Vrbo

One of the top two global vacation rental marketplaces, specializing in whole-home rentals with strong brand recognition among family and group travelers

Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner) is one of the world's largest online vacation rental marketplaces, founded in 1995 and focused exclusively on whole-home rentals rather than shared spaces. The platform connects millions of travelers with property owners and managers offering houses, condos, cabins, and villas across hundreds of thousands of destinations globally. Vrbo differentiates itself by emphasizing entire-property rentals, making it particularly popular with families and groups seeking privacy and space. Vrbo operates as part of Expedia Group's portfolio of travel brands, though for purposes of this profile the parent company relationship is noted separately. The platform generates revenue through a combination of traveler service fees and subscription or pay-per-booking options for property owners and managers. Its marketplace model connects supply (hosts/property managers) with demand (travelers), supported by robust search, booking, and payment infrastructure. In the AdTech and travel marketing ecosystem, Vrbo leverages first-party data from its large traveler base to offer targeted advertising and promotional opportunities for property managers and travel-adjacent brands. The platform competes directly with Airbnb and Booking.com's vacation rental segment, and benefits from cross-promotion within the broader Expedia Group network. Vrbo's focus on whole-home inventory and family travel segments gives it a distinct positioning in the highly competitive short-term rental market.