Overview
VRBO (also branded as Abritel in France and FeWo-direkt in Germany) is connected to Amenitiz via a direct API integration with Expedia Group. Once connected, you manage your VRBO listing, rates, availability, restrictions and reservations from Amenitiz.
Key things to know upfront:
VRBO is for entire properties only — no shared spaces, no single rooms in a shared house.
Your VRBO marketplace (the "Master Brand", e.g. vrbo.com, abritel.fr, fewo-direkt.de) must match your hotel's language and currency. It's locked once chosen.
Messaging is not supported — VRBO guests reach you by email, you reply by email. The Amenitiz centralised inbox covers Airbnb and Booking.com, not VRBO.
Promotions, discounts and extras are not synced to VRBO — workaround below.
Setup & connection
How do I connect VRBO to Amenitiz?
How do I connect VRBO to Amenitiz?
Where do I find my Advertiser ID?
Where do I find my Advertiser ID?
In Amenitiz, go to Channel Manager → OTAs. Find the VRBO row in the table — the Advertiser ID is listed there (UUID format, e.g. 41511fee-6b22-417a-8aca-d9dccc12127a).
What's a "Master Brand" and why does it matter?
What's a "Master Brand" and why does it matter?
VRBO has 13 regional marketplaces. Each one is called a Master Brand — for example www.vrbo.com (US), www.abritel.fr (France), www.fewo-direkt.de (Germany), www.homeaway.es (Spain).
Your Master Brand must match:
The language of your Amenitiz website
The currency of your hotel's regional settings
If they don't match, the connection won't save. Choose carefully — Master Brand is locked once the connection is created. To change it, you must delete the connection and start over.
What are the eligibility requirements?
What are the eligibility requirements?
Hotel type — BnB or Property Manager. Standard hotel accounts are not eligible.
Listing type — entire properties only (no shared spaces, no single rooms).
VAT / tax identifier — if applicable in your country.
3DS2-enabled credit / debit card — required by VRBO for guest payments.
Compatible Master Brand — e.g. UK, FR, ES, DE, etc.
Listing content
How do I edit my listing's photos?
How do I edit my listing's photos?
Photo specifications:
6 to 50 photos per listing
JPG or PNG only
Minimum dimensions: 1024 × 683 px
No duplicates
Upload them yourself via your Amenitiz Property → Accommodations → Photos, or ask Amenitiz support if you need help. VRBO uses its own algorithm to pick the primary photo from your set.
How do I edit amenities, rooms, bedding or bathrooms?
How do I edit amenities, rooms, bedding or bathrooms?
Edit them on your Amenitiz accommodation in Property → Accommodations. The amenities, bed arrangement and bathroom arrangement are sent to VRBO automatically. If anything doesn't sync correctly, contact Amenitiz support.
How do I edit my listing's description?
How do I edit my listing's description?
Edit it directly in your Amenitiz accommodation in Property → Accommodations.
VRBO requirements:
Title: at least 20 characters
Description: at least 400 characters (max 10 000)
What does VRBO require to publish my listing?
What does VRBO require to publish my listing?
VRBO's compliance checkpoints (visible in your VRBO dashboard) must all be green:
Photos: at least 6, each 1024 × 683 px or larger, JPG / PNG
Description: 400 + characters
Title: 20 + characters
Rates set for at least the next few months
Address complete and accurate
Cancellation policy selected
If a checkpoint fails, the listing stays unpublished until it's fixed.
Payments
What is the VRBO commission?
What is the VRBO commission?
EMEA (most European markets) — 15% per booking
Switzerland — 10% per booking
This commission is charged by VRBO, not by Amenitiz.
How are guest payments handled?
How are guest payments handled?
VRBO sends the guest's credit card details to Amenitiz with each booking. You have two options:
Charge manually via AmenitizPay — process the card on the schedule defined by your sales terms. 3D Secure may be required.
Send a secure payment link from the reservation details using AmenitizPay.
Can I use AmenitizPay for VRBO reservations?
Can I use AmenitizPay for VRBO reservations?
Yes. Once the card is verified, AmenitizPay can process it like any other reservation. Payment links and bank transfer requests are also available. See How to activate AmenitizPay.
Features & limitations
Can I create promotions or discounts on VRBO?
Can I create promotions or discounts on VRBO?
No. VRBO supports only one rate plan and doesn't allow custom promotions or discounts via the integration.
Are bookings instant, or can I review them first?
Are bookings instant, or can I review them first?
All VRBO bookings come in as instant bookings. There's no quote / request-to-book flow.
Can I add extras like cleaning fees?
Can I add extras like cleaning fees?
Not through the VRBO connection directly. Workaround: add extras manually in the Amenitiz reservation and mention them in your VRBO listing description so guests see them upfront.
How do I handle guest booking modifications?
How do I handle guest booking modifications?
