{"id":5417,"date":"2017-08-24T15:50:37","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T22:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tripz.com\/vacation-rental-magazine\/?p=5417"},"modified":"2017-09-13T17:13:29","modified_gmt":"2017-09-14T00:13:29","slug":"short-term-rental-sites-changing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tripz.com\/vacation-rental-magazine\/hosts\/short-term-rental-sites-changing\/","title":{"rendered":"How Short-Term Rental Sites Have Changed \u2013for the Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janis Fisher Chan<\/em><\/p>\n

The Constant Fight for Bookings; Big Guys vs Us<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a war going on.\u00a0 It\u2019s between the BIG GUYS and the little guys, and I\u2019m afraid that individual homeowners like ourselves are among the little guys when it comes to short-term rentals. We\u2019re being crowded off listing sites by multi-property owners and companies whose watchword is \u201cSELL!\u201d<\/p>\n

When we first began traveling and renting out our home, our listing site of choice was VRBO (then called \u201cVacation Rentals by Owners\u201d). VRBO was populated mostly by people like ourselves who paid a modest annual subscription fee for their listing and had complete control over the rental process. VRBO\u2019s function was to connect travelers and hosts with one another, enabling the direct communication that builds confidence and trust.<\/p>\n

But things have changed, and from our point of view, they\u2019ve changed for the worst. Last year, VRBO\u2019s parent, Home Away, sold itself to Expedia, joining the ranks of home listing sites that have become Big Business.\u00a0 I have nothing against making money.\u00a0 But in today\u2019s new \u201csharing\u201d economy, making a profit is clearly the most important goal, and connecting people only a means to achieve it.<\/p>\n

Hospitality: A means to an End<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems that relationships no longer matter in the short-term rental world, and communities are experiencing myriad problems as a result. Focused on getting travelers to click \u201cBook Now!\u201d many of the new home listing sites follow the Airbnb business model, putting up a firewall between travelers and host, allowing them to communicate only through the site until the booking has been made \u2013 and paid for. Like Airbnb and VRBO, these sites collect fees from both guests and hosts, cutting into the rental that hosts receive.<\/p>\n

Long-time VRBO hosts like ourselves are up in arms at the changes:\u00a0 \u201cSTOP with the push, push, push\u2026I don\u2019t WANT instant booking!\u201d \u201cVRBO doesn\u2019t care about owners or guests, they just want our money.\u201d \u201cCan anyone believe that VRBO is still a viable short-term rental platform?\u201d \u201cRenting before speaking to someone is a prescription for trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

We know from experience that the back-and-forth of asking and answering questions on the phone is key to a successful short-term rental, for both travelers and homeowners. That\u2019s why we\u2019re switching our listing to Tripz.com<\/a>, so we can continue to have those vital pre-booking conversations.<\/p>\n