Updated on May 22, 2020 to include guidance for vacation home stays in June

AUSTIN, Texas – April  23, 2020 – The traditional start to summer travel season is Memorial Day weekend, and Vrbo® is asking travelers to check their vacation rental’s cancellation policy for upcoming trips. Homeowners and property managers who offer moderate or relaxed cancellations allow reservation changes 30 days or closer to the trip, and travelers should be aware of the policies as they make informed travel decisions for their families. Emails have been sent to travelers detailing when they need to make decisions about upcoming trips in relation to the refund policy set by the homeowner or property manager. 

Vrbo is also asking all travelers to follow guidance from health officials as well as travel advisories from local authorities as some areas are limiting vacation home stays. Our COVID-19 emergency policy continues to apply during the month of June for trips to areas where travel is restricted or prohibited. 

• We are refunding 100% of the money we make through traveler service fees when travelers must cancel a trip due to local governments enacting laws that restrict travel or prohibit stays in vacation homes due to COVID-19. This is in effect for stays booked before March 13 with a stay night between March 13 and June 30. If the partner (homeowner or property manager) issues a 100% refund, Vrbo automatically refunds the traveler service fee. There is no need to call. In cases where less than 100% refund is given, travelers must contact Vrbo in order to request a refund of the traveler service fee.
• We have notified partners about our COVID-19 emergency policy, which encourages full refunds or flexible stay dates and sets a 50% refund minimum if future stay dates cannot be found. This is applicable for all canceled stays due to government-mandated COVID-19 travel restrictions booked before March 13 and including a date through June 30, 2020, even on trips that are outside the partner’s set cancellation policy.
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• If a partner gives a 100% refund, they will be rewarded with a higher search position so that future travelers can more easily find them. Partners who do not meet the minimum policy requirements will be penalized in search position, and any encouragement of travelers to break local laws or intimidation of travelers (such as suggesting that travel is safer for them than staying home or dismissing the severity of COVID-19) may result in permanent removal from Vrbo and Expedia Group.

If travelers with trips not affected by government-implemented travel restrictions need to make changes outside the owner’s cancellation policy outlined in their booking agreement, they should contact the homeowner or property manager to ask about a future stay credit or an exception to the owner’s policy. Vrbo will continue to reward with higher search position all partners who go outside of their set cancellation policies to offer 100% refunds or credits to travelers.

About Vrbo

In 1995, Vrbo introduced a new way for people to travel together, pairing homeowners with families and friends looking for places to stay. We were grounded in one purpose: To give people the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together. Since then, we’ve grown into a global community of homeowners and travelers, with unique properties around the world. Vrbo makes it easy and fun to book cabins, condos, beach houses and every kind of space in between.

Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers homeowners and property managers exposure to over 750 million visits to Expedia Group sites each month. To learn more, visit www.vrbo.com.

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