Vrbo Sponsored Listings: Top of Search, Top of Mind

Before diving into the product, it's worth stepping back to ask: Why advertise on Vrbo specifically? Vrbo guests spend 58% more on vacation bookings as a whole when compared to other online travel agency (OTA) travelers.*  For property managers focused on revenue per listing rather than volume, Vrbo guests represent quality demand.

Vrbo is also where you already operate. An advertising solution built into the same ecosystem — with shared data on traveler behavior, search patterns, and competitive dynamics — has a structural advantage over any third-party ad channel. You're not trying to drive traffic from outside the platform; you're influencing where you appear for travelers who are already searching on Vrbo and ready to book.

Why Vrbo Sponsored Listings belongs in your mix

• Reaches guests who already book longer, higher‑value stays**

• Influences where you appear in Vrbo search, not just if you appear

• Keeps advertising in the same ecosystem you use to manage performance

And importantly: Most competing vacation rental platforms don't yet offer a comparable advertising solution. Vrbo Sponsored Listings makes Vrbo — and by extension, Escapia — a more lucrative place to run a platform for property management professionals.

Paid search placement is a well-established model in the hotel and broader travel industry. The vacation rental segment is now entering a similar evolution. This shift has a few important implications for property managers.

The playing field is changing. As more property managers activate Vrbo Sponsored Listings, the organic positions they used to occupy will shift down the page. The managers who move early will be competing for the top of search. The ones who wait will be competing for what's left.

Advertising doesn't replace strong fundamentals. Vrbo has built quality requirements into Vrbo Sponsored Listings specifically to protect marketplace trust. A property has to be performing well organically to qualify for premium ad placement — which means Vrbo Sponsored Listings amplifies good operators, it doesn't substitute for them. Strong listing quality, competitive pricing, and good reviews remain the foundation.

Pay-per-booked-night changes the risk calculus. The reason most property managers haven't advertised before isn't lack of interest — it's the traditional model's disconnect between spend and results. Paying per click, per impression, or per placement regardless of bookings feels like a gamble. With Vrbo Sponsored Listings, the pay‑per‑booked‑night model means you only pay when a guest books a stay through your ad. There’s no upfront media cost, and every advertising dollar is tied directly to booking revenue.

Vrbo Sponsored Listings launched with a small group of property managers earlier this year. The early data from that test period is significant.

On average pilot properties that tested Vrbo Sponsored Listings saw:***

• 40% booking growth

• 39% revenue increase

• 30% increase in booked nights

One early partner, Liquid Life, put it directly: 

"We have genuinely enjoyed being a part of the new Vrbo Sponsored Listing program. The results we are seeing have been exceptional. The ROI has been incredibly strong, and we are seeing meaningful visibility and booking impact across our portfolio.” 

These aren't projections — they're results from actual property managers running campaigns. The underlying data shows strong performance across devices, with mobile app search generating particularly high engagement in the top position.

For Escapia property managers, Escapia's integration with Vrbo — both part of Expedia Group — means the experience is built for property managers operating at scale. The operational efficiency this creates for overseeing dozens or hundreds of properties is as valuable as the advertising performance itself.

• Launch campaigns across multiple properties with simple tools that let you apply the same settings in one go.

• See impressions, clicks, bookings, revenue, and spend on one dashboard.

• Pause, adjust, or restart campaigns anytime — with no long-term commitment. 

The property managers who will get the most out of Vrbo Sponsored Listings are the ones who use it strategically, not just tactically.

Solve occupancy problems you can't solve any other way. Which properties consistently underperform in shoulder season? Which new listings need to build reviews faster? Which high-quality properties are stuck behind competitors with more booking history? Those are great options for your first campaigns.

Think about portfolio level, not just property level. The ability to create, manage, and optimize campaigns across multiple properties from one place is particularly powerful for IPMs. You can allocate advertising spend where it has the highest marginal impact — not spread it evenly across a portfolio where some properties don't need the help.

Lower your risk with the pay-per-booked-night model. Because you only pay when a guest books a stay, the risk of experimenting is genuinely low. If a campaign doesn’t convert, you haven’t wasted money on empty clicks. When it does, the upside is more booked nights, stronger revenue, and fewer calendar gaps across your portfolio. 

Vrbo Sponsored Listings is available now! Set up an account in the Expedia Group Advertising Portal to get started.

Questions? Contact your Vrbo account manager to learn more.