Before Vrbo was called Vrbo, it was called HomeAway. Listings created on the platform before it was rebranded in July 2020 still live in that older HomeAway catalogue on Vrbo's side — and they behave differently from newer Vrbo listings when you connect to Hospitable through the Vrbo Partner Connection.
This article explains what a HomeAway listing is, how to tell whether you have any, why they can block the Vrbo Partner upgrade for your entire Vrbo account, and how to connect a new Vrbo Partner account, which contains HomeAway listings, to Hospitable.
ℹ️ This only affects the Vrbo Partner Connection. The Vrbo Legacy connection (the Chrome-extension-based connection) continues to sync HomeAway-era listings normally — reservations, calendar, and messages all keep working as before.
What is a "HomeAway" listing?
A HomeAway listing is any Vrbo listing that was originally created on the platform before it was renamed from HomeAway to Vrbo, generally before July 2020.
These listings still exist and still take bookings on Vrbo, but they sit in an older listing catalogue that Vrbo does not automatically carry over to its official Partner API — the API that powers Hospitable's Vrbo Partner Connection.
On Vrbo, you can spot a HomeAway listing by:
A label above the listing ID. In your Vrbo Owner Dashboard, each listing has a small label above its ID.
If it says HomeAway, the listing was created before July 2020 and is a HomeAway listing.
If it says Vrbo, the listing was created after the rename and is a regular Vrbo listing.
How HomeAway listings affect your Vrbo Partner Connection
HomeAway listings sit in an older listing catalogue that Vrbo does not carry over to its official Partner API — the API that powers Hospitable's Vrbo Partner Connection. What that means for you depends on how you're currently connected to Hospitable.
If you don't currently have a Vrbo account connected to Hospitable
If your Vrbo account has never been connected to Hospitable, we can't tell in advance whether it contains HomeAway listings or not. You can start the Vrbo Partner Connection flow normally, and it will complete — but with some important consequences:
Any HomeAway listings on the Vrbo account will be archived on Vrbo during the connection.
Those archived HomeAway listings are not imported into Hospitable — the Partner API can't see them, so Hospitable never pulls them in.
Any reservations on those HomeAway listings will not be pulled into Hospitable.
You will not see their reservation financials on Hospitable.
You will not be able to communicate with those guests through Hospitable.
You will not be able to manage those reservations through Hospitable (altering or cancelling reservations).
Your newer Vrbo (non-HomeAway) listings connect and import normally.
💡 You can migrate all reservations from the HomeAway listings over to Hospitable after the connection, and we can help you retrieve the review history for that listing to import into new listings on Hospitable.
See more here:
If you're already on the Vrbo Legacy connection
If your Vrbo account is currently connected to Hospitable through the Vrbo Legacy (Chrome extension) connection and it contains any HomeAway listing, you cannot upgrade that account to the Vrbo Partner Connection.
The block is applied to the whole Vrbo account, not just the HomeAway listing. You can't upgrade only your newer Vrbo listings and leave the HomeAway ones behind on Legacy.
On the Channel connections page, the Upgrade button is replaced with a greyed-out Upgrade available soon button.
Disconnecting the Legacy connection and reconnecting on Partner does not get around this. Once Hospitable has seen that a Vrbo account contains HomeAway listings, the block still applies if you reconnect that same account.
🚨 If your Vrbo account contains older HomeAway listings that you do not use and are happy to get rid of, you can contact Hospitable support and let us know. We might be able to help you upgrade your account even with those HomeAway listings on the account.
How to check whether you have HomeAway listings
In Hospitable (Legacy-connected accounts):
Go to Channel connections in Hospitable.
Look at your Vrbo channel card.
If you see Upgrade available soon (greyed out) instead of Upgrade, at least one listing on that Vrbo account is a HomeAway listing.
In Vrbo (any account):
Open your Vrbo Owner Dashboard.
Check each listing's label above its ID — HomeAway means the listing was created before July 2020 and is a HomeAway listing; Vrbo means it's a newer catalogue listing.
Connecting a Vrbo account with a HomeAway listing (first-time connection)
ℹ️ The steps below are for hosts connecting a Vrbo account to Hospitable for the first time, where the account contains a HomeAway listing.
If you're already on the Vrbo Legacy connection, these steps do not apply — the upgrade to Partner is blocked at the account level and disconnecting Legacy won't clear it.
