Vrbo Faces Blowback on Rising Commissions, Plans to Ease Rate Parity Rule

Photo Credit: Exterior of an Expedia Group office building housing Vrbo in Austin, TX. Adobe Stock / JHVEPhoto Vrbo's plan to raise commissions to 12%, more than double what some hosts pay now, has drawn pushback among property managers at this week's Vacation Rental Management Association conference in Nashville. "People feel more violated by Vrbo raising commissions than when Airbnb did it last year," said one vacation rental tech executive, referring to Airbnb's move to eliminate guest fees and raise host commissions to 15.5%. A top executive at a property management company agreed and added that pro hosts previously viewed Vrbo as more of an ally than Airbnb. Vrbo's commission changes are slated to go into effect October 29. Vrbo sent senior North America account management leaders and nearly a dozen account managers to the event to talk to clients. Tim Rosolio, Expedia Group's vice president of vacation rental partnerships, who's