Integrating your Vrbo account with Guesty centralizes your vacation rental management operations, allowing you to efficiently manage listings, bookings, and guest communications from one platform. This integration supports multiple Vrbo brands globally, which share the same technology and can be integrated using this process:
- Vrbo.com
- Abritel.fr (France)
- Fewo-direkt.de (Germany)
- Bookabach.co.nz (New Zealand)
- Stayz.com.au (Australia).
Limited sync
Before you begin
Complete the following steps before beginning the connection process.
- Connect your Airbnb account to Guesty: This establishes your primary integration foundation and helps align settings across multiple platforms.
- Disconnect any existing PMS or channel manager from Vrbo: Contact Vrbo support to request the removal of any “Advertiser” or “Software” integrations on your account. Obtain confirmation from Vrbo when disconnection is complete, which may take up to two weeks.
- Ensure your listing is listed. in Guesty: Only listed listings will appear during the connection process.
- Check which connection type you use.
- Ensure you have access to the email and phone number registered with your Vrbo account.
Note:
- You can connect only one Vrbo account to Guesty.
- An Advertiser ID isn't required for connection.
Step 1: Connect your Vrbo account to Guesty
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click Channels and select Vrbo.
- Click Connect to Vrbo.
- Check the I don't have a PMS connected to Vrbo box to confirm you are not connected to any other property management software.
If you are still connected to another property management software, click disconnect via Vrbo.
- Enter your Vrbo email and password. These are case-sensitive.
- Click Login.
- Enter the verification code received by SMS to the phone number you provided.
Note:
If you don't receive the verification code, check that your phone number is correctly registered with Vrbo, or request a new code after 2 minutes.
- At the top right, click Next.
- On the next screen, your Vrbo listings will appear. To the right of each listing, click the dropdown menu and select the corresponding Guesty listing to link.
- If the listing doesn't appear in the dropdown menu, use the search bar in the navigation bar and enter the title, nickname, or address.
- If no listings appear:
- Make sure they have been created in Guesty.
- Make sure they have been created in Vrbo.
- Check Vrbo for any account restrictions.
- At the top right, click Next.
- Next to the Guesty integration email provided, click Copy.
- Click Visit Vrbo to access your account, which will open in a new tab.
-
In you Vrbo account:
- Navigate to Profile.
- Paste the copied integration email as your second email called "Email 2".
- Save changes.
- Return to Guesty and complete setup.
Learn more about forwarding guest communication from Vrbo to Guesty.
Step 2: Verify the connection status
Verify your connection status. Your listings will initially show as "Pending". Within one hour, the linked listing(s) will change to "Connected".
Learn more about What data is synced between Vrbo and Guesty and where to manage it.
Troubleshooting common connection issues
If you encounter issues while connecting your Vrbo account to Guesty, try these troubleshooting solutions.
Authentication issues
|
Issue |
Solution |
|---|---|
| "Unrecognized credentials" error |
|
| Verification code not received |
|
| Account lockout |
|
Listing connection issues
|
Issue |
Solution |
|---|---|
| Listings stuck in "Pending" status |
|
| Missing listings |
|
| Email integration problems |
|
Contact us if the issue persists.
Full sync
You can connect multiple Vrbo accounts to your Guesty account. Each account added under the Vrbo integration page in Guesty represents a separate Vrbo account.
Connection process overview
The connection process can take several days to complete and includes the following separate steps between Guesty and Vrbo:
- Connect your Vrbo account in Guesty and select Guesty listings to publish to Vrbo.
- Fill out Vrbo’s Self-Service Onboarding (SSO) form and submit to Vrbo.
- Wait for a Vrbo Onboarding specialist to contact you to answer any questions and to activate the connection with Guesty.
If you have an existing Vrbo account, you will need to take the following additional steps:
- Work with the Onboarding specialist to match your existing Vrbo listings to the Guesty listings
- Manage your existing Vrbo reservations
- If you are moving from Vrbo directly, reservations will need to be added manually in Guesty.
- If you are moving from another channel manager or PMS, reservations can be uploaded or added manually.
When switching your existing Vrbo account to a direct connection with Guesty, Vrbo requires all existing listings in your Vrbo portfolio to be published and managed by Guesty.
Potential delays
Avoid potential connection delays by following these guidelines.
