VRBO Integration

Vanio's VRBO integration uses VRBO's XML feed connector model. Once you connect your VRBO account, Vanio publishes your listings, syncs availability and rates, ingests reservations and messages, and sends responses — all from one dashboard. VRBO's API surface is more limited than Airbnb's or Booking.com's, so a few things still happen on VRBO's own dashboard, but most day-to-day operations live in Vanio.

Quick reference: VRBO, HomeAway, Vrbo connection, Vrbo XML, Vrbo OLB, Vrbo listings, Vrbo reservations, Vrbo messages, Vrbo reviews, Vrbo rates, Vrbo availability, instant book Vrbo, request to book Vrbo — all live under Listings → [your property] → Platforms → VRBO.

How VRBO connects

VRBO doesn't have a real-time REST API the way Airbnb and Booking.com do. Instead, it uses an XML feed model:

• Vanio publishes your listing as an XML feed to a URL VRBO can read
• VRBO polls Vanio's feed regularly to get the latest rates, availability, and content
• For reservations, VRBO pushes new bookings to Vanio via webhooks
• For messages, VRBO sends them via a separate messaging endpoint

This is the Online Booking (OLB) integration — VRBO's official connectivity model for managers and PMs. For setup, Vanio's team works with your VRBO Engagement Manager to register your property. See VRBO Setup Guide for the credential and onboarding flow.

Once connected, Vanio takes ownership of:

• Listing content (descriptions, photos, amenities, capacity)
• Rates and availability
• Reservation flow
• Guest messaging
• Reviews

Listing content (the XML feed)

Vanio builds a complete VRBO-formatted XML feed from your property data:

• Listing details — title, description, capacity, bed configuration, amenities
• Lodging configuration — number of bedrooms, bathrooms, sleeping areas, max guests
• Photos — high-res images with captions, tagged by room/area
• Rates — nightly rates, length-of-stay rules, fees, taxes
• Availability — calendar with blocked and available dates
• Contact info — host or PM contact details
• Cancellation policy — mapped from Vanio's policy to VRBO's tier

VRBO polls this feed periodically (typically every few minutes for rates/availability, less often for content), so listing content changes can take 10-30 minutes to appear on VRBO. Rate and availability changes propagate faster via the fast availability updates path.

To edit any of this, change it on Listings → Content in Vanio (description, photos, amenities, etc.). Your XML feed regenerates automatically and VRBO picks up the change on the next poll.

Rates and pricing

VRBO uses a simpler pricing model than Airbnb. Vanio supports:

• Nightly rate — your base price (from Listings → Content → Pricing)
• Weekend rate — Friday/Saturday override
• Length-of-stay discounts — weekly and monthly
• Per-date overrides — set in the Vanio calendar, propagate via the XML feed
• Cleaning fee — passes through as a separate line item to the guest
• Pet fee — set in Listings → Content → Policies if pets are allowed

Some VRBO-specific advanced rate features (custom rate periods, weekend-only rules) are managed via the XML feed automatically based on Vanio's rate logic. You don't have to think about it.

Availability

Two paths Vanio uses:

• Full XML availability rebuild — happens whenever the feed is regenerated; full calendar pushed
• Fast availability updates — for individual blocked-date pushes (a new reservation, a manual block in the Vanio calendar), Vanio uses a faster path that updates VRBO within seconds rather than waiting for the next full poll

You don't pick which one — Vanio handles routing. The end result: a date you block in Vanio is unavailable on VRBO within 30-60 seconds.

Reservations

VRBO sends new reservations to Vanio via webhooks. Each reservation includes:

• Reservation ID — VRBO's reference code
• Guest — name, email, phone (where shared)
• Stay dates — check-in / check-out
• Pricing — base rate, fees, taxes, total
• Booking policy — Instant Booking or Request to Book
• Payment status

For Instant Booking properties, the reservation is confirmed immediately. For Request to Book, Vanio shows it as Pending and you accept or decline from the dashboard modal — same flow as Airbnb (see Declining Reservations).

