Vrbo published its Built to Stay Report on Wednesday, a survey of 1,758 travelers across seven markets who stayed in a vacation rental in the past 12 months.
It turns out that what stops a booking most often has nothing to do with the property. Two-thirds of travelers said a total price that isn't shown clearly upfront would be enough to walk away, the highest share of any issue in the survey.
Price Clarity Beats Every Other Deal Breaker
Total price not shown clearly upfront landed at 66%. High or unclear cleaning fees followed at 59%, and extra fees for using amenities at 49%. A lack of clear photos of important rooms (48%) and few or no reviews (43%) rounded out the top five.
The same pattern shows up earlier. Hidden or extra fees ranked as the biggest pre-stay worry at 42%, ahead of a host cancelling last minute (36%) and one who goes quiet after booking (33%). Another 45% said their expectations around fee fairness have risen over the past two to three years.
Transparency isn't a free win for travelers, though. When the EU required Airbnb to show full prices upfront, UNLV researchers found hosts trimmed cleaning fees 2% to 4% but raised nightly rates 5% to 6% once they could see what competitors charged.
What Guests Count as Quality
Travelers aren't simply hunting for the lowest price. 86% said they would pay more for a higher-quality listing.
What they mean by quality is mostly operational. A host who responds quickly when something goes wrong topped the list at 79%, just above exceptional cleanliness and reliable core amenities, both at 78%. And 56% expect a reply within an hour when something breaks.
Vrbo has been tightening the same screws itself, with Premier Host status now requiring a 99% acceptance rate and zero cancellations. The survey echoes what PriceLabs found about underperforming listings. Guests said they would pay a premium for a property that delivers. What they don't want is a surprise charge that they couldn’t see coming.
What the Survey Measures, and What It Doesn't
To be clear, the report describes what travelers say would change their decision, not what they were observed doing at checkout.
Promotions were the one lever the report found working in hosts' favor, with 91% of travelers saying promotions influence their booking. The most common effect, cited by 45%, was helping a traveler pick between similar properties they were already comparing. Fewer said a promotion pushed them to a more expensive property (39%), to extra nights (38%), or to a property they otherwise would not have booked (35%).
Upfront total pricing has been spreading across the major booking platforms since the EU rules took effect. This survey helps us understand how far traveler expectations have moved with it.
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