CiiRUS is directly integrated to VRBO, and proud to be a preferred partner! CiiRUS connects directly to VRBO via a 2-way API feed, meaning essential data, such as descriptions, rates, images, features, terms, and availability are pushed out in real-time. When an inquiry or booking is made through VRBO, it will automatically land in CiiRUS.
The VRBO feed from CiiRUS produces tens of millions of dollars each year for our customer base.
How to enable the VRBO connection
Activating the connection between CiiRUS and VRBO is a simple process.
To start, go to Connections > Channel Manager > Vrbo.
When the Sign-up dialog is displayed, answer all questions. If you answer “Yes” to all
questions, select the 'Enable Vrbo Sync?' option.
(After following the steps in the link, return to your CiiRUS account and refresh by selecting Vrbo from the list and then repeat these steps.)
If you answer “No” to the first question, you are directed to https://www.vrbo.com/p/onboard to begin the creation of your Vrbo account. After you create the account, return to CiiRUS after seeing this screen:
You will also still need to fill out the Vrbo onboarding form after enabling your units in CiiRUS to complete the connection: https://www.vrbo.com/p/onboard.
Contact your assigned Vrbo Account Manager or Support. They will set your account and listing preferences so that you can begin the activation process.
Review the activation process with a Vrbo Pre-implementation Specialist. A Pre-implementation Specialist will contact you to confirm that your account is ready and set an appointment for your activation project.
How to activate listings on Vrbo
From the Vrbo channel manager screen, click "Enable Vrbo Sync?"
The table displays all of the properties in CiiRUS. Before syncing to Vrbo, ensure that the correct Rate Set, Multiplication Factor, Description Set, Terms, Cancellation Policy, and Instant Booking are set up. Then, select 'Sync with HA?' at the listing level.
Complete and return the Mapping Spreadsheet with the external IDs from CiiRUS. The Vrbo Implementation Specialist will then work with the Engagement Manager to set up your Listings and Online Booking (OLB) integrations. If you had existing listings on Vrbo, the Support Team will work with you to transfer reviews to your new listings.
Troubleshoot issues and use the Vrbo dashboard. Your activation is almost complete! Your Implementation Specialist will end the project with explaining how to troubleshoot errors on your nightly audit report and how to navigate your Vrbo dashboard. If you have any questions after your project closes, contact the Support Team for Integrated Property Managers (see bottom of this document).
Please Note: After you are integrated, CiiRUS becomes the system of record for rates, calendars, listing content, and photos. Any listing content entered on the Vrbo dashboard will be overwritten by the feed.
Property information that feeds to Vrbo
Property Listing Content - various information must be configured within the Property Assistant.
a) Title/Bullet Points (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Descriptions)
Listing Title
Vrbo Listing Headline (20-100 characters)
Listing Description (400-10,000 characters)
b) Location (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Location)
Street address as displayed on Google Maps
Two letter state abbreviation
Country abbreviation
Geo-coordinate location
Property Type
Community
c) Show Exact Location (To enable the exact location of the property, go to Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Listing Features > Vrbo Features > Accommodations)
d) Property registration number and Taxes (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Specific Unit Settings > License & Tax Identification Numbers)
e) General Features (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Listing Features > General Features)
Bedrooms and bathrooms
Square Footage
Minimum guest age
Maximum number of guests
Bedroom configuration
f) Vrbo Features (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Listing Features > Vrbo Features)
Be sure to include, 'Children, pets, events, and smoking suitability'
The features help potential travelers by narrowing down the search results based on the criteria they are looking for.
g) Images (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Listing Content > Images)
Only the first 50 photos feed to Vrbo
Minimum of 10 high resolution images
Recommended image size is 1920 x 1080 pixels
Maximum photo size is 20 MB
h) Minimum length of stay (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Create or Edit Rates > Minimum Stay)
Set the minimum length of stay in the Min Nights column.