Once accepted, the reservation behaves like any other:

• Calendar blocks the dates everywhere
• Cleaning task auto-creates for the checkout day
• Guest portal becomes available
• Smart lock codes generate

Messaging

VRBO guest messages flow into Vanio's unified inbox (see Unified Inbox). Vanio supports:

• Receiving messages from VRBO guests, threaded by reservation
• Sending messages through Vanio that post to VRBO's inbox
• AI auto-replies — same AI that handles Airbnb and Booking.com handles VRBO messages with the same context and tone (see How Vanio AI Handles Messages)

Reviews

VRBO reviews sync into Vanio automatically. Each review includes the headline, content, star rating, and category breakdown. The AI drafts a response, you approve, Vanio posts it back to VRBO. See Reviews Management for the full review pipeline.

Cancellation policy

VRBO uses 5 cancellation tiers: Relaxed, Moderate, Firm, Strict, No Refund. Vanio maps your Vanio-set policy (Listings → Content → Policies → Cancellation Policy) to the closest VRBO tier on connect. The exact mapping:

• Vanio Flexible → VRBO Relaxed
• Vanio Moderate → VRBO Moderate
• Vanio Firm / Better Strict → VRBO Firm
• Vanio Strict → VRBO Strict
• Vanio Non-refundable / Super Strict → VRBO No Refund

If you need a non-default tier, set it in Vanio and the XML feed will reflect the mapping. See Cancellation Policy for the policy options.

Booking policy: Instant vs Request to Book

VRBO supports both Instant Booking and Request to Book. The setting comes from your VRBO account configuration. Vanio reads the current setting and shows it on the platform connection card. Changing the booking policy is done on VRBO's own dashboard today.

For Request to Book properties, every new request appears in Vanio with Pending status. Accept or decline from the dashboard modal.

Photos and lodging configuration

VRBO is photo-heavy — guests rely on the photo gallery more than on Airbnb. Vanio's listing content includes:

• Photo URLs and order from your Vanio listing
• Captions for each photo
• Room tagging — which photos belong to which room (kitchen, master bedroom, etc.)
• Lodging configuration — bedrooms, bathrooms, beds per bedroom, max occupancy

Edit photos and room layout under Listings → Content → Photos and Listings → Content → Rooms. Changes flow into the XML feed automatically and appear on VRBO on the next poll.

Limitations and what's still on the roadmap

• Booking policy management in Vanio — currently you change it on VRBO's dashboard. Vanio reads it but doesn't write it.
• Rate plan management — VRBO has limited rate plan support compared to Airbnb. Vanio supports the standard pricing model; advanced rate plans are managed on VRBO's dashboard.
• Promotion creation — VRBO promotions are managed on their dashboard.
• Guest verification flows — Vanio's guest verification (ID upload, etc.) doesn't integrate with VRBO's verification today; it's a Vanio-side flow that runs after the booking via the guest portal.

Common scenarios

"I just connected VRBO — when will my listing appear?" Initial XML feed publishes within minutes. VRBO's first full poll usually happens within 30 minutes. Full content (photos, descriptions) appears within 24 hours of the connection.

"A guest just booked through VRBO — did Vanio catch it?" Yes — VRBO sends a webhook to Vanio within seconds of the booking. The reservation appears in the dashboard immediately, the calendar blocks, and any auto-tasks fire.

"I need to change a rate for a specific weekend on VRBO." Go to Vanio Calendar → click the weekend → set Base Price = your peak rate → Apply. The change pushes via the fast availability path within 60 seconds.

"How do I respond to a VRBO message from inside Vanio?" Open the conversation in your Inbox (Inbox icon in the sidebar) → write a reply → Send. It posts to VRBO's inbox immediately. Or let the AI draft a reply automatically and approve.

"Can I move a VRBO guest to a different unit?" The Move Listing action in the dashboard works for VRBO bookings the same way it does for Airbnb. The reservation gets re-attached to the new listing in Vanio. The guest sees the same reservation; only the underlying property changes.

"My VRBO listing isn't showing the latest photos — what's wrong?" Photo updates flow through the full XML feed regeneration, not the fast path. VRBO can take up to 24 hours to pick up content changes. If it's been longer, contact support to manually trigger a feed regenerate.