Where you cancel a Vrbo reservation depends on how your Vrbo account is connected to Hospitable. There are two live Vrbo integrations, and the cancellation flow is different for each:
Vrbo Legacy — the older Chrome extension connection. Reservation codes start with HA-.
Vrbo Partner Connection — the official PMS integration. Reservation codes start with VRBO-.
💡Not sure which connection you're on? Open the Channel connections page on Hospitable and have a look at your Vrbo channel. It will have a badge saying either Legacy or Partner, indicating the connection you are on.
Vrbo Partner Connection (VRBO- reservations)
Most Vrbo Partner Connection reservations can be cancelled directly from the Hospitable Inbox. The exact flow depends on how payments were processed for the reservation.
Cancel from the Hospitable Inbox
Open the conversation in your Inbox.
Click Cancel reservation.
Select whether the cancellation is at the request of the guest or the host — this affects the refund.
Review the on-screen details and click Confirm & cancel.
Hospitable cancels the reservation on both sides (Hospitable and Vrbo), and the dates default to the Availability window setting of the Hospitable property. See more here.
Managed Vrbo Partner reservations booked before you connected
A "Managed" Vrbo reservation is one that was booked before the host connected their Vrbo channel to Hospitable, but was managed using a different property management software.
Hosts can alter or cancel these reservations from the Hospitable inbox, just like the Vrbo Partner reservations where Hospitable is the merchant of record.
Hospitable did not manage the payment for these bookings, and cannot issue refunds.
How these work:
Cancelling works the same; you click Cancel reservation in the conversation thread.
The Cancel reservation flow in Hospitable will show a dedicated modal explaining that Hospitable will cancel the reservation on both sides, but will not move money.
You issue the refund to the guest yourself, outside Hospitable, following the applicable cancellation policy.
Guest-initiated cancellations show the amount owed under the cancellation policy; host-initiated cancellations show the full stay subtotal for reference.
⚠️ Hospitable does not refund or charge the guest for these pre-connection managed reservations. Make sure you complete the refund on your end after cancelling.
Unmanaged Vrbo reservations booked before you connected
An "Unmanaged" Vrbo reservation is one that was booked before the host connected their Vrbo channel to Hospitable, and without using another property management software.
These reservations should start with the reservation code "HA-".
These reservations cannot be managed or cancelled on Hospitable.
You will need to cancel those on the Vrbo dashboard and handle the refund either directly or with Vrbo (depending on how the payment was collected).
For any further assistance with those, contact Vrbo support directly.
Vrbo Legacy (HA- reservations)
Hosts who use the Vrbo Legacy connection cannot alter or delete their reservations on Hospitable.
These reservations start with "HA-".
How to cancel a Legacy Vrbo reservation:
Log in to your Vrbo host account at vrbo.com.
Go to Inbox or Reservation manager and open the reservation.
Cancel the reservation directly on Vrbo, following Vrbo's on-screen steps.
Vrbo will process the refund according to the applicable cancellation policy.
Once Vrbo processes the cancellation, Hospitable receives the update and marks the reservation as cancelled in the Inbox.
Guest-initiated vs. host-initiated cancellations
When you cancel a Vrbo reservation from the Hospitable Inbox, Hospitable asks you whether the cancellation is at the guest's request or at the host's initiative. This choice does not change whether the reservation is cancelled — it changes how the refund is calculated and how Vrbo may account for the cancellation on your record.
Guest-initiated cancellations
Use this when the guest asks you to cancel on their behalf.
Refund: calculated according to the reservation's cancellation policy. The guest receives back only the refundable portion of what they paid.
Where the guest can cancel: Guests can cancel their own Vrbo reservation from their Vrbo account at any time. On the Partner Connection, Vrbo notifies Hospitable and the reservation is cancelled automatically — no host action is required. On Legacy, Hospitable picks up the cancellation on its next sync from Vrbo.
Host impact: guest-initiated cancellations don't count against your host cancellation record on Vrbo.
💡 If a guest asks you to cancel for them, it's usually better to have them submit the cancellation from their own Vrbo account. That way, Vrbo applies the correct refund, and the cancellation is clearly attributed to the guest.
Host-initiated cancellations
Use this when you, the host, need to cancel a confirmed reservation — for example, due to a property issue, an owner block, or a double booking.
Refund: the guest is refunded the full amount they paid, regardless of the cancellation policy.
Host impact: Vrbo may apply host cancellation penalties (fees, ranking impact, or listing suspension in repeat cases). Review Vrbo's host cancellation policy before you cancel.
Managed pre-connection reservations: Hospitable shows the full stay subtotal for reference, but does not move money — you issue the refund to the guest yourself.
What happens in Hospitable after a Vrbo cancellation
The reservation status updates to Cancelled in your Inbox.
The calendar dates are released, and they default to the Availability window setting of the Hospitable property. See more here.
Any Hospitable automations tied to the reservation stop.