OwnerRez has partnered with Vrbo to provide a channel integration connection between the two systems. This allows OwnerRez users to more easily manage their listings and bookings with Vrbo and its sister brands, including CanadaStays. This article provides a step-by-step walk-through of connecting your Vrbo listing to the OwnerRez Vrbo channel integration.
This Vrbo channel integration is in Private Beta, and the instructions in this support article apply only to the Vrbo (Private Beta) channel integration.
Take a look at Vrbo's How to integrate with property management software guide to learn more.
- Important - Before starting the Vrbo integration
- Your Vrbo Account
- Connect to Vrbo
- Settings
- Mapping Properties
- Check Status
- Archive (Delist or Disconnect) your Vrbo Channel Integration
Important - Before starting the Vrbo Channel integration
Note that the Vrbo channel integration will pull the previous 2 years of bookings. Any bookings made before that period will be ignored.
Before users begin the Vrbo channel integration, OwnerRez recommends completing the following steps in OwnerRez.
- Vrbo integration requires a Payment Process Method to be set up before the channel integration connection can be completed.
- Connect a credit card processor in Settings > Payment Methods. The Vrbo integration requires a card processor, and you can't proceed without one. Once you have a card processor in place, come back here to start the integration process.
During the Vrbo integration process, users may encounter Vrbo requests that users attribute existing Vrbo bookings from another PMS. Bookings with future arrival dates may need to be properly attributed so Vrbo can continue following them (for modification and/or cancellation).
Your Vrbo Account
Vrbo may require users to sign a pay-per-booking (PPB) fee agreement, regardless of whether their account was under a subscription agreement in the past. See Vrbo's Pay for your listing subscription help article.
Connect to Vrbo
⚠️ Before going live: Connecting this channel will replace your Vrbo calendar with the OwnerRez channel integration calendar. Please ensure that your current OwnerRez calendar contains all Vrbo bookings and blocks to prevent data loss or double bookings.
Import to an Existing Vrbo Account
Navigate to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > + Connect a Channel > Connect Vrbo.
Determine whether you want to configure Smart Reviews for your Vrbo account by clicking on the Manage Smart Reviews button. Enter your company name and your existing Vrbo login email address.
More information coming soon.
Create a New Vrbo Account
If importing a newly created Vrbo account in OwnerRez, the channel integration is "immediately" live after completing the onboarding process.
Navigate to Settings > Channel Management > Channel Integrations > + Connect a Channel > Connect Vrbo.
Determine whether you want to configure Smart Reviews for your Vrbo account by clicking on the Manage Smart Reviews button. Enter your company name and a login email address.
Settings
Credit Card Payments
In the Credit Card Payments section, set the Booking mode (Instant Book or Request to Book) and how to handle credit card failures for your listing.
If a guest's credit card fails, the OwnerRez system will automatically send them an email notification and ask them to use a different card. It will also set the reservation to "pending" status. You can choose how many hours or days you will allow the booking to remain pending before it is canceled.
In the "If the deadline passes without a valid card being applied, perform the following action" section, decide how you want to handle it if the booking is about to be canceled for non-payment, whether you want the system to cancel it automatically or prefer to receive a notification so you can reach out to the guest.
Security Deposit
Decide whether you want your Security Deposit scheduled. The default is to schedule a security deposit in accordance with your property rules.
If you choose to schedule a security deposit under OwnerRez property rules, it will be listed in the Vrbo charges displayed to potential guests.
Since security deposits are refundable and not part of the booking's actual cost, showing them in the total may make your listing appear more expensive than it actually is. You can select "Don't show in Vrbo guest charges." and/or "Don't show in Vrbo guest charges. Instead, I have stated the security deposit hold and amount in my house rules." checkbox and add your security deposit information in your house rules so that it is clearly conveyed to your guest.
Booking Window & Duration
In the Booking Window & Duration section, determine how many days in advance and how far into the future Vrbo guests can book. Users can select to use the default OwnerRez property rules or set a specific rule for Vrbo that will override the rule for all properties in this channel integration.
You should already have your default arrival restrictions configured in Properties > Rules > Booking Window. If you are happy with your defaults, you do not need to make any changes in this section (i.e., leave Lead Time and Max Days in Future at their default values). If you'd like to limit the timeframe a potential guest can book on Vrbo or allow same-day bookings (prior to 12:00 PM, the property's local time), use the Booking Window & Duration section to do so.
Cancellation Policy and House Rules
With Vrbo, you can use one of their pre-defined Cancellation options from the drop-down list to select your preferred policy. Cancellation policies for all new Vrbo channel integration connections will default to Moderate. Users can still select other cancellation policies (e.g., Strict, Firm, No Refund, Relaxed) as desired.
While you can select your custom Cancellation Policy (Settings > Rules > Cancellation Policies) from the dropdown list, be mindful that Vrbo may prioritize listings with their standard cancellation policies (e.g., Relaxed, Moderate) configured over those with custom cancellation policies in guest search results.
