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We use Pricelabs for our Company. Within that platform, there are also last minute discounts, far out premiums, etc. Will the VRBO promotions in OR override Pricelabs?
Hello!
Can you please submit a support ticket to help@ownerrez.com, and include screenshots of any errors you're seeing so we can take a look?
We never got any commission reports via Owner Rez (unless we missed them) just emailed invoices.
It was unclear where to pay, & we had a credit card on file.
Another invoice appeared, & when I tried to get into our owner account to look at it (no way to look at balances) I saw the credit card wasn’t right, & when I tried to change it, the account shut me out.. for non-payment.
Never got a notice that the card wasn’t working, no way to check balances, horrible “help” & honestly not great guests, only 2 since we opened Sept 24, either. I’ll be sending them a paper check via certified mail, just to match the level of irritation they have so generously provided.
We fired VRBO, & are moving towards driving direct bookings, & skipping the tech bro “enshittification” with less & less support, & more & more markup.
We sincerely hope many more are doing the same. We do the work on the ground, we should keep more of the cash.
Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
😜
Emily DG
antietamdome.com
I was looking at the discounts, then the account got shut down due to their bad billing practices, & we fired them.
VRBO’s new “commission” system uses the credit card on file .
They didn’t tell us it wasn’t working- & no way to check on the account or balances.
After an awkward help desk call with some poor person in Southeast Asia or India, I got ANOTHER emailed invoice.
VRBO is less than 2% of our bookings, & hasn’t given us the best quality guests, so we fired them.
More & more I would rather people used our direct booking site, & skipped the tech bro upcharge, bad service, & over-reliance on AI (looking at you, AB&B) that leads to a lot of frustration- it took us months to be categorized as “near national parks” despite one being .5 miles away (C&) Canal), & the other (AntietamNB) about 2 miles away.
I had to repeat the category request at least 6 times. I guess they just got tired of saying no.
The platforms have gotten incredibly “enshittified” taking more, & providing less, all the time.
We are moving towards getting as many direct bookings as we can, & telling the platforms (except Crewdogs, they are cool) to take a longer walk off a shorter pier.
EDG
antietamdome.com
I see there were talks between OR and Sitemiinder about 7 years ago, but does not seem anything ever came from it.
Site minder connects to a lot more channels than OR, and to niche channels that would help fill the calendar now that the big OTAs are not doing enough.
Can talks for this stat again?
https://www.ownerrez.com/forums/post?forum=general-help&topic=can-or-be-used-for-lodges-bed-and-breakfasts
We created our own web site (Antietamdome.com) & used the “widget” to create a booking window.
This is the best option for all of us- direct bookings spare us AND our guests the cash scrapes, horrible customer service & billing (looking at you, VRBO, who we fired).
Then get on your socials!
Put up pictures, stories, “reels” have fun with it.
We are a work in progress, have made some nice connections in the area via Facebook.
Here is how to ask for a partial payment from a guest.
Go to the Booking in OwnerRez.
Then click on Transactions (third from left in the green menu at the top left).
Then, on the Transactions Page, click on the drop-down menu item (under the title 'Transactions') labeled Payments and select the third option:
Request Payment from Guest
This will bring up a pop-up dialog box that looks like the following:
In the dialog box select the second Radio Button at the top: Whatever the guest wants to pay (the booking's rules will not be enforced)
The dialog box gives you a few options on what you can do, but most importantly it produces a URL for the Guest Payment Form which provides the option for the guest to enter whatever amount they want to pay, instead of the regular payment form used by OwnerRez standard templates which only allows full payment of the total balance.
You can use the generic payment request email template that OwnerRez provides, or copy the partial payment form URL into a new email of your own composition.
You can also use this when different members of a guest party are making separate payments all on one reservation.
The form also allows for different types of payments, not just credit cards (just like the standard form with only the total balance allowed).
I am posting this because when I needed to send a partial payment request to a guest, and every email form in OwnerRez only allowed the total balance to be used as an amount to be paid, I typed the words 'partial payment' (the most obvious topic description) into OwnerRez help search and nothing came up. Even, Rezzi, the OwnerRez AI system did not have a proper response. (The answers provided by Rezzi were for: Initial Bookings, Multiple Payments, Split Payments Between Guests, and Multi-Month Bookings, the descriptions of which did not apply to what I was asking.)
(For you techy types, the following is added to the payment form URL at the end: ?noRules=true This change is what modifies the normal form to allow the guest to enter a different payment amount, so you could amend the URL (NOT the link to the payment form URL) in a different template to get the same result, in case you wanted to create a different email or template for your own use.)
Eventually I found what I was looking for, however assuming others may be looking for instructions on having a guest do a partial payment, I thought I would post this here so hopefully when the next OwnerRez user needs this information (or I do because I've forgotten it six months from now!), it will show up in the help system search results.
Current problem with VRBO:
Got an invoice that looked scammy, & when I tried to update payment method, the system hung up, locked me out, & now that account is disabled. There is no way to see if the invoice is legit on the “owner” app, nor is there a way to check balances or update payment methods, tried several times.
