Top 10 Airbnb Competitors That Attract Loyal Travelers

Top 10 Airbnb Competitors That Attract Loyal Travelers

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Airbnb is undoubtedly a vacation rental giant, perhaps even the most popular with a market share of almost 20% of the entire vacation rental market, according to Invezz. With Airbnb’s year-on-year growth, it’s safe to say that this percentage is only going to rise in the years to come.

However, listing your vacation rentals on multiple vacation rental websites is a smart way to ensure business growth. Platforms often attract different types of guests, so you'll present your vacation rental space to a larger pool of renters. In turn, it will result in an increase in your occupancy rate and profits.

Check out these Airbnb competitors and Airbnb alternatives to learn about the key features to secure your place within the short-term rental market.

1. Vrbo

Another great alternative to Airbnb for property owners is Vrbo, which stands for Vacation Rental By Owner. Airbnb and Vrbo are quite similar, but Vrbo offers only private vacation rental properties, unlike Airbnb, which also offers room rentals.

In 2006, Vrbo was acquired by HomeAway, and as of 2015, the Expedia Group acquired HomeAway, and, thus, Vrbo as well. If you list your property on Vrbo, it will automatically be listed on HomeAway.

Best for:

Whole home rentals – people renting out entire houses.

Key Features:

• Only private homes are listed;
• Vrbo charges $499 for an annual subscription or 5% per booking + 3% credit card processing fee;
• Cancelation and payment policies vary by property;
• There are also both paid and “free-to-list” vacation rentals. The advantage is given to paid ones and they are usually more visible on the site;
• Hosts cannot delete any reviews (both positive and unflattering).

2. Booking.com

Booking.com is ahead of the curve with its guest-friendly, easy-to-navigate user interface and instantly bookable vacation rentals. It’s one of the best Airbnb competitors on the market today due to the size of its offerings of vacation rental properties. This makes it a favourite among inquiring guests. These features mean that it may increase your occupancy rate as more guests will opt for making reservations through the Booking.com website due to its simplified booking process.

Originally, they were known for hotel bookings. Now, vacation rentals are listed together with hotels. Recently, they were pushing more toward unique accommodations such as beach houses, mountain cabins, and treehouses.

Booking.com offers over 27 million listings and covers more than 130,000 destinations in 227 countries.

Best for:

Flexible bookings for guests

Key Features:

• Booking.com charges a 15% host fee on completed bookings, upon guest arrival. If guests cancel or don’t show up, no fee will be charged;
• Option to upgrade to Preferred Member service;
• More traveler-friendly because of its flexible cancelation options;
• No booking fees for users;
• Check-in process of a hotel – quick and simple;
• Advanced search and filtering system. It shows guests the results based on exactly what they are looking for. This is useful for hosts to promote their property to the exact audience.

3. Expedia

Expedia is another big player in the vacation rental industry and yet not often the first vacation rental platform that comes to guests’ minds when they are looking for vacation rentals. Thus, it is often overlooked by many hosts. Listing your property on Expedia can help you get ahead of the competition as many hosts don’t have it on their radar.

When you list a property on Expedia, your listing will also appear on other leading online travel sites like Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Wotif, etc.

Expedia has a comprehensive travel rewards program across their brands: One Key, Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. It allows travelers to earn and use rewards with all three brands when booking hotels, vacation rentals, flights, car rentals, and more.

Best for:

All-inclusive vacation packages

Key Features:

• Owners pay a commission of 15% of the total amount per booking;
• Last-minute bookings available;
• Localized sites in 33 countries around the world;
• Car rentals, flights, and accommodation are all in one place. It makes Expedia perfect for guests who don’t want to spend a lot of their time researching the best deals.

4. TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor’s most prominent feature is providing feedback from the travel community. This is the number one reason why guests use it as a vacation rental marketplace. It was founded in 2000 and has a massive number of reviews that have been collected over the years. TripAdvisor is a trusted source of information for many travelers.

With TripAdvisor, your property listing will be automatically translated to 26 languages and appear on 26 TripAdvisor sites. This will help you to expand your reach and attract more international travelers to book your properties.

Once listed on TripAdvisor, your listing will automatically appear on FlipKey as well.

Best for:

Tourists who read reviews, compare prices, search for things to do and accommodation.

Key Features:

• TripAdvisor charges a 3% host fee per booking. This commission is based on the host’s total rent, including any required and optional fees specified for the property;
• Many reviews for accommodations, attractions, and restaurants collected over the years;
• Offers car rentals, best deals on flights, and accommodation, all in one place, making it a favorite among tourists. It is helpful in planning their whole trip and finding the best place to stay;
• It was founded in 2000. With such a history, it is a place with the best recommendations and is a trusted platform among travelers.

