United States
Issue Date: October 4, 2024
Contacts: Media@vrbo.com
Where: North Carolina
- Henderson County
- Buncombe County
- Transylvania County
When: For Vrbo bookings in the covered areas between September 28 – October 19, 2024.
Who: The policy applies to travelers who have made reservations in the covered areas.
Where: South Carolina
- Greenville County
When: For Vrbo bookings in the covered areas between October 2 – 9, 2024.
Who: The policy applies to travelers who have made reservations in the covered areas.
Where: Florida
- Holmes Beach, FL
When: For Vrbo bookings in the covered areas between October 3 – 12, 2024.
Who: The policy applies to travelers who have made reservations in the covered areas.
For reservations in non-covered counties, the host’s cancellation policy will still apply. Vrbo encourages hosts to do what they can to work with guests in these cases. Travelers that need to cancel or make changes to a booking outside of the cancellation policy window should work directly with the host.
More information on the Extenuating Circumstances policy, please see the below.
For those with existing or upcoming bookings through Expedia and Hotels.com, please visit Expedia Customer Service Portal and Hotels.com Customer Service Portal.
Sept. 26, 2024: Vrbo has activated its Extenuating Circumstances policy due to mandatory evacuations in the following Florida counties impacted by Hurricane Helene: Charlotte, Citrus, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla. The policy is in place for Vrbo bookings in the covered counties between Sept. 26 and Sept. 30, 2024.
The Vrbo Extenuating Circumstances policy protects travelers who can’t complete their trips due to large-scale travel disruptions, including some natural disasters. When activated, Vrbo hosts must provide full refunds for impacted reservations regardless of their cancellation policy. For reservations already underway, travelers will be offered a partial refund for the portion of the stay that cannot be completed due to the hurricane. Vrbo will refund the full traveler service fee for impacted travelers.
Impacted travelers will be notified by Vrbo and should reach out to the host via the Vrbo app or website to discuss reimbursement. If the host is not reachable or does not offer a refund, travelers should contact the customer service team phone number provided in their email from Vrbo about the hurricane. Vrbo has also waived any host penalties for late cancellations in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, which means hosts can cancel and refund their guests without worrying about how it will affect their listing performance in a future guest’s searches.
For reservations in non-covered counties, the host’s cancellation policy will still apply. Vrbo encourages hosts to do what they can to work with guests in these cases. Travelers that need to cancel or make changes to a booking outside of the cancellation policy window should work directly with the host.
For impacted airline and hotel reservations: Expedia Group is also ready to help travelers who booked travel on Expedia and Hotels.com. We urge travelers to check for updates by checking our Customer Service Portals. We update these resources for travelers with existing and future travel bookings to destinations impacted by Hurricane Helene. Customer Care teams are available 24 hours a day to help travelers with travel arrangements.
- Expedia Customer Service Portal
- Hotels.com Customer Service Portal
Vrbo’s Hurricane Season Guidance
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be one of the most active in recent history with up to 25 named storms, of which there could be 8 to 13 hurricanes, as forecasted by the NOAA.
- Consider buying travel insurance – review details of an insurance policy before you buy it to make sure it provides the right coverage for your needs. If a problem comes up with a trip, carefully document extra expenses and contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
- Review the property’s cancellation policy – a property’s cancellation policy is set by the host and can vary so, before booking, check the policy and understand that it may apply even when reservations are affected by a natural disaster. The most flexible cancellation policy provides a full refund 14 days before a trip. Travelers that need to cancel or make changes to a booking outside of the cancellation policy window need to work with the host. Vrbo will only override the cancellation policy if the Extenuating Circumstances policy is activated – not all hurricanes and/or significant weather events qualify.
- Download a weather app – before traveling, monitor the weather for your destination and stay on top of changing conditions by downloading a weather app, like the FEMA mobile app, or bookmarking the National Weather Service website. These resources provide real-time weather alerts and more information on safety precautions.
- Communicate with the host – always keep an open line of communication with the host for the most up-to-date information. Travelers that have not yet arrived at their destination, or are unsure if it’s safe to travel there, should contact their host for more information regarding their reservation. If guests are having trouble reaching the host, or have other questions, they can also contact Vrbo’s 24/7 customer support team for assistance.
- Be prepared – when arriving at the vacation rental, get to know the property and the area, and make an emergency plan in case there is potential for a natural disaster during the stay. Also consider packing and bringing an emergency kit, or ask the host, as they may already have one prepared for the home.
