Airbnb Gains From Dissatisfaction With HomeAway’s Changing Business Model


Skift Take

Airbnb's business model (3% commissions) is more host-friendly than HomeAway's (10% commissions). It's good news, except that it runs contrary to all the company's marketing messaging.

Some vacation rental managers with 250 or fewer properties who offer their properties on HomeAway sites are dissatisfied with the company's relatively new and optional pay-per-booking business model and are turning to Airbnb, which is making market share gains. That's among the findings of a Blueshift Research report, "AWAY Growing with Large Property Managers; Airbnb Coming On." (AWAY is HomeAway's stock symbol.) HomeAway traditionally has let vacation rental owners and managers list their properties for annual subscription fees and there was no extra charge for bookings. While HomeAway retains that option, earlier this year it introduced a pay-per-booking model that enables vacation rental owners and managers to list their properties for free, but they p