October 20, 2015

The History of Vacation Rentals – Infographic

by euroart | October 20, 2015

an old black and white photo of a building

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“The story of how a new type of getaway became the best way to getaway”. In our fast & innovative industry of vacation rentals, here’s a free ride in our time machine that will take you all the way back to the beginning of the history of vacation rentals.  Find out how the first vacation homes evolved into hundreds & thousands of online rentals ready for bookings! And… it’s all in a very easy-to-read infographic for you (nearly as good as a FREE ride, right?!) Bon voyage!


In the year 1624…

First recorded vacation home – Palais de Versailles built as a hunting lodge by Louis the XIII.

In the 1600’s…

The Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo in Italy is constructed. It has been used for centuries as a vacation home for the Pope.

In the 1800’S…

In Europe, it was custom to ask friends to use their vacation homes via snail mail and wait weeks to get a response.

First Timeshare-  Large families began investing in vacation homes to share between themselves during different seasons.

In the year 1837…

The telegraph is invented, making it easier and faster to reply to requests to stay at a vacation home.

In the 1950’s…

Vacation rentals begin to appear in the USA and listings are placed in the newspapers. Most families do not go on holiday for the entire season so owners begin to capitalise on the vacant periods.

In 1985…

The VRMA is founded. The Vacation Rental Management Association.

In 1995…

The World Wide Web leads to the founding of VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) which initially lists just one property in Breckenridge, Colorado.

In 2003…

Couch Surfing is created, signalling how diverse the vacation rental industry is becoming.

In 2005…

HomeAway launches as a merger of 5 different sites and later purchases VRBO. HomeAway inventory crosses into the hundred thousands.

In 2008…

Airbnb is founded as an online marketplace for people to rent out rooms in their homes.

In 2013…

14% of travellers book a private home or apartment for at least one trip in the year.

In 2015…

Vacation rental industry is worth an estimated $85 billion. HomeAway alone has more than 2.8 million rooms which is more rooms than the four largest hotel chains in the world.

NOW…

  • VRBookings- one of the first channel managers founded in 2003
  • Booking.com- first hotel booking site
  • $27,360- Average amount of vacation rental owners generate annually in income

Rentals united…

Channel Manager For Vacation Rentals

  • Founded in 2013
  • 2,596,000- Euros in bookings since 2014
  • 250,000- Properties already connected

 

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euroart

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Frequently asked questions

Rentals United is a vacation rental channel manager built for short-term rental hosts and property managers. Rather than replacing your property management system, it plugs directly into it, syncing your listings in real time across 90+ booking channels, including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia, Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy, all from one dashboard. With AI-powered analytics, and guest communication tools built in, it automates distribution and helps you grow bookings without adding complexity to your existing workflow.

 

A vacation rental channel manager — sometimes called a short term rental channel manager — is software that connects your listings to multiple booking platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, keeping rates, availability, and reservations in sync so you never risk a double booking. If you’re updating calendars manually, missing promotion opportunities, or leaving bookings on the table because a listing isn’t optimized, this is exactly the problem it solves. A revenue-first channel manager like Rentals United goes further, using AI-driven insights and multi-rate pricing to help you win more bookings on the channels you already use — properties using multi-rate pricing have earned up to 3x more revenue

No minimum size required. As a channel manager for vacation rentals of every size, Rentals United works for hosts managing a single property up to enterprise portfolios — it’s part of a network of 403,000+ properties connected worldwide. Whether you connect directly through Rentals United, through your existing PMS, or via our channel manager API, the platform scales with you, so you can add channels, features, and properties as you grow without switching systems.

Getting started is straightforward, whether you connect directly, through your existing PMS, or via API. After signing up, Rentals United’s onboarding specialists personally import your listings, connect your booking channels, and recommend the right channel mix for your portfolio. You’ll get strategic setup guidance on pricing and promotion features from day one, plus ongoing support from a dedicated account manager to keep your distribution and revenue performing as you scale.

Every Rentals United account comes with a dedicated Account Manager and access to channel experts who know both the platform and the short-term rental industry — not just generic technical support. Beyond one-to-one guidance on optimizing your channel mix, pricing, and promotions, you’ll have access to Rentals United’s knowledge base, API documentation, and ongoing performance reviews, so you’re never troubleshooting alone. Enterprise clients are also backed by SOC II-compliant security and operational reliability.

Rentals United takes data security seriously, protecting both your business data and your guests’ personal information with encryption, strict access controls, and regular security audits. Enterprise accounts are backed by SOC II-compliant infrastructure, the same standard referenced for our operational reliability, and our systems are built to align with GDPR requirements for handling guest and property manager data across Europe and beyond. Every integration, whether direct, through your PMS, or via our channel manager API, follows the same security protocols, so your listings, rates, and reservations stay protected no matter how you connect. If you have specific compliance requirements, such as industry certifications or data residency needs, our account managers can walk you through Rentals United’s security documentation before you get started.