What's the Best Vacation Rental Website?

A Top Question for Vacationers Searching for the Perfect Spot

Searching for the perfect Manzanita Vacation Rental or Oregon Coast Vacation Rental? Have you ever Googled Manzanita Vacation Rental? Or asked a friend for a Manzanita lodging recommendation?

How do you find the best vacation rental website?

It's still a new world out there. No one wants to take a scary Griswold vacation.

Well, we've done the research for you so let's take a look at what's available to help with your search.

Do You Have Listing Site Lust?

Okay -- we've all done it. Browsing through listing sites, dreaming of our next vacation when we were supposed to be doing work, household chores, even taxes.

Listing site lust is nothing to be ashamed about. With the advent of vacation rental listing sites, couch surfing took on a whole new meaning.

And dreaming of the perfect vacation rose to a whole different level.

best websites for vacation rentals by owner

Are 50 Sites Too Many?

With the proliferation of Vacation Rental Listing Site choices, the average vacationer can quickly be overwhelmed.

For instance, the website Need More Rentals, billed as The Leading Information Website for Holiday Rental Home Owners and Managers regularly publishes their Top 50 Listing Sites based on market research by Alexa.com. As of November 2020, the top 10 North American vacation rental sites are:

Booking.com
Airbnb
VRBO
Couchsurfing
HomeAway
Luxury Retreats
FlipKey
Cottages In Canada
Homestay
TripAdvisor

Here in the US, the top three dominate. Are we getting some eye rolls? Did we hear a "Duh"?

Have you already searched for a Manzanita Airbnb or a Manzanita VRBO? Or how about Manzanita Oregon on Booking.com? Or do you looking for rentals direct from the owner?

This is all pretty common knowledge at this point. But have you been watching the background mechanics? We've got the scoop for you.

With the recent acquisition of FlipKey by TripAdvisor, and the just announced acquisition of VRBO and HomeAway by Expedia, all four have heavy corporate backing.

Then Airbnb and Booking.com entered the picture.

All offer varying accommodation types from owner operated Manzanita vacation rentals, Manzanita vacation rentals offered by professional property managers, to Manzanita bed and breakfasts, Manzanita motels and Manzanita hotel rooms.

Of top ten, only Manzanita Airbnbs offer shared accommodations such as rooms within private houses. And not many are truly shared accommodations. Airbnb likes to be known as the leader of the shared vacation movement, but are now mainly non-shared accommodations.

Think 50s A Lot? Get Ready!

When The Houses On Manzanita Beach began renting in 1996, only a handful of houses in our Oregon coastal area were available for rent. The phrase Manzanita Vacation Rental was brand new. We booked guests through word of mouth - the real rentals direct method. Some of our original guests still vacation at our Manzanita rental houses.

Great customer service was key from the beginning, but expectations were low in the market of guests appreciating a new way to get away from it all.

With the advent and success of today's Vacation Rental industry, things have drastically changed. That handful of available Vacation Rental homes has grown to a big industry at an incredible rate. The same applies to Manzanita Vacation Rentals.

Move Over Guys - The Biggies Are In Town!

Where business flourishes, the big guns soon follow.

Vacation Rental By Owner ("VRBO") showed up in 1995. The company was founded by vacation rental owners who self-managed second home rentals. Filling a market niche that had a whole different set of guest than ones that traditionally looked for a hotel / motel experience. Or even a bed and breakfast or campground. Sort of a higher level of Glamping - pull up in your car, unload, and you're all set. Manzanita vacation rentals increased dramatically.

Book A Relaxing Vacation With CEH Holdings!

Heard of HomeAway? Founded in 2004 as CEH Holdings, they soon began gobbling up competitors and in 2006 rebranded themselves into the friendlier sounding HomeAway.

Oh, and they just so happened to have purchased VRBO that very same year. In 2008, FlipKey joined the playing field.

All three were going on their merry way, growing and exposing a whole generation of guests to a new way to vacation. Basically, they were resting on their success.

They assumed "Vacation Rentals" was simply a new category to add to hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds. Their companies grew at a very reasonable pace. As did Manzanita VRBOs, Manzanita HomeAways, and Manzanita Airbnbs.

Others listing sites soon followed, including those targeting niche vacationers. Among the crowd, companies such as kidandcoe.com specializing in young family friendly experiences, VacationsbyTezell.com offering luxury international residences, and BringFido.com locating pet friendly accommodations.

And according to CNN Travel, among the new sites are companies such as Great Space Inc., identifying their customer as "experiential mobility", and Couch Surfing for "paupers and backpackers."

Oh, yeah - you know those kids who grew up on gadgets, computer games and too much media? Complacency isn't always a good thing ...

Welcome to the Millennial Generation.