- Review Vrbo's listing requirements, and edit your existing Guesty content if needed.
- Select a brand that is compatible with the listing currency and/or language set up in Guesty.
- Complete and submit the Self-Service Onboarding (SSO) form to Vrbo.
- Be responsive to all communication from Vrbo during the process.
- When uploading reservations for existing Vrbo accounts, fill out the template for uploading reservations as instructed.
Decide on a Vrbo brand to connect
Vrbo operates a variety of international brand websites, such as www.abritel.fr in France and www.homeaway.co.nz in New Zealand. During the account set-up step below, select which brand to connect.
Once a Vrbo account has been connected to Guesty, it is not possible to change the brand. However, you can connect multiple Vrbo brands to Guesty by connecting multiple Vrbo accounts, each with a different brand.
The brand you choose does not affect the way your listings are distributed. For example, a listing in Australia will appear on other Vrbo international websites, such as the German or American brand websites. However, each Vrbo brand supports only certain language and currencies. If your company does not fit into one of the categories below, you must select a Vrbo brand based on the currency first and then the language. See full details on page 35 in Vrbo's Self-Service Onboarding guide.
Note:
Vrbo stopped integrating properties into its platform in Asia due to lack of support for required languages and currencies. What remains on Vrbo in Asia are legacy listings, exclusively on the Vrbo platform and not integrated elsewhere.
Make sure the listing language and listing currency in Guesty match the brand you select.
At the time of connection, the Guesty listing's content must be written in the brand's native language. For example, if your chosen brand is Abritel, all listing content must be written in French. Guesty automatically checks each listing's content language against the Vrbo brand selected when you publish the listing to Vrbo. If it does not match, an error will occur in Guesty.
Connect step 1: Account set-up in Guesty
Note:
If have have an existing Vrbo account, contact Vrbo's support team or your Vrbo account manager if relevant, to request a software switch. Advise that you will be switching from your channel manager to a direct connection with Guesty. Vrbo will send a contract to be signed electronically.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Growth mode.
- Click Distribution.
- Click the HomeAway/Vrbo thumbnail.
- In the top right corner, click Add account.
- Fill in the relevant account settings (see explanations below) then click Next.
Account nickname
Give your Vrbo account a nickname to easily recognize it in Guesty. This is useful when connecting multiple Vrbo accounts. The nickname is only visible within Guesty.
Company name (optional)
Enter the name of your company as you would like it to appear to guests in Vrbo.
Vrbo brand to connect
Decide on a Vrbo brand to connect.
Rental agreement
If you choose to send a rental agreement to guests to sign prior to arrival, you can upload your own or use Guesty's sample rental agreement. Click I accept the Legal terms of use when done.
Note:
The rental agreement will apply to all of your listings. Uploading a different rental agreement per listing is not supported.
Currency
Based on your brand selection enter the currency displayed for listings in your Vrbo account.
If any of your Guesty listings are set with a different currency, Guesty automatically converts the listing's pricing to the selected currency when updating the prices in Vrbo. When reservations are received, Guesty automatically converts the pricing to the Guesty listing's currency. This enables payments to be collected via Stripe.
Primary guest minimum age
Specify the minimum age required to make a reservation. This is the age of the primary guest, not the age for all guests allowed to stay at the property. This setting can later be edited on the listing level.
Booking settings
Choose if you would like guests to make reservations instantly, or if they need to make a request to book. This setting can later be edited on the listing level. Vrbo does not allow same-day reservations.
Cancellation policy
Choose a cancellation policy from the options provided, or create a custom policy as the default for your Vrbo account. This setting can later be edited on the listing level.
Payment methods
Choose whether to collect payments in Guesty using a payment processor and auto payment rules, or to collect payments outside of Guesty and document the transactions in Guesty. If you are located in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, Vrbo requires that you collect payments via Guesty. If you choose to collect payments outside of Guesty, select which payment options to accept. These settings can later be edited on the listing level.
Once you receive email notification from Vrbo that your connection is activated, syncing starts immediately. However, it can take up to 24 hours for the status to be updated to "Connected" in Guesty.
Connect step 2: Select listings in Guesty
Note:
If switching to an integration with Guesty from Vrbo directly or another channel manager/PMS, all existing listings in your Vrbo portfolio must be published to and managed by Guesty.