Step 1 — Prepare your HomeAway listing before connecting
Do these two things on the HomeAway listing on Vrbo before you start the Vrbo Partner Connection flow.
They protect your calendar and give you a reference copy of your existing HomeAway reservations, so you don't lose visibility of upcoming bookings once the HomeAway listing is archived on Vrbo.
1a. Copy the HomeAway listing's iCal export URL
The iCal URL lets Hospitable import your existing HomeAway reservations as calendar blocks on the new Vrbo Partner listing, so you don't get double-bookings.
In your Vrbo Owner Dashboard, open the HomeAway listing.
Go to the Calendar for that property.
Click the gear/settings icon and open Availability → Connect Calendars.
Find the export section and copy the export calendar link for that HomeAway listing. Your iCal URL will look like:
https://www.vrbo.com/icalendar/<your-listing-id>.ics?nonTentativeSave the URL somewhere you can paste it back in later.
1b. Download your existing reservation details
Still on the HomeAway listing's Calendar page, click Export options at the top.
Download the booking-details file so you have a reference copy of every reservation currently on that HomeAway listing — guest names, dates, and contact info. Once the HomeAway listing is archived on Vrbo, you'll only have access to those existing reservations through the Vrbo app or this reference file.
1c. Store the HomeAway listing ID
Just under where your listing card says "HomeAway" on the Vrbo owner's dashboard, you will see a numerical code. This is the listing ID.
Store this ID somewhere, as you will need it later.
Write it down on a piece of paper.
Copy it into a word or Note document.
Step 2 — Start the Vrbo Partner Connection in Hospitable
In Hospitable, go to Channel connections.
Add the Vrbo channel.
Complete the connection steps in Path 1 of the connection guide: Vrbo Partner Connection: Connect a Vrbo Account
Step 3 — Recreate the HomeAway listing as a new Vrbo Partner listing in Hospitable
Because Hospitable never imported the HomeAway listing, the physical property that used to be your HomeAway listing on Vrbo doesn't yet have a Vrbo Partner listing attached in Hospitable.
Recreate it:
In Hospitable, go to Properties and find (or create) the property for that home.
If Hospitable already has that property (for example, because it's also listed on Airbnb or Direct), open it.
If Hospitable doesn't have it yet, create the property from scratch: Create A Property
You will first need to create and publish an Airbnb listing for that property before you can create a Vrbo Partner listing.
Review the details (title, description, photos, amenities, house rules, pricing) and click Publish.
Step 4 — Bring your existing HomeAway reservations onto the new listing
Once the new Vrbo Partner listing exists in Hospitable, use the iCal URL you copied in Step 1a to import your existing HomeAway reservations as calendar blocks on the new listing:
In Hospitable, open the property.
Click on the Add External iCal button.
Name the iCal link (for example: HomeAway reservations).
Save your changes.
Hospitable will pull the existing HomeAway bookings in as calendar blocks, so the property and your new Vrbo Partner listing don't accept overlapping bookings while those reservations are still active on Vrbo.
💡 These calendar blocks are just availability markers — automated messaging, guest communication, and cancellations for the existing HomeAway reservations still happen on Vrbo, not in Hospitable. New bookings on the new Vrbo Partner listing sync into Hospitable normally and get the full messaging and automation experience.
Step 5 — Ask Hospitable Support to transfer your reviews
The old HomeAway listing's reviews are the main thing worth preserving. Vrbo can transfer them from the archived HomeAway listing to your new Vrbo Partner listing, and Hospitable Support can arrange this for you.
Once the new Vrbo Partner listing exists in Hospitable (published or unlisted, either is fine), contact Hospitable Support with the following:
The old HomeAway listing ID — the one you stored in Step 1c.
The URL of the property where the new Vrbo Partner listing is.
Your Vrbo Advertiser ID (visible under your Vrbo Partner channel on the Channel connections page in Hospitable).
Hospitable Support opens a ticket with Vrbo on your behalf to move the reviews across. Review transfers usually complete within a few business days.
What things look like after you've connected
Old HomeAway listing on Vrbo: archived by Vrbo during onboarding. It's still visible on your Vrbo Owner Dashboard for reference and still holds the existing reservations, but no longer accepts new bookings.