Date changes — update directly in Amenitiz.
Guest count changes — contact Amenitiz support.
Cancellations — cancel directly in Amenitiz; the change syncs to VRBO.
Can I message guests through Amenitiz?
Can I message guests through Amenitiz?
No. VRBO does not support messaging through the Amenitiz centralised inbox (which covers Airbnb and Booking.com only). VRBO guests reach you by email; reply by email.
Does VRBO support multi-currency?
Does VRBO support multi-currency?
No. Each Master Brand is locked to a single currency (e.g. GBP for the UK, EUR for EMEA, USD for vrbo.com). You can't sell in a different currency without changing Master Brand — which requires deleting and recreating the connection.
Cancellation policies
What cancellation policies can I set on VRBO?
What cancellation policies can I set on VRBO?
Six options:
No refund — non-refundable from the moment of booking
Strict
Firm
Moderate
Relaxed
Custom — define your own refund tiers (days before check-in + refund percentage)
Choose one when you set up the connection. You can change it later in your VRBO settings inside Amenitiz.
Compliance & legal
How do I add compliance information (licences, registration numbers)?
How do I add compliance information (licences, registration numbers)?
Mandatory compliance details — local rental licences, tax registration numbers, tourism permits — are added directly in your VRBO account dashboard, not in Amenitiz. VRBO requires these for certain regions before publishing.
Can I add a custom rental agreement?
Can I add a custom rental agreement?
Not during the checkout process. Include the key terms in your listing description and follow up via email after the booking if you need a signed document.
What are house rules and how many can I add?
What are house rules and how many can I add?
Up to 3 house rules, max 150 characters each. Set them in your VRBO settings inside Amenitiz when you configure the connection. Use them for quick info: "No smoking", "Pets allowed", "Quiet hours 22:00 – 08:00".
Disconnecting from VRBO
Before disconnecting — checklist
Before disconnecting — checklist
Check future bookings — confirm details and availability on VRBO for any reservation that goes beyond the disconnect date.
Verify the rate plan linked to your VRBO listing is open and correctly configured in Amenitiz — this avoids active-listing issues during the transition.
Ask VRBO to deactivate IPM mode (Integrated Property Manager). Your account will then revert to PPM (Pay Per Booking) management once disconnected.
After disconnecting — what to do
After disconnecting — what to do
Contact VRBO support to confirm the Amenitiz connection has been disabled. Follow their instructions to finalise the switch from IPM to PPM.
Handle existing bookings directly on VRBO — cancellations or changes go through VRBO's IPM support team.
Update or migrate your listing — manage it directly in VRBO going forward, or migrate to another PMS.
How long does VRBO take to process the disconnection?
How long does VRBO take to process the disconnection?
VRBO first deactivates the connection for 48 hours before fully removing the advertiser. After that, your account reverts to PPM (Pay Per Booking) management. Only VRBO can finalise this — work with their support team to complete it.
What happens if I leave Amenitiz?
What happens if I leave Amenitiz?
Your VRBO profile remains active because the agreement is directly with VRBO. Past reservations stay visible in VRBO but you can no longer manage them via Amenitiz. You'll need to migrate your listing to another PMS to keep automating updates, or manage it directly in the VRBO dashboard.
How do I remove a listing entirely?
How do I remove a listing entirely?
Remove the listing on the Amenitiz side.
Request listing removal directly from VRBO support.
Other questions
What happens to bookings made before I connect?
What happens to bookings made before I connect?
Reservations made before the connection won't sync automatically. Add them manually in Amenitiz if you need them in your planner.
Can a single VRBO account link to multiple Amenitiz accounts?
Can a single VRBO account link to multiple Amenitiz accounts?
No. One VRBO advertiser can only be connected to one Amenitiz account. To switch which Amenitiz account a VRBO listing is connected to, you must disconnect from the old one first.
Where do I find my listing's public URL?
Where do I find my listing's public URL?
In your VRBO dashboard. The URL follows the Master Brand domain — e.g. vrbo.com/p/<id>, abritel.fr/p/<id>, fewo-direkt.de/p/<id>.
Contacting VRBO support
Reach VRBO directly for account-level issues (licences, compliance, payouts, IPM ↔ PPM switching):
🇺🇸 US — +1 877-239-2592 — Help page
🇩🇪 Germany — +49 69 2573 78892 — Help page
🇬🇧 UK — +44 203-514-5512 — Help page
🇫🇷 France (Abritel) — +33 4 13 68 10 44 — Help page
🇮🇹 Italy — +39 06 94 80 21 25 — Help page
🇪🇸 Spain — +34 911 238 313 — Help page
🇵🇹 Portugal — +351 308 804 358 — Help page
🇦🇺 Australia — +1800 422 276 — Help page — [email protected]
🇳🇿 New Zealand — +64 99 097 879 — Help page — [email protected]