Step by step:
- Click Add your listings. It may take a few minutes for your listings to load.
-
Select the listing(s) you wish to publish to Vrbo, noting the following:
- If you have an existing Vrbo account, you must select all listings.
-
Bulk publishing is only available during initial connection.
-
If you have any listings that can't be added, it means that they don't meet Vrbo's requirements. They will appear on the right ride under "X listings could not be added". You must fix the specific errors for these listings before you can publish them to Vrbo.
-
Click Add X listings to Vrbo to proceed.
Connect step 3: Contact Vrbo
Now that your account is connected and listings are added, it's time to complete the setup process with Vrbo.
Step by step:
- Review Vrbo's Self-Service Onboarding guide, then fill out Vrbo's Self-Service Onboarding form.
- If you already had a Vrbo account follow steps for "Existing users".
- If you're creating a new Vrbo account as part of this process, follow steps for "Net new users".
- Add the property's registration information.
An Onboarding Specialist from Vrbo will contact you within 3 working days to schedule a training call. If you are unresponsive, the process is canceled by Vrbo automatically after 5 days.
Be sure to have your Guesty Advertiser ID ready for Vrbo's verification. The Advertiser ID is an identifier assigned to each Vrbo account connected to Guesty, also referred to as a "User ID", "Vrbo ID", or "PMSC ID" (Property Management Software Company ID).
During this stage of the process, if you have any questions or encounter issues, please contact Vrbo support promptly.
Once the account has been successfully connected, your properties will switch from "Pending" to "Connected" in Guesty after 3 days. If your properties are stuck in "Pending" for more than 3 days, contact us. For other listing errors, see our troubleshooting guide.
Next steps
Enable messaging between Guesty and Vrbo
Once your account is connected, check that your Guesty integration email address is entered in your Vrbo account. This ensures that messages from guests are received in Guesty, and vice versa. Follow these instructions.
Configure auto payments
You must set up auto payment rules in Guesty for each listing you want to publish to Vrbo or an error will occur. The auto payment rules must be set to collect full payment before the guest checks out.
Vrbo requires a portion of the total payout to be charged at confirmation. If your auto payment rules do not include a scheduled "at confirmation" payment, Vrbo automatically charges a small amount― typically less than 0.25% of the total payout―at confirmation. The remaining balance will be charged according to your auto payment rules.
Additional steps for users with existing Vrbo accounts
Manage pre-existing Vrbo reservations
Pre-existing reservations should not be imported or uploaded into Guesty. You will need to create a manual reservation in Guesty for recording purposes and to block the calendar on Guesty to avoid double bookings.
Important:
When creating the manual reservation, under "Channel" use "Vrbo" as the source. Do not use “uploaded_VRBO”.
Pre-existing Vrbo reservations are not imported automatically. It is your responsibility to upload all existing reservations received through the current PMS into Guesty to be managed in Guesty.
Vrbo requires that you upload all future bookings with a check-out date in the future, plus reservations with a check-out date within the last 45 days.
You can add them manually using the source "uploaded_VRBO" to Guesty. Alternatively, we provide a template that you can fill out and submit to Guesty. We will map the reservations within Vrbo.
Before your Vrbo project is activated, new Vrbo reservations received during the onboarding process must be added manually or via template sent to us.
Important:
Failure to manually create reservations or complete the template renders these reservations as "offline" by Vrbo. This means you will be unable to edit reservations and may incur non-refundable traveler service fees and Vrbo commissions. Amounts vary by region.
If you managed your Vrbo account via Rentals United (RU), and RU is already connected to Guesty, the pre-existing reservations already exist in Guesty as RU reservations.
After the "software switch" from RU to Guesty, those reservations are migrated to the direct integration with Vrbo, so that any alterations made will be synced to Vrbo. However, the reservation confirmation codes will remain as Rentals United (RU-XXXXXX).
Manage guest payments
Guest payment methods are not transferred to Guesty. You will need to manage the payments directly from your Vrbo account. Alternatively, you can contact guests for their payment details and add them to Guesty.
Manage guest messages
Messages for pre-existing reservations may not be received in Guesty, since these reservations are associated with the channel manager/PMS integration email. We recommend moving to email communication with these guests.