i) Payment Schedule (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Reservation Settings > Reservation Payment Terms)
Specify the number of weeks prior to rental that you want the balance to be paid and your preferences for security deposits.
j) Fees (Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Reservation Settings > Online Reservation Settings)
Specify the booking fee
Specify the cleaning fee
NOTE: Vrbo only supports a FLAT booking fee.
k) Check-in and checkout time (Global Settings > Settings Assistant > Reservation & Fees Setup > General Reservation Settings)
Minimum content requirements on Vrbo
To ensure that all listings meet basic quality standards, all new listings must meet the following requirements:
Headline must include at least 20 characters (max of 80)
Description must include at least 400 characters (max of 10,000)
Each listing provide have at least 6 photos
Bedroom and bathroom count should be included for each listing
An accurate address and latitude/longitude are required for each property
Updated calendar and rates information must be provided
Registration number must be specified for listings in jurisdictions that require it
Multi-unit listings
Multi-unit inventory on Vrbo is integrated as one representative unit. This means that there will be only one listing with one unit type that can have multiple similar bookable units behind it.
Below are examples of how your properties can be organized into multi-unit listings:
One property with multiple similar units: An example of this would be a condo/apartment building with 10 one-bedroom rentals of the same size, furnishings, and layout. In this example, there would be one listing (the one bedroom rental unit type) that represents 10 bookable units.
One property with multiple rental configurations representing multiple similar units: An example of this would be an apartment building with 10 one-bedroom rentals and 10 two-bedroom rentals. In this example, the one and two bedroom rentals would be two separate listings (one for each unit type) with 10 bookable units on each listing.
Vrbo’s multi-unit requirements
Multi-unit properties can only be displayed as Pay-Per-Booking listings
Each single unit listing must have the same rate structure
Calendars are consolidated for bookable units
You are responsible for making sure your software has correctly allocated incoming booking requests to the appropriate bookable units
Vrbo needs a credit card on file for your commission payments
Multi-unit listings must comply with Vrbo’s Marketplace Guidelines
Each multi-unit listing can have up to 500 photos; Vrbo recommends having 50 photos per listings
Unit-level description and photos should not be used
Listings must meet the minimum content requirements
Multi-unit terminology
CiiRUS refers to unit types as “Allocation on Arrival” or “AOA” and
bookable units as “door units”.
Bookable unit-level IDs
If you have multi-unit properties in CiiRUS, your unit ID will be the
same as the property ID but will have the AOA option selected.
Bookable unit-level content
As long as your have enabled your units to be AOA within CiiRUS,
all of your listing content will be updated in the same place as your non-AOA units. For more
information about how to enable listings as AOA, please contact CiiRUS Support.
Rates in CiiRUS
Vrbo only supports daily rates. Ensure that daily rates have been configured for each property and assigned in the Channel Manager.
To specify daily rates, go to:
1. Reservations
2. Pricing & Fees
3. Edit Rates
4. Actions
5. Edit Rate Set
6. Ensure "Use Daily Rates" is selected
7. Click update
Managing Bookings in CiiRUS
Credit Card Processor
The Property Manager becomes the Merchant of Record meaning you will collect payment from the guest for Vrbo bookings. It is important to have an integrated credit card processor connected.
You can read more about credit card processing here.
Terms & Conditions / Rental Agreement
To add the terms and conditions, go to Global Settings > Settings Assistant > Reservation & Fees Setup > General Reservation Settings > Manage Terms & Conditions Templates
Here you can add new sets of terms & conditions and edit existing ones. Make sure to save after editing your rates.
Note: Rental agreements may not contain emails, phone numbers, or website links of your rental business.
You can select specific terms & conditions for your unit within the listing assistant, by going to Owners & Listings > Listings > Listing Assistant > Reservations Settings > Terms & Conditions Template.