Did We Mention Where Business Flourishes, Big Guns Soon Follow?

Millennials not only grew up with helicopter parents, they're set to exceed the buying power of previous generations.

According to Forbes:

Millennial customers—80 million in the U.S. alone–are about to become the most important customers your business has ever seen. In spite of the clichés you see in the media about this generation (ramen-eating, impecunious, underemployed, and so forth), millennials are not only the largest generation in U.S. and world history, they’re on the cusp of commanding the largest wallet power as well. It’s estimated they’ll be spending $200 billion annually by 2017 and $10 trillion over their lifetimes as consumers, in the U.S. alone.

If you will excuse the generalizations:

Millennials love their tech;
Millennials love innovation;
Surprisingly, they also love to vacation with parents and other family.

Perfect guests for Vacation Rentals. And a new concept was born, just for them. And for Manzanita Vacation Rentals.

Welcome to Airbnb and the Sharing Economy!

Two guys in 2007, can't afford rent, set up a simple website to match guests with hosts, and boom...

Welcome to the sharing economy, vacation accommodation style.

You all know what it is, maybe have even stayed in an Airbnb. Or a Manzanita Airbnb. But what's interesting for the Vacation Rental trend is that Airbnb created a huge wake up call to the big guys such as HomeAway, VRBO, and FlipKey. And therefore Manzanita HomeAway, Manzanita VRBO, and Manzanita FlipKey.

For good or for bad, Airbnb changed the Vacation Rental industry.

You've either experienced this, or are about to experience this. You pick a house, push a button ...

And Voilà, instant Vacation Rental experience

Airbnb has also created an intended barrier between the vacationing guest and Vacation Rental host in the name of security, consistency and expediency. The same applies to Manzanita Airbnbs.

All the while tacking on a new fee for the guest for this new service.

Currently that fee is 3% for Airbnb travelers, 5% - 15% for FlipKey guests, and a recently announced 6% (or sliding scale) in the near future for HomeAway and VRBO guests.

Are You Really Getting What You Pay For?

Sadly, we think not for everyone. Creating a barrier between vacationer and Vacation Rental owner has not proved to be a safer, more secure method than the channels formerly used by the more traditional listing sites. Nor has there been an increase of the overall reported quality of experience during the actual Vacation Rental stay.

In the interest of full disclosure, The Houses On Manzanita Beach currently uses the services of Manzanita VRBO, Manzanita HomeAway and recently Manzanita Airbnb. In our over 19 years of experience as Manzanita Vacation Rental owners and proprietors, we've ridden several different waves of marketing.

But in our opinion, this latest trend misses the mark in several areas for our specific guests.

In our experience, our guests appreciate:

One on one discussions with a Manzanita Vacation Rental owner before booking;
Information and the ability to research, as much as possible, the house and owner or property manager before committing to book your Manzanita Rental;
Making sure, before paying, the Manzanita Rental house is the right fit for you and any other guests in your party;
The ability for full communication throughout the process, from booking through departure for your Manzanita vacation;
The Non-Cookie Cutter Vacation. Anyone else taking a vacation where circumstances don't fit into a mold? For instance, have you taken a vacation where several different people need to send in payment checks? Such as group getaways or family reunions. As a conscientious owner and proprietor, I feel it's an important part of good service to assist our guests as much as possible including unique circumstances.
Putting a name, face, and voice to the experience.
Good, old fashioned customer service. Lost your way in unfamiliar surroundings? Call me. Unsure about road conditions during inclement weather? Email me. Forgot your anniversary and need something special right away? I'm here, and our guests know exactly how to find me. We strive to help create the best Manzanita Vacation Rental experience possible.
Lastly, No Service Fees! There's a big advantage in booking rentals direct from the company or owner, versus a Manzanita rental listing site.

Trends Come and Go

But the constant remains the same:

Each and every vacationer deserves the very best experience.

If these trends aren't your cup of tea, there are other options out there. Vacation Rentals offered by owners and some committed property managers still exist, especially here in Manzanita.

Whether you enjoy the ease and anonymity of Vacation Rental Listing sites where you simply pick your spot and push a button, or if you prefer to shop around and find a Vacation Rental where you can interact with the owner or property manager, the selection in this day and age is large.

Find the property that's perfect for you, ask all the questions to make your experience as terrific as possible, and have a wonderful vacation!

When looking for the very best Oregon Coast vacation rental, or any U.S. vacation rental, be sure to check out these resources:

How to find a real Vacation By Owner experience;
Are if you stay in a Manzanita Airbnb, with it likely be a shared accommodation?
Find out the difference in renting an owner run vacation rental vs. a rental run by a property management company (we think booking your rental direct from the owner is the best;
Be certain to understand what you're really paying when booking through a fee based vacation rental website such as VRBO and Airbnb.