After a 15 minute help desk call I didn’t have time for, I was told I would receive an email. (No email, an hour later..)
VRBO is maybe 2% of our business, & we don’t get the best guests from them.
I had responded to an “improve your listing” email with a request to chat, never got a reply.
It’s hard to believe this is a serious company, honestly.
Is there any reason we should keep this (honestly) slightly worse platform?
AB&B is the “standard” but over-relies on AI, which means that it took weeks & weeks of pestering to get us listed as near national parks (.5 miles & 2 miles) while other places 20 miles away, were listed as “near” national parks.
What platform would you replace VRBO with, if you already had AB&B?
Our connections are ABB, Google, Crewdogs, & VRBO. Eliminated Booking.com due to their wanting irrelevant tax information, & inability to communicate effectively with guests.
Thanks for your experience & opinions.
EDG
Hi Cathleen,
Email History still shows whether an email had been opened or not?
Here is a brief video to show you how that looks:
Email History and Activity Timeline Overview 📧 - Watch Video
As I mention in the video, if there was somewhere else you feel the deliverability should show let me know. And if you want to make your own loom so it is clear what you are talking about, feel free to email that to us at help@ownerrez.com
Hope that helps and hope you have a great day!
-Steve
A booking email history "feedback" used to show when the email was opened. Now, it's not. Why?
This has happened to me recently as well. There is no error that appears on my end -- it just doesn't send.
I have issues responding to messages using the mobile version on my iPhone 14. I can type but the send button won't work. I either have to close/reopen or go to my computer.
I think it happens more often when I'm responding to an incoming message.
Next time it happens I'll try to screen record but curious if anyone else has a similar problem.
Hi Dan!
Can you please submit a ticket by writing to help@ownerrez.com? When writing in, please let us know which widget you're attempting to add the code to so we can take a look.
Existing early bird and last-minute discounts should automatically convert into Vrbo “promos,” giving them the strike-through pricing on listings.
In addition to that, the new promotions will include:
Other promo types are already covered:
Vrbo says that only one promo can be applied at a time, and the one with the deepest discount will be applied.
Stacking:
Standard discounts should not stack on Airbnb, so you don’t need to add any additional conditions there.
For Vrbo, however both a Length of Stay (LOS) discount and a Last Minute discount can sync at the same time. To prevent stacking, set up a standard Last Minute discount for Vrbo, and then use a custom LOS discount with a date restriction.
For example, if your Last Minute discount applies to bookings made within 14 days of arrival, you can add a condition to your LOS discount such as:
“Booking date is more than 14 days before arrival.”
This ensures the LOS discount will never apply to bookings that qualify for the Last Minute discount, preventing accidental stacking on Vrbo.
I am incorporating the new VRBO OneKey and Moblie discounts, but I wanted to make sure these discounts were NOT going to stack with each other if a OneKey member booked via mobile? I also want to make sure that they don't stack with Early Bird and Last Minute discounts. I would like to only offer one discount and make sure they don't all stack. Does anyone know if this is possible and if so how do I avoid multiple discounts being added?
When you connect to Vrbo through their API, Vrbo treats you like a professional partner: they show your listing, but all booking details are handled on your side. However, Vrbo works hard to keep guest communication inside their system to prevent off-platform bookings.
Because of this:
Vrbo inquiries cannot be turned into bookings. Guests can only book after the inquiry stage is finished.
The Quote and Pre-Approve buttons in your Vrbo dashboard do not work.
When an inquiry imports into OwnerRez, it may look like you can send a quote or change charges, but guests cannot accept that quote. Vrbo blocks links that would allow it to turn into a booking.
Ways to adjust pricing for a Vrbo guest
Important: Vrbo’s ~15% guest fee does not go down even if you lower the price later in OwnerRez.
1. Discuss and Refund
You and the guest agree on a price through the Vrbo inbox.
They book at the normal price, and you refund the difference afterward.
Downsides: Guests may hesitate, and you might pay refund processing fees depending on your payment processor.
2. Adjust Rates and Min Nights
You and the guest agree on a price.
You temporarily change your rates/min nights for those dates, wait for Vrbo to sync (10–15 minutes), and the guest books right away.
Risks:
Anyone could book at that lowered rate.
Dynamic pricing tools may overwrite your manual changes on the next sync.
Requires both you and the guest to act fast.
3. Instant Book Trick
If you use Instant Book, you can temporarily change your rules so bookings go into a “pending” status.
This gives you a moment to adjust the price before confirming.
Then switch your rules back to normal.
Title. No option to pre-approve on VRBO or OR.
I can convert it to a booking but then I need guests info to send it to them.
I could do that but it would be a helluva lot easier to just be able to pre-approve them somehow, which it is not allowing me to do.
Hi James,
It appears that BDC had a temporary outage today. It seems to have recovered. Please try republishing your listings to see if the issue has been resolved.
All of my Booking.com links have become unpublished and I am getting (Request for forbidden hotel ID(s)) errors?
If i try and publish them i get a (Listing doesn't meet publishing requirements:
Data not found: Not found)
Simply put. please help.
And I've just realised that it is Thanksgiving in the US.
