Airbnb vs. HomeAway — how to pick
Which homeshare platform is best for your hosting style?
There is not just one way to rent out our extra space to vacationers or business travelers. Listings can be posted on a site like Airbnb or more of a classifieds style posting on HomeAway. Both offers require a unique set of features and incur their own costs. If we must choose just one place to advertise our listing, we should choose the space that fits our rental.
The Basics
HomeAway and VRBO are a classifieds-style site that lets hosts pay to list their rental. The site features cabins, villas, condos, beach houses, castles, and private islands. Airbnb serves more as an online community, connecting people with extra space to travelers looking for a place to stay — providing anything from single rooms in a family’s home to a private castle.
The Cost
When it comes to cost, HomeAway requires money upfront. Airbnb doesn’t charge to post a listing but collects a 3% guest fee from your bookings instead. Prices for a HomeAway listing start around $350 and top out $1249 for Platinum listings. Platinum listings get priority search, which might seem a little unfair. Despite the large startup cost, HomeAway does not charge any guest fees or booking fees. Airbnb also charges guests a 6–12% service fee at the time of booking, which can affect the nightly rate.
The Features
Both of these popular vacation rental sites have their own unique features. Airbnb is attractive to guests who prefer an interface that has a social media flare to it. We interact with guests and as hosts, we present ourselves as part of the rental. This style of community marketplace is meant to bring convenience to booking a vacation rental. HomeAway caters to upscale, luxurious housing with less of an online community feeling. Both have cancellation policies, but Airbnb works off of a multi-tier system while HomeAway allows listings to set their own cancellation policy.
The Guest Reviews
Guest reviews work differently on each homeshare platform. On HomeAway, guests can post reviews up to one year after their stay. When guests do decide to post the service sends an email to the property owner and in 48 hours the review will go live. Airbnb allows guests who stay in a property to leave a review that they can edit for up to 48 hours before it goes live. After it does go live, the host will have two weeks to publicly reply to any review.
The Final Conclusion
So, what we’ve all been waiting for, which homeshare platform works best? Well, it seems that depends on the type of property we are looking to rent. For more luxe, posh rentals or hosts that prefer a ‘hands-off’ approach; HomeAway may be the answer. Airbnb is better for smaller properties, one room rentals, and hosts that want to provide more of a Bed and Breakfast experience for their guests.
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