When we first started booking short term vacation rentals, we usually used VRBO or Airbnb because we really didn't know any better. But over the years we've discovered that we can save hundreds, or even thousands of dollars by booking direct.
Here's a real life example of the kind of savings you can expect. Let's suppose you want to book Casa Buena Vida for the week of November 22-29 for Thanksgiving this year (and it's still available). This is what it would cost you on various platforms:
Book Direct: $3.164
VRBO: $3,779 ($615 more)
Airbnb: $3,879 ($715 more)
Note: Prices fluctuate daily so actual results will vary.
Not all properties can be booked direct, but here are some tips we've learned over the years that have helped us connect directly with owners:
- If the property has a name, search for that name and its location in your favorite search engine. You'll often find the owner's website or Facebook page where you can contact them directly. If you search either Casa Serenidad or Casa Buena Vida, our website will show up at or near the top of the search results.
- If that doesn't work, try searching for the owner's name and location.
- Search Facebook or other social media sites for the name of the property and/or owner.
- There are still a few listing platforms that still don't charge fees to owners or guests like Savvy, Google Vacation Rentals and Hopper Homes, but they generally won't have as many listings.
Good luck! And if you have questions or run into problems we're here to help - even if you're booking another property.