Here are a few strategies for adjusting pricing for a guest:
(Note: The Vrbo ~15% booking fee will not be reduced in amount if you adjust the price down on OwnerRez after the guest books.)
Or, if you are Request to Book: If you use the "Request to Book" feature, you can adjust the pricing on a booking request before confirming it. You and the guest agree on a price within the Vrbo inbox to make the guest comfortable with the request, then adjust the charges before confirming the booking.
Hi Karen!
A possible workaround that could work for direct bookings to calculate the surcharge on the entire amount, including taxes, would be to create a custom surcharge instead of a Rate Adjustment. You can do this by going to Settings > Surcharges > click Create Surcharge > select Custom Surcharge under Advanced Surcharges. On the following page, you can configure the category, description, amount, etc. However, there should also be an optoin to place it below the tax lines. This should make it so that the amount is calculated on the entire amount:
When configuring this, make sure to set the amount type to Percent of Subtotal, and to set it to NOT be taxed as well, since it would be placed below the tax lines:
Please note that this would only work for direct bookings, as OTAs like Vrbo won't honor this setting and will still apply the surcharge above the tax lines. You can create a separate custom surcharge for other OTAs like Vrbo, and increase the amount by the tax percentage. So, for example, if the processing fee is 3% and your taxes are 12%, you could set the processing fee to 3.36% (3*12%). Additionally, the custom surcharge would give you the percent of subtotal option to calculate on the other booking charges, and not just the rent.
If you decide to create separate custom surcharges, one for direct bookings and one for other listing sites, make sure to add a listing site condition to each one so the system knows which one should apply to each booking.
If you'd like us to look at your account specifically, please reach out to help@ownerrez.com
My client would like to do book 6, get the 7th free, and book 12 and get 2 nights free etc... but they don't want to give a flat 14.28% discount across the board or people booking say 9 10 or 11 nights only still get one night free, which make the percentage discount hard to do.
Hi,
I am trying to customize the look of my 'Book Now' widget to match my website (Red Canoe Lodging), but I am unable to override the default Bootstrap styling on the Header/Jumbotron section.
I have placed custom CSS in the widget settings, but the .jumbotron grey background and default h1 font/color persist despite using:
High-specificity selectors (e.g., body .jumbotron).
The !important flag on all properties.
The all: unset property to try and clear default styles.
It seems the widget's default stylesheet is either loading after my custom CSS, or there are inline styles/scripts forcing the default Bootstrap appearance.
Could you please:
Help me remove the grey .jumbotron background?
Force the H1 header to use my brand font (Montserrat) and color (#C41E3A)?
Ensure the Phone Input flag doesn't overlap the text placeholder?
Here is the CSS I am trying to apply:
/* Brand: Red Canoe Lodging */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Montserrat:wght@400;600;700&display=swap');
/* Force White Background on Header */
.jumbotron, div.jumbotron {
background: #ffffff !important;
background-color: #ffffff !important;
padding: 0 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
}
/* Force Brand Font & Color on Text */
h1, .jumbotron h1 {
font-family: 'Montserrat', sans-serif !important;
color: #C41E3A !important;
text-transform: uppercase !important;
}
/* Fix Phone Input Overlap */
input[type="tel"] {
padding-left: 80px !important;
}
Thank you.
Is there a way to request that VRBO charge their fee based on the discounted rate? Seems like it would be in their favour to have positive customer service interactions like that one
Yeah, I'm having issues with it as well. Overall, I've been disappointed with the Igloohome bridge system reliability regardless of integrating it with OwnerRez.
Thanks - yes I found the documentation and I got the bridge. I haven't had luck with it yet (also haven't spent a ton of time trying yet either). Since I can bring the lockbox in to the house near the router/bridge that shouldn't be an issue.
I was having trouble getting the lockbox code to update to the lock so I need to try again.
I use an Igloo lockbox on one of our properties. There are a couple of options:
All that said, I just came here on the forums to try to find examples of other people using Keyboxes that are integrated with OwnerRez because I'm finding that the Wi-Fi bridge solution for my Igloo keybox is really unreliable.
@Katie - thank you for pointing us in the right direction to update this text in Form Messages. While the update text page allows us to include formatting (bold, font, line breaks, links), it does not seem that the destination actually allows for it:
As the guest is unable to make changes on this screen (should the dates, number of guests/pets, etc. be incorrect), they will have to be directed to email us to make those changes on their behalf. (Bummer #1.) Being able to add our email address into that text box as a clickable link is needed to make this process as streamlined and easy as possible for our guests. Is there plans to make this destination text box accept the formatting added in the Edit screen??
Thank you! I noticed I'm unable to bold anything or insert any coding into that form message. Will that be updated in the future?
Additionally, when checking out on this new Confirm & Pay form this is the message for paying with check. It is not correct for my vacation rental policies, where do I update it?
Ok so that was my next question...Stripe charges me on the total. Is there not a way to add it to the total amount and not just the subtotal? Or is there some kind of work around? Could you charge the guest separately for the cc fee after they book? May not be worth it on smaller bookings, but larger bookings start to add up.