Vrbo's built-in policies do not include grace periods and only apply when using custom cancellation policies. These policies give you full control to define your own terms, including whether to allow a grace period. That being said, Vrbo recommends selecting a Relaxed or Moderate policy to maximize your bookings.
- Relaxed: 100% refund if canceled 14 days before check-in
- Moderate: 100% refund if canceled 30 days before check-in
If you create a custom cancellation policy that aligns with Vrbo’s Relaxed or Moderate policies, you can still include a grace period and continue to receive the associated benefits from Vrbo.
All OwnerRez Vrbo channel-integrated hosts should be aware of Vrbo's Cancellation Policy for hosts and that hosts' cancellation policies are based on the percentage of the total booking, not on what has already been paid.
In the Rental Agreement Example section, decide whether you want OwnerRez to automatically generate a PDF example of your Rental Agreement, or use a specific file that will be shared with potential Vrbo guests. Alternatively, you can upload a rental agreement example to Vrbo for potential guests. See the How Policies Work with Channels section of the Cancellation Policies support article.
While OwnerRez allows fractional refund percentages, Vrbo does not support decimal fractions. If you enter a non-whole-number refund percentage, OwnerRez will round it down before sending it to Vrbo. For example, 96.5% will become 96%.
Rate Adjustment
For some listing channels, you may decide to increase your rates and surcharges above what you are charging for a direct booking. In the Rate Adjustment section, you can choose to leave rates the same, increase just the nightly rent, or increase both rent and surcharges. You can also reduce the rent and surcharges if you prefer.
The Email option indicates whether or not the OwnerRez system will automatically send booking confirmation notifications to guests.
Options
You can choose to include reviews that you have received (or will receive) from direct bookings (subject to Vrbo's policies) and have them sync over to your Vrbo listing(s), how you'd like Damage Protection to be applied to Vrbo bookings, and whether you'd like the location of your property shown on the Vrbo map at its exact location or an approximate area.
Account Name can be set if you need to customize what is sent to Vrbo. If nothing is specified, the name shown in gray will be passed over to Vrbo in your listing feeds.
Once you've saved your Vrbo channel integration setup, you can always make changes by going back to the Vrbo Channel page and selecting the "Change" button at the top.
Refer to the Policies tab at any time to verify that your rules and policies are configured as needed, whether at the channel or individual property level.
Mapping Properties
After you've created your Vrbo channel integration, your Status will be Pre-Onboarding - Waiting for onboarding to start. Click on the Start Vrbo API Integration link.
Once you have completed the Vrbo onboarding process, click on the Status Get Started button.
On the Select listings to import page, select the OwnerRez property and provide the What to Import details. If you have multiple Vrbo listings to import, you can populate all of your listings by selecting the top Action to Take (e.g., Archive this listing, Import into existing OwnerRez property, Import into new OwnerRez property) and the What to Import (e.g., Everything, Rates & Availability) dropdown lists.
The What to Import dropdown lets you select which details to import: Everything or just your Rates & Availability.
- Everything: includes all property content, rates, discounts, rules, availability, quotes, bookings, and reviews (and any other information that can be synced)- will be synced between Vrbo and OwnerRez for this property. This is the recommended option.
- Rates & Availability: includes rates only, tax settings, availability, and minimum-stay rules, will sync between Vrbo and OwnerRez for this property. Property content, cancellation policies, and whether pets are allowed will not be synced. Anything related to a booking (e.g., bookings, messages, special offers, quotes, reviews, etc.) will be synced.
After completing the mapping process, all properties will await the import to finish. Depending on the number of properties mapped or imported, this can take 10-20 minutes or more.
After the Vrbo import process is complete, the "Go Live" button will be available to fully sync your selected content (e.g., Everything, Rates & Availability) from OwnerRez to Vrbo and enable the channel integration.
Check Status
For more information, see the Vrbo Check Status section on our Actions Menu support article.
Archive (Delist or Disconnect) your Vrbo Channel Integration
OwnerRez users may want to Archive (Delist or Disconnect) their Vrbo Channel Integration, and we recommend the following process to accomplish that.
- Reach out to Vrbo support and request that your PMS channel connection be removed. Once Vrbo has confirmed this, you can disable the channel integration inside OwnerRez.
- Close the Vrbo account for that property listing.
- Users have the option to no longer accept Vrbo reservations and wait for Vrbo to eventually disconnect their account.
- Vrbo's disconnection timeline could be anywhere between 24 hours and up to 14 days.
- If users have closed their OwnerRez account during this time, the Vrbo account remains in limbo.
- Vrbo will continue to attempt to pull data from OwnerRez, which causes failures so Vrbo will snooze the listing and report an error to the host.
Also, see our Disable a Channel Integration support article. Alternatively, users can disconnect their Vrbo Channel Integration in OwnerRez and create a new iCal connection for their Vrbo listing instead.