Vrbo bookings
When a new Vrbo booking is placed, you will receive a pop-up notification informing you of the new reservation along with the booking ID, property name, and a link to the booking. CiiRUS can email you notifications when you receive a new reservation from Vrbo. New booking notifications will also appear in the notifications panel by clicking the "Bell" icon in the upper left of the screen:
To locate bookings in CiiRUS, go to Reservations > Reservations List. In the list of reservations, in the Source column, select "Vrbo Pay Per Booking (Vrbo/PPB)".
Booking creation
You may receive a booking through an inquiry or phone call from a traveler who found the listing on Vrbo. Properly attributing these off-platform bookings to Vrbo in your software factors into your listing’s overall performance that is reported through the Vrbo Booking update service (BUS). Performance factors into where listings are displayed in Vrbo search results. To manually create a booking in CiiRUS, go to the Reservations Manager, select the Add Reservation "+" icon for the selected property, and update rates and fees information.
Vrbo booking attribution
If you manually create a booking in CiiRUS, you can attribute that booking to Vrbo by going to Reservations > Reservations Manager. Highlight the booking, click the General tab, and select Vrbo Pay Per Booking (Vrbo/PPB) from the drop-down list next to Category.
Instant booking
Instant Booking Confirmation feature is enabled automatically at the account level for all listings. Instant booking can also be enabled at the listing level by going to Connections > Channel Manager > Vrbo and select Instant Book Enabled.
If you wish for your listings to be Request to Book, disable this setting. When the booking is placed, it will come through as tentative giving you time to confirm the booking.
Booking confirmation emails
To enable confirmation emails to go to travelers after their bookings are confirmed, create a CRM template in Communications > Template Builder.
After creating the CRM email template, apply distribution rules by going to Communications > Automation Rules, and clicking the edit button on your confirmation email template. Make sure to specify that emails should be sent after confirmation of the booking.
Click here to read the full guide on CRM and automating emails.
To cancel a booking in CiiRUS, go to Reservations > Reservations Manager. Find the reservation and right-click on it. Click the Cancel Booking option from the right-click menu. Confirm the cancellation. The system will then ask you if you would like to refund the guest.
Cancellation policy
To select a cancellation policy for a property, go to Connections > Channel Manager > Vrbo and specify the policy in the Cancellation Policy column. For more information, refer to https://help.vrbo.com/articles/What-are-the-cancellation-policy-options.
Vrbo support for integrated property managers
After your software is activated, you can contact the Vrbo Support Team using the contact information below. If you have questions about billing, adding properties, and so on, please contact your assigned Vrbo Account Manager.
US: 1-877-239-2592 | http://help.vrbo.com/contact
DE: +49 69 2573 78892 | http://hilfe.fewo-direkt.de/contact
UK: +44 203 514 5512 | http://help.homeaway.co.uk/contact
FR: +33 4 13 68 10 44 | http://aide.abritel.fr/contact
ES: +34 911 238 313 | https://www.vrbo.com/es-es/ayuda/contact
IT: +39 06 94 80 21 25 | https://www.vrbo.com/it-it/aiuto/contact
PT: +351 308804358 | https://www.vrbo.com/pt-pt/ajuda/contact
AU: 1800 662 594 or +612 8015 2783 | https://www.vrbo.com/en-au/help/contact
NZ: 09 909 7879 or +64 9801 1377 | https://www.vrbo.com/en-nz/help/contact
JP: 03-4589-4868 or +81-34589-4868 | https://www.vrbo.com/ja-jp/help?t=pm
SG: 65-31587742 (Singapore), 60-392125460 (Malaysia), 62-2127899769 (Indonesia), 852-58082655 (Hong Kong), 66-600024196 (Thailand), 63-22711692 (Philippines), 886-255924054 (Taiwan) | https://www.vrbo.com/en-sg/help?t=pm
CiiRUS support
You can contact the CiiRUS support team via the support hub within CiiRUS. Read more about the support hub here.