The internet has transformed our lives in countless ways since the 1990s, especially when it comes to travel. Today, where people book their vacations is just as important as where they stay. As most of the best vacation rentals are private and managed by individuals, the platforms that list and enable the booking of these rentals are essential to their success. We'll take a look at some of the most popular sites for booking short-term rentals online below.
This article is written in collaboration with Yann, director of our agencies concierge in Saint-Tropez, Sainte-Maxime et Port Grimaud.
Airbnb is the most popular online vacation rental platform.
Airbnb is the most popular online vacation rental platform. With over 2 million listings worldwide, it is also one of the largest companies in its industry. Airbnb was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia to help people rent out their extra space to travelers. The service has extended from the rental of a guest room to the rental of entire houses, and now includes Experiences, activities to be discovered during stays. It now has several million listings worldwide and is available in 190 countries and territories around the world.
HomeAway has over 2 million listings worldwide.
HomeAway is a vacation rental website with over 2 million listings worldwide that allows owners to list their properties for rent on the site. It is a subsidiary of Expedia, founded in 2005 by Carl Shepherd, Brian Sharples and Brian Sharples II. HomeAway acquired VacationHomeRentals.com, another online vacation rental platform, in 2011 when it was acquired by Expedia. HomeAway has over one million rental properties in Europe and over one million rental properties available for booking across the United States. Admittedly less popular than its colleagues in France, it nevertheless remains one of the pillars of international seasonal rentals.
Booking.com: the giant with more than a million properties for rent.
Booking.com was founded in 1996 and is therefore one of the oldest travel websites. The site has been able to remain relevant over time and remain one of the essential rental platforms. This site is not, as Airbnb can be, specialized in vacation rentals between individuals. It indexes a large number of rentals, hotels, lodges, campsites, inns, motels... Although the platform has not specialized in rentals between individuals, it remains a must and one of the central places for holiday reservations in France, in particular thanks to a complete and well-designed interface.
Expedia is a booking site that offers vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Expedia is a booking site that offers vacation rentals and hotels worldwide. You can also find last minute deals on vacation homes to express your spontaneity solo, family or friends. Expedia is positioned on the same strategic line as Booking. Without really specializing in a mode of travel or rental, the site offers a wide range of goods available but also related systems for booking flights, cars, etc. As with the booking platforms mentioned above, it is a key player in the seasonal rental and vacation rental market.
These are the best sites to popularize your seasonal rental accommodation.
To get maximum exposure for your property, you should consider posting your rental listing on these sites. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it's important to do some research before deciding which platform is right for you. To summarize :
Airbnb is the most popular online vacation rental platform. It has over two million listings worldwide and allows users to book directly on the site or through a third-party booking engine like TripAdvisor or Kayak, which can drive additional traffic to your listing.
HomeAway has over 2 million listings worldwide. This site offers a robust marketplace from which users can find nearby accommodations that match their needs based on price range and location preferences (e.g. private homes or hotels) .
Booking.com offers more than one million rental properties worldwide; Expedia, for its part, offers another way to gain visibility by listing your property on both platforms!
Our concierge agencies help you be popular on vacation rental sites:
Also note that with our concierge services, the YourHostHelper teams take care of everything for you. Beyond the choice of platforms, ad optimization is essential. These sites are now full of ads for thousands of destinations and it is difficult to stand out and be promoted without professional know-how. Our teams perfectly master the key elements of success on these platforms and optimize the advertisements of the properties in our management accordingly. Do not hesitate to contact us to find out more.
For more information on the operation of our concierge service and rental management concierge services in general, we invite you to consult the following article in this file: How does an airbnb concierge work? Moreover, you can continue your reading on the theme of the Airbnb concierge service with the articles in this file:
File: All you need to know about the Airbnb concierge service and rental management
What is seasonal rental?
Seasonal and long-term rental: what are the differences?
What are the vacation rental websites?
How does an Airbnb concierge work?
What are the services of a concierge?
What price and what percentage does a concierge charge?
What is the role of an Airbnb concierge agency?
How to put an apartment under rental management ?
How to get started in concierge services?