5. Homestay

Homestay is another search engine well-placed in the vacation rental market. What makes this Airbnb competitor stand out is that it focuses exclusively on vacation rentals where the host is present.

Here you can rent out private rooms, a shared room, or a bed at prices that are more suited for small budgets. It’s a great opportunity for property owners who are just starting out and have an extra room to rent.

Best for:

Renting gout private rooms

Key Features:

• A small host service fee (3% of deposit/minimum charge $1);
• Great platform for hosts who are just starting their business;
• Attracts more students and younger people. Promoting on Homestay will make your rental visible if your goal is to attract those in need of affordable accommodation.

6. HomeToGo

HomeToGo is a vacation rental search engine that allows users to search and compare over 18 million vacation rental listings from other vacation rental sites, including the aforementioned TripAdvisor, VRBO, Booking.com, and more.

It has a wider range of listings because it aggregates listings from multiple platforms. This means that users can find unique and diverse rental options on HomeToGo that may not be available on Airbnb.

Best for:

Aggregating and comparing listings from multiple platforms, but hosts can also get listed directly on HomeToGo.

Key Features

• Wish list your favourite properties
• Last-minute deals sent via email with discounts of up to 75%
• Dedicated customer support team that is available 24/7
• Hosts can list properties for free.

7. Google Vacation Rentals

The list of top Airbnb competitors wouldn't be complete without Google. Like Airbnb, Google Vacation Rentals is a place where you can show up with your property. A large pool of guests looks for accommodation on Google directly.

GVR have its place in the vacation rental industry. There's no specific platform, but it is part of the Google Ecosystem, so listings are shown across Google Search, Maps, and Google Travel.

Unlike Airbnb listings, you don't pay to be listed on Google Vacation Rentals. It redirects users to platforms like Booking.com or Tripadvisor or direct booking websites. Companies with over 500 properties can have direct integrations with GVR.

iGMS integrates with GVR directly, so you can show up there and get reservations without paying third-party fees.

Best for:

Hosts who want to drive direct booking.

Key Features

• A metasearch engine that displays vacation rentals across Google Search, Maps, and Travel.
• No booking fees.
• They pull listings from their partners: Booking.com, TripAdvisor, RedAwning, HolidayLettings, Cottages.com, Snaptrip, Sykes Cottages, Agoda, Expedia, Vio.com
• Direct booking websites can also show up in the search (when integrated with Google's approved connectivity partners like iGMS)

8. BringFido

BringFido is a pet travel platform dedicated to helping pet owners find and book pet-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and activities worldwide. Their focus extends beyond just accommodation to include a variety of pet-friendly experiences.

Founded in 2005, BringFido quickly became the go-to resource for pet owners who search for suitable places to stay when traveling with their furry companions. As a meta-search engine, BringFido scrapes listings from platforms like Airbnb and hotels from Booking.com.

BringFido partners with pet-friendly hotels and offers a directory of licensed veterinarians, sitters, and groomers. Their mission is that pet owners find everything they need while traveling with their pets.

Hosts who list their properties as pet-friendly on Airbnb are likely to have their listings appear on BringFido as well.

Best For:

Pet owners looking to book pet-friendly rentals

Key Features:

• More than 500,000 pet-friendly places
• Users can compare and book thousands of pet-friendly hotels and vacation rentals directly on the app
• No booking fees
• Meta search engine for pet owners who travel with their furry friends
• Directory of licensed veterinarians, sitters, and groomers
• Scraping listings from Airbnb, Booking.com

9. Plum Guide

Not many listing sites can compete with Airbnb in terms of the number of people who use the platform. However, some competitors aren't as strong because they want to appeal to the general public.

Plum Guide targets high-end travelers looking for premium, luxury vacation rentals. It's a niche market, yet they list over 40,000 rentals worldwide. They demonstrate exclusivity by carrying out a strict vetting process.

They state that they only accept about 3% of properties that apply to be listed on their website. Each home undergoes an inspection covering WiFi speed, shower pressure, mattress quality, noise levels, and more. Plum Guide now also uses AI in the vetting process.

Best for:

Luxury vacation rentals

Key Features

• Targeted toward an audience that wants luxury vacation rentals.
• 40,000+ rentals listted
• Operating in over 30 countries
• Quality checks performed by a vetting team
• Photos taken professionally are a standard practice.
• Plum Guide takes a 15% commission on each booking, but there are no upfront listing fees.

10. Kid & Coe

This is one of the super niche rental listing sites that uniquely combines family-friendly and luxury accommodations. Although it lists just over 850 properties, they're open to new hosts.

Vacation rental hosts can apply to list properties and become partners if they satisfy their brand requirements: a great location for family travelers, safe and appropriate for children, clean, decorated in a desirable style, and stocked with amenities that suit family travelers.

