consumer identityStrategyBackground
The company wanted a clearer, more consistent international brand presentation and a name that could be spoken as a standalone brand.
Action taken
The service shifted from the prominent uppercase VRBO presentation to Vrbo and promoted the pronunciation “ver-bo.”
Aftermath
The rebrand became the basis of Vrbo’s current identity while the service continued emphasizing private, whole-home accommodations.
2015
Expedia Group acquires HomeAwayM&ABackground
Online travel companies were expanding beyond hotels into vacation homes and other alternative accommodations.
Action taken
Expedia Group acquired HomeAway, bringing Vrbo into its brand and technology portfolio.
Aftermath
Vrbo gained the backing of a global online travel group and became a principal Expedia Group brand for whole-home vacation rentals.
2006
HomeAway acquires VrboM&ABackground
HomeAway was assembling a larger online vacation-rental business and sought established listings, traffic, and brand recognition.
Action taken
HomeAway acquired Vrbo and retained it within its vacation-rental brand portfolio.
Aftermath
Vrbo continued operating as a recognized vacation-rental service and later became part of Expedia Group through the HomeAway acquisition.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
HomeAway sues Michigan Department of Treasury over $18.8 million use tax bill[6]
HomeAway, which operates Vrbo.com, filed a complaint in the Michigan Court of Claims disputing an $18.8 million use tax bill for 2020 through 2022, arguing that hosts are responsible for the state's use tax and that the state's unjust enrichment allegation is erroneous.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Honolulu partners with rental platforms to regulate Oahu vacation rentals[7]
The City and County of Honolulu teamed up with Airbnb and Expedia, the parent company of Vrbo, under a memorandum of agreement to track and regulate Oahu vacation rentals. The platforms will provide listing information and make listing changes to help ensure rentals are legal and properly taxed.
Reported
Vrbo launches 25-stay anniversary giveaway[8]
Vrbo announced a 25th-anniversary contest giving away 25 stays at selected vacation homes. Participants could enter by sharing a family vacation photo on Instagram or Facebook with #VrboTurns25.
Reported
Expedia Group releases iOS 14 app updates and features[9]
Expedia Group released updated iOS apps for Brand Expedia, Hotwire, and Vrbo to use iOS 14 capabilities, including new widgets; Hotwire also added an App Clip.
- Unconfirmed
Expedia, Hotwire and Vrbo release updated iOS apps[10]
Expedia Group released updated Brand Expedia, Hotwire and Vrbo iOS apps with features for iOS 14, including widgets; Hotwire also added an App Clip.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Kauai County agrees with Expedia Group and VRBO to enforce short-term rental laws[11]
Kauai County signed a memorandum of understanding with Expedia Group and VRBO to strengthen enforcement of short-term rental laws. Airbnb also said it would remove ads for hosts without a valid Tax Map Key number.
Sources11 sources
- 1Vrboen.wikipedia.org
- 2Vrbo official websitevrbo.com
- 3Vrbo About pagevrbo.com
- 4Expedia Group Newsroomexpediagroup.com
- 5Expedia Group leadershipexpediagroup.com
- 6HomeAway就1880万美元使用税账单起诉密歇根州财政部cpapracticeadvisor.com
- 7檀香山与租赁平台合作监管欧胡岛度假租赁hawaiinewsnow.com
- 8Vrbo推出25周年住宿赠礼活动prnewswire.com
- 9Expedia集团发布适配iOS 14的应用更新和功能mactech.com
- 10Expedia、Hotwire和Vrbo发布更新版iOS应用digitalmedianet.com
- 11考艾县与 Expedia Group 和 VRBO 达成执行短租法规的协议hawaiinewsnow.com
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