If you currently connect Vrbo to Hospitable through the legacy Chrome-extension connection, you'll eventually be prompted to move to the Vrbo Partner integration. The Vrbo Partner integration uses Vrbo's official API, and it changes how your Vrbo listings, listing details, calendar, and payments work inside Hospitable.
This article walks through what you gain by upgrading and what to expect from the change.
For instructions on how to connect or upgrade to the Vrbo Partner connection, see: Vrbo Partner Connection: Connect a Vrbo Account
A More Reliable Connection
The Vrbo Partner integration removes a number of recurring issues that hosts hit on the legacy connection:
No browser dependency. You don't need to use a Google Chrome extension, and stay signed in to your Vrbo account for the connection to work.
Simpler multi-account setups. If you manage multiple Vrbo accounts or co-host for several owners, you no longer need to switch between separate Chrome profiles to connect and stay connected.
Fewer calendar sync failures and disconnects. The official API connection is significantly more stable.
Full listing management inside Hospitable
Under the Vrbo Partner integration, Hospitable becomes the source of truth for your Vrbo listings. That means:
Listing content, calendar, pricing, and messaging are all managed in Hospitable, and changes are pushed to Vrbo automatically through the official API.
You can create and publish new Vrbo listings directly from Hospitable — no need to set them up on Vrbo first.
Multi-owner setups are simpler, because you no longer need to log into separate Vrbo accounts and Google Chrome profiles to manage different properties.
You'll still have access to your Vrbo account for billing, the credit card on file, and account-level settings. The listing details and calendar will be entirely controlled within Hospitable.
Hospitable Handles Payments and Payouts!
Under the legacy connection, Vrbo collects guest payments and pays you out directly. Under the Vrbo Partner integration, Hospitable becomes the Merchant of Record for your Vrbo bookings, processing guest payments and paying you out — the same way Direct Premium works today.
In countries and regions where Hospitable does not yet support payments and payouts, hosts can use Stripe. Hosts in regions already supported by Hospitable's payments and payouts can also choose to use Stripe if they prefer.
What this gives you:
Chargeback protection. If a guest disputes a charge, Hospitable collects and submits evidence on your behalf. If the dispute is lost, Hospitable absorbs the liability.
The ability to charge upsells to the guest card for the same reservation, instead of relying on workarounds.
Tax compliance facilitation where supported, including pass-through tax handling for jurisdictions you remit yourself.
Split payouts from day one, so you can send each property's payout to a different bank account — useful if you manage owners.
Support for guest payment terms, including multi-installment payments at checkout.
None of these advantages apply if you use Stripe, and prefer to be your own Merchant of Record!
What it costs to use Hospitable as your Merchant of Record
The total cost is roughly the same as today, but the breakdown changes:
Today (legacy): Vrbo charges 5% commission + 3% payment processing.
After upgrading: Vrbo charges 5% commission only, and Hospitable charges 3.9% as Merchant of Record (covering payment processing, chargeback protection, upsells, and tax compliance facilitation).
If you'd rather process payments yourself, you can use your own Stripe account instead of Hospitable. In that case, you take on payment processing liability, chargebacks, and tax remittance yourself.
Vrbo's 5% commission is charged separately to a credit card on file in your Vrbo account, not deducted from your payout. You'll need to add a credit card on Vrbo and make sure it has enough available credit to cover commission for upcoming bookings. Vrbo does not accept debit cards.
If you have any questions about the commission you pay to Vrbo, or how to set up your payment method on Vrbo, we recommend you contact their support directly.
Payouts arrive 24 hours after check-in
Under Hospitable as Merchant of Record, payouts are typically sent 24 hours after check-in, consistent with how most booking platforms manage payouts.
If you currently receive early payouts on a legacy Vrbo account, that option may not be available after upgrading.
What's not included at launch
A few things to be aware of when planning the move:
Automated Vrbo reviews are not part of the initial release.
Discount and promotion management inside Hospitable is planned for later, not at launch.
What you'll need to do
The upgrade is not automatic — you'll be prompted to upgrade your Vrbo account manually when your account is eligible. When you do:
Upgrade Vrbo through the Channel connections page in Hospitable.
Add a credit card on Vrbo for the 5% commission charges.
Confirm your payout bank account details in Hospitable.
Review your tax remittance settings.
Once the upgrade is complete, you can stop using the Chrome extension entirely.
Who can not use the Vrbo Partner connection
The Vrbo Partner connection is available to all hosts who either:
Have access to Direct Premium on Hospitable or
Have access to Stripe
These are necessary in order to process payments for Vrbo Partner reservations.
Without access to either one, hosts cannot process payments for Vrbo Partner reservations, which is a requirement by Vrbo, meaning they cannot use the integration.
Direct Premium and Stripe are not available in all countries.
Hosts who cannot use Direct Premium can look to Stripe instead to act as their payment processor.
However, Stripe is not available in every country either. See the full list of countries supported by Stripe here: https://stripe.com/en-es/global
If your country is neither available on Direct Premium nor supported by Stripe, you will not be able to upgrade to the Vrbo Partner connection.
For example: Hosts in Iceland can neither use Direct Premium nor Stripe. They will not be able to upgrade to and use the Vrbo Partner connection.
For these hosts, the Vrbo Legacy connection remains available, as the only way to connect to Vrbo.