A host who wants to list on their website pays an initial one-off fee of $149. They classify partners as Private Hosts and Professional Partners. Private Hosts (individual homes) pay a 5% host fee on all bookings. Professional Partners pay a 15% host fee and a 2.5% credit card processing fee on all accepted bookings.

Kid & Coe are present in over 50 locations worldwide, mostly in Europe and the U.S., demonstrating their intention of building a recognized brand in this particular niche.

Best for:

Family-friendly and exclusive vacation rentals

Key Features

• Family-friendly and luxury accommodations.
• Over 850+ properties ranging from country homes to city apartments, beach houses, ski chalets
• Over 50 locations worldwide and growing
• Hand-picked properties that provide amenities and environments conducive to children.
• Personalized assistance from a team of parents and travel experts to help families find the perfect vacation home
• A host can list their property if they satisfy requirements like having cribs, playing areas, books, and safety measures

How Do I Choose the Best Platforms for My Short-Term Rentals?

Sites like Airbnb can offer a wider range of features that you might not have known about previously. Vacation rental brands like Booking.com and Vrbo have slightly different offerings, including hotel rooms and luxury rentals. Some also have alternative accommodations like yurts and chalets.

You need to choose the Airbnb alternative that’s best for your business type. Consider the following factors before choosing your

Consider Your Target Audience

Think about your ideal guest profile. Some platforms cater to specific types of travelers, such as families, business travelers, or couples. Choose a platform that aligns with your target audience to maximize your bookings.

Evaluate Fees and Costs

Different vacation rental platforms have varying fee structures for hosts. These fees can include listing fees, service fees, and payment processing fees. Understand the cost structure of each platform and calculate how it will affect your overall income.

Read the Terms and Conditions

Carefully read and understand the terms and conditions of the vacation rental platforms you’re considering. Pay attention to cancellation policies, payment processing, and any processes on dispute resolution. Make sure you are comfortable with the platform’s rules and regulations before you register with them!

Look at Additional Features

Be sure to look over the features and tools offered by each platform to help you manage your listing. This can include calendar management, pricing settings, communication tools, and the ability to add amenities or restrictions. Choose a platform that provides the tools you need to effectively manage your rental. For example, Airbnb has Instant booking, which some other rental platforms might not have.

Check for Local Regulations

Be aware of local regulations and laws regarding short-term rentals. Some platforms may have partnerships with local governments to ensure compliance with regulations. Make sure the platform or online travel agency you choose is supportive of your legal obligations as a host.

Look at User Reviews and Ratings

Read reviews and ratings from other hosts who have used the platform. This can give you insights into the experiences of other hosts and any issues they may have encountered.

Customer Support and Assistance

You never know when you’ll run into an issue with your vacation homes so make sure that you’re happy with the level of customer support and assistance offered by each platform. You may need assistance with issues such as guest communication, booking inquiries, or technical problems. Choose a platform that provides reliable customer support.

Payment and Payout Options

Review the payment and payout options offered by each platform. Ensure that the payment methods are convenient for you and that the payout schedule meets your needs.

Test the Platform

Before committing to a single platform, you may want to list your property on a few different sites simultaneously for a short period to see which one performs the best. Monitor the number of inquiries, bookings, and overall guest experience on each platform.

Monitor Performance

After listing your property, regularly monitor the performance of your listing on the chosen platform. Make adjustments to your pricing, listing description, and photos as needed to optimize your bookings.

Multiple Platforms for Increased Occupancy

To establish a successful vacation rental business and draw more attention to your property, you might want to consider using the aforementioned Airbnb competitors. Promoting your listing across various rental websites will help you attract more guests, and increase your occupancy rate and profits.

We would recommend listing your property on more than one vacation rental listing site, to give you the best chance of getting as many nights in your calendar booked as possible. It also keeps you from relying too much on Airbnb, a company that has seen its fair share of complaints, and even lawsuits, from hosts.

Vrbo and Booking.com are probably the biggest Airbnb competitors, so it makes sense to be present on both of them. However, many other platforms cater to specific types of travelers. Niche websites allow you to go beyond the general public and reach your target groups.

A typical example is luxury rental websites that go above and beyond to attract discerning travelers with high standards. On the other hand, these websites have special requirements, and your property has to fit their brand. If that's the case, it can be worth your while to partner with them.

Pay Attention to Avoid Double Bookings

However, there are some tools that you’ll need to engage before you register on more than one platform.

Double bookings are notorious for leading to poor ratings on listing profiles and can result in penalties if you cancel bookings too often due to scheduling overlaps. You don’t want to appear as an amateur host who doesn’t know what they’re doing.

So how do you stop this? Well, you’ll need property management software, and iGMS is up to the task. iGMS offers integration with some of the most prominent Airbnb competitors to make your job a lot easier. You can use our software to manage multiple properties listed across various rental platforms.