When your guests book your Vrbo listing through the Vrbo Official Integration, parts of their booking experience are now powered by Hospitable. This article explains exactly what your guests see, what emails they receive, what shows up on their bank statement, and how to set their expectations so there are no surprises.
💡 This article applies to listings connected to Vrbo through the Vrbo Official Integration. If you connected Vrbo using the old connection, the guest experience is different, and this article does not apply to your account.
The Booking Experience on Vrbo
From your guest's perspective, the booking flow on Vrbo doesn't change. They:
Search for your listing on Vrbo
See your photos, description, pricing, and reviews on Vrbo
Check out and pay on Vrbo
Communicate with you through Vrbo's messaging system
They are not redirected to Hospitable, they don't sign up for an account with us, and they don't see Hospitable branding while they're booking. Vrbo remains the platform they interact with for the booking itself.
What changes is what happens behind the scenes — and a few details your guest will notice once their booking is confirmed.
What Your Guest Sees on Their Bank Statement
This is the most common question your guests will ask, so it's worth understanding clearly.
When your guest pays for their Vrbo Official reservation, they will see two separate charges on their bank or credit card statement:
Hospitable — the reservation total (accommodation, cleaning fees, taxes, and any host fees you've configured)
Vrbo — the Vrbo traveller service fee, which Vrbo charges and collects directly
Both charges are legitimate and relate to the same booking. The Hospitable charge appears with a descriptor that includes the reservation code, for example: Hospitable VRBO-ZNAT9P.
⚠️ Guests who don't recognise the "Hospitable" charge sometimes assume it's fraudulent and contact their bank, which can result in chargebacks. The single most effective thing you can do is mention this in your pre-arrival communication. See Setting your guest's expectations below.
Why does Hospitable appear instead of Vrbo?
When your Vrbo listings are managed by a property management software (PMS) like Hospitable, Vrbo no longer processes the reservation payment — Hospitable becomes the Merchant of Record (MoR) and processes it on your behalf. This is how Vrbo's PMS integration model works for every approved partner, not just Hospitable.
If you'd like to direct guests to a public explanation, you can point them to the help article Vrbo Guest Payments Processed by Hospitable, which is written specifically for guests.
Emails Your Guest Receives From Hospitable
With the Vrbo Official Integration, Hospitable sends payment-related emails directly to your guests. These emails come from a hospitable.com domain and are branded as Hospitable, not as you or as Vrbo.
The currently enabled emails are:
Booking confirmation — sent when the reservation is confirmed and the initial payment is captured. Confirms the reservation details and the amount charged.
Booking cancellation — sent when a reservation is cancelled, confirming the cancellation and any refund details.
More guest emails are planned (e.g., payment receipts for additional instalments, reservation alterations, payment failures, and refund confirmations) and will be enabled progressively.
ℹ️ These emails exist for two reasons: (1) to give guests a clear paper trail that explains the Hospitable charge on their statement, and (2) to provide documentation that Hospitable can use to defend chargebacks on your behalf.
They complement — not replace — Vrbo's own confirmation emails.
Vrbo's own emails still happen
Your guest will continue to receive Vrbo's standard booking confirmation, itinerary, and platform notifications from Vrbo directly. The Hospitable emails are additional and specifically cover the payment side of the booking.
Messaging on Vrbo
Guest messaging continues to flow through Vrbo's own messaging system — your replies (sent from Hospitable's inbox) reach the guest in their Vrbo inbox, and their replies come back into Hospitable. The guest doesn't see anything labelled "Hospitable" in their messaging experience.
⚠️ Vrbo applies automated content filters to messages on its platform. Messages containing banned phrases or words may be silently blocked.
Make sure your messages are in compliance with Vrbo's Host Communication Policy.
What the Guest Sees at Checkout (Payment Terms & Installments)
If you've configured payment terms (installments) on your booking policy, the guest sees a payment schedule at checkout — typically a Due today amount and a follow-up date for the remaining balance.
A few things to be aware of:
The Due today total at checkout includes both the Vrbo guest service fee and the first Hospitable installment, but they're processed as two separate payments. The guest will see two charges on their card for the same date.
The Vrbo guest service fee is always paid up front and is not split across installments.
Subsequent installments are charged automatically by Hospitable on the scheduled dates.
Guests receive an email reminder before each upcoming installment with a link to update their payment method if needed.
If a scheduled payment fails, the system retries during a grace period. If it remains uncollected, the booking may be cancelled automatically per your policy.
Cancellations & Refunds (From the Guest's Side)
Cancellations are handled according to the cancellation policy on your listing, the same way they always have been on Vrbo.
What the guest sees:
They request the cancellation through Vrbo (or, if your check-in flow includes a Hospitable Guest Portal link, they can also cancel from there).
They receive a booking cancellation email from Hospitable confirming the cancellation and the refund amount.
