Vacation rentals are frequently a better alternative to staying in hotels when you travel. If you are new to leisure travel, it may be difficult to place the difference. On the other hand, avid travelers, as we have written about, know that vacation rental makes cultural immersion easier.
The realization is fueling the vacation rental business, which has pushed up home prices and dealt a blow to traditional rental. Clearly, demand is exceeding supply. San Francisco and New York have enacted regulations to prevent home owners from turning to vacation rentals, to protect the pricing of more traditional long-term rentals and to make way for cheaper homes for residents. Planning to travel soon? Find a list of the top vacation rental companies below.
InvitedHome
This is one of the fastest-rising companies in the vacation rental space. InvitedHome was initially launched as a software called Vacation Rental Partner. With enough capital investment and equity, Vacation Rental Partner formed enough flesh to become the most encompassing in the industry.
Airbnb
This is still a giant to reckon with in the vacation rental industry. With its instantly recognisable name and on-the-go app, Airbnb has over 200,000 listings across 192 countries in not less than 25,000 cities. It has a specialized search tool that allows you to search by property type, price, as well as other parameters. Reservations are confirmed by either PayPal or credit card.
Luxury Retreats
Luxury Retreats is one of the biggest vacation rental websites in the world. It was recently acquired by Airbnb for a whopping $200 million. It has a personalized booking option for more than 3,000 properties.
One Fine Stay
One Fine Stay is one of the youngest companies to join the holiday vacation rental scene. It began its operation in 2009 but quickly scaled up to over 2,500 homes. It was bought over in 2016 by Accor Hotels and now claims to offer "unprecedented level of service”.
Villas of Distinction
Thousands of properties across fifty different markets ranging from 42-bedroom estates to one-bedroom condos are represented by Villas of Distinction. It is not a surprise that it has bagged numerous awards including the “Best Villa Rental Companies” award.
Couchsurfing
This is for those who are utterly penniless or, put another way, more adventurous. Couchsurfing has over a million members resident across 90,000 cities. This service allows members to get together with other members for free, or low-priced, accommodation.
HomeAway
HomeAway has a focus on traditional vacation homes rather than exotic ones. You can narrow your search by ratings, price, and amenities as well as several other filters. A deposit of 10 to 50 % may be required depending on the owner.
Dream Exotic Rentals
It has been in existence since 1999. Dream Exotic Rentals works closely with its guests to create a personalized itinerary. The key focus of this company is a personalized holiday vacation experience.
VRBO
VRBO and HomeAway are owned by the same company, but unlike the latter that has a global focus, VRBO has 190,000 rentals that are mostly in the United States. HomeAway, since 2012, has been transferring the listings on VRBO to its main website.
FlipKey
TripAdvisor is a popular figure in the holiday vacation rental market. FlipKey was their attempt to capture the market, having over 150,000 rentals in about 7,000 cities across the globe. There is a feature known as “My Pick” which allows guests to make multiple selections for later comparison.