New Vrbo Partner listing in Hospitable: shows as Fully managed and is connected through the Vrbo Partner API. New bookings sync into Hospitable within minutes and get full messaging and automation.
Existing HomeAway reservations: remain on the archived HomeAway listing on Vrbo. Guest messaging and cancellations happen on Vrbo. Hospitable only sees them as calendar blocks, so the new Vrbo Partner listing doesn't accept overlapping bookings.
Cancellations of existing HomeAway reservations: the iCal-based calendar block on the new Vrbo Partner listing may not clear automatically. Message Hospitable Support to remove the block if this happens.
New bookings on the new Vrbo Partner listing: everything runs through Hospitable — messaging, automations, payment schedules, discounts (once you've reconfigured them), and cancellations.
FAQs
I've never used the Legacy connection. What happens if I connect on Partner with a HomeAway listing on my Vrbo account?
I've never used the Legacy connection. What happens if I connect on Partner with a HomeAway listing on my Vrbo account?
The Vrbo Partner Connection flow completes, but any HomeAway listings on the account are archived on Vrbo as part of the process and are not imported into Hospitable — the Partner API can't see them. Follow the steps in this article to recreate the listing as a new Vrbo Partner listing in Hospitable and ask Hospitable Support to transfer the reviews across.
Will I lose my HomeAway listing's reviews when I connect on Partner?
Will I lose my HomeAway listing's reviews when I connect on Partner?
Not permanently. Vrbo can transfer the reviews from your (now-archived) HomeAway listing to your new Vrbo Partner listing. Contact Hospitable Support once your new listing exists.
What happens to the existing bookings on my HomeAway listing?
What happens to the existing bookings on my HomeAway listing?
They stay on the archived HomeAway listing on Vrbo and continue to run through Vrbo. Handle messaging and cancellations for those bookings in the Vrbo app. Use the HomeAway listing's iCal URL to import them as calendar blocks on your new Vrbo Partner listing on Hospitable so you don't accept overlapping bookings.
Can I keep taking new bookings on the HomeAway listing after I connect?
Can I keep taking new bookings on the HomeAway listing after I connect?
No. Once you connect on the Vrbo Partner Connection, Vrbo archives the HomeAway listing, and it stops accepting new bookings. New bookings only come through the new Vrbo Partner listing you create in Hospitable.
I'm already on the Vrbo Legacy connection with a HomeAway listing. Can I upgrade to Partner?
I'm already on the Vrbo Legacy connection with a HomeAway listing. Can I upgrade to Partner?
No. For Vrbo accounts currently on the Legacy connection, the presence of any HomeAway listing blocks the Partner upgrade for the whole account. The Upgrade button on your Channel connections page shows as Upgrade available soon (greyed out) instead. The step-by-step in this article doesn't apply to your case — your Legacy connection continues to work normally in the meantime.
Can I disconnect the Legacy connection and reconnect on Partner to get around the block?
Can I disconnect the Legacy connection and reconnect on Partner to get around the block?
No. Hospitable retains the record that your Vrbo account contains HomeAway listings, and the upgrade block is re-applied on reconnection.
Do my payment schedules and discounts carry over from Vrbo?
Do my payment schedules and discounts carry over from Vrbo?
No. After connection, every property defaults to 100% upfront and no discounts. Reconfigure both in Hospitable, per property.
What happens to messaging on my existing HomeAway reservations?
What happens to messaging on my existing HomeAway reservations?
Hospitable can't push messages to reservations that were booked on the HomeAway listing. Handle guest messaging for those in the Vrbo app directly. Messaging on new bookings on the new Vrbo Partner listing works normally.
What happens if an existing HomeAway reservation gets cancelled after I connect?
What happens if an existing HomeAway reservation gets cancelled after I connect?
The iCal-based calendar block on your new Vrbo Partner listing may not clear automatically. Message Hospitable Support, and we'll delete the block manually to free the dates on your Hospitable property.
My HomeAway listing disappeared from both Hospitable and Vrbo after I tried to connect. What now?
My HomeAway listing disappeared from both Hospitable and Vrbo after I tried to connect. What now?
Contact Hospitable Support with your Vrbo Advertiser ID and the affected listing IDs. We can help recreate the listing in Hospitable and ask Vrbo to transfer the reviews from the original HomeAway listing to the new one.