The Hospitable portion of the refund is returned to the original payment method, typically within 5–10 business days.
The Vrbo service fee is handled separately by Vrbo according to Vrbo's own refund policy.
For full cancellations, Vrbo typically refunds its 5% commission. For partial refunds and alterations, Hospitable adjusts what it captured, and Vrbo handles its portion separately.
What's Different Under Limited Connection?
Limited Connection is an option for hosts who continue to manage their own Vrbo account directly (PPM model) and only use Hospitable for guest messaging — not for calendar, listing, or payment management.
Under Limited Connection:
Vrbo continues to process all guest payments, just like a non-PMS Vrbo booking. The guest sees only "Vrbo" on their bank statement — Hospitable does not appear.
The guest does not receive any Hospitable-branded emails. They only get Vrbo's standard confirmations and platform messages.
Refund timing and policy are entirely Vrbo's, not Hospitable's.
Messaging still routes through Hospitable's inbox, but the rest of the guest-facing experience is identical to a normal Vrbo booking.
Limited Connection is only available if your Vrbo account has never been connected to a PMS at any point. If your account has previously been connected to any PMS, Vrbo requires you to use the full PMS integration scope — meaning Hospitable will become the Merchant of Record and the experience above (two charges, Hospitable emails, etc.) will apply.
Setting Your Guest's Expectations (Recommended)
The simplest way to avoid confusion and reduce chargeback risk is to mention the Hospitable charge in your standard pre-arrival messaging.
A short line in your booking confirmation or pre-stay message is usually enough. For example:
"You may notice a charge from 'Hospitable' on your bank statement — that's the payment for your stay, processed on our behalf. You'll also see a separate, smaller charge from Vrbo for their service fee. Both are part of your booking."
FAQs
My guest is asking why they have two charges. How do I explain it?
My guest is asking why they have two charges. How do I explain it?
Vrbo's service fee is collected by Vrbo. Your reservation total — accommodation, cleaning fee, taxes, and any other host fees — is collected by Hospitable on your behalf as the Merchant of Record. Both relate to the same booking. Point them to the Vrbo Guest Payments Processed by Hospitable help article if they'd like more detail.
Will my guest receive a receipt or invoice?
Will my guest receive a receipt or invoice?
Yes. Hospitable sends a booking confirmation email when the reservation is confirmed, and a cancellation email if the booking is cancelled. More transactional emails (alteration, payment receipts, refund confirmations) are being added over time.
My guest says they didn't get an email from Hospitable. Why?
My guest says they didn't get an email from Hospitable. Why?
Check whether their booking is on the Vrbo Official Integration or if it was booked before you set up that connection with Hospitable. Reservations booked before setting up the Vrbo Official Integration don't receive Hospitable emails because Vrbo handles payment. Also ask them to check spam — Hospitable emails come from a hospitable.com domain.
My guest doesn't recognise the Hospitable charge and wants to dispute it. What do I do?
My guest doesn't recognise the Hospitable charge and wants to dispute it. What do I do?
Reassure them it's the legitimate charge for their stay and point them to the guest-facing help article. The reservation code is included in the bank descriptor (for example Hospitable VRBO-ZNAT9P), so they can match it to their booking. If Hospitable is your Merchant of Record, we defend chargebacks on your behalf and absorb the loss if the dispute is upheld.
Can my guest pay with a different card than the one on file at Vrbo?
Can my guest pay with a different card than the one on file at Vrbo?
Guests pay through Vrbo's standard checkout, so their payment method options are whatever Vrbo offers. For installments, the same card is charged on each scheduled date unless the guest updates their payment method via the link in the reminder email.
What does my guest see if the reservation is altered?
What does my guest see if the reservation is altered?
If the alteration changes the price, Hospitable processes the difference: an additional charge if the total goes up, or a refund to the original payment method if it goes down. A dedicated alteration email is on the roadmap; for now, guests will see the resulting charge or refund on their statement and can ask you for details.
Do guests need a Hospitable account to book?
Do guests need a Hospitable account to book?
No. Guests don't sign up for or interact with Hospitable directly. They book and pay through Vrbo as usual.
What about the Guest Portal — does that apply to Vrbo guests too?
What about the Guest Portal — does that apply to Vrbo guests too?
Yes, Vrbo Official guests can use the Guest Portal for things like check-in details, upsells, and (when enabled) cancellations. Because Hospitable already has the guest's card on file as Merchant of Record, upsells can be purchased in one click without re-entering payment details.
Quick Summary for Hosts
The booking flow on Vrbo is unchanged for guests.
On their statement, guests see two charges: one from Hospitable (your reservation total, with the reservation code) and one from Vrbo (the service fee).
Guests receive booking confirmation and cancellation emails from Hospitable (more transactional emails coming).
Vrbo's own confirmation, itinerary, and messaging continue as normal.
Under the old Vrbo connection, none of this applies — Vrbo continues to handle payments and guest emails.