Whenever a guest clicks on ‘Contact Host’ in VRBO, you will receive this inquiry both in your Lodgify Reservations section and your VRBO dashboard. The following article will detail how to manage a VRBO inquiry in Lodgify.
To respond to a VRBO inquiry and convert it into a booking, follow the procedure below:
- Reply to the inquiry via your Lodgify inbox or via the VRBO Messaging Dashboard.
Come to an agreement with the inquirer about the details of the booking, such as discounts or date changes. - You then have two options to action the agreement:
- Conversely, you can direct the inquirer to first book your listing. Once the booking has been imported into Lodgify, you can apply any discounts or Add-Ons to match the agreement you had with the inquirer.
- If necessary, adjust the booking settings of your rental in Lodgify. These settings should match the agreed-upon details. Once the settings/rates have been changed, ask the inquirer to book your listing via the VRBO website.
-
Once the booking has been paid and confirmed by the guest on VRBO, the inquiry will be upgraded to a reservation with a quote. Payments will be updated accordingly, and the messages will remain in the same history.
If it is a booking request, the reservation will have the status Tentative / PendingForOwner.
If it is an instant booking, the reservation will have the status Booked.
💡 Notes:
- Accepting the inquiry won't confirm the booking, please advise your guest to book your listing from VRBO.
- If there is no booking request or instant booking from the guest, the inquiry will remain Open.
- For booking requests, once you accept them, it can take up to 24 hours for the reservation status to update.
- Be aware that any changes to your rental will be published to VRBO, which means that another guest could also book the rental with the adjusted booking settings. Ensure that the inquirer knows that they should book immediately to avoid any scheduling conflicts.
-
Avoid directing VRBO guests to book directly through your website, as this can prompt VRBO to block your conversation with the guest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a VRBO inquiry block the Lodgify calendar?
No, dates in Lodgify will only be blocked once the guest finalizes the booking.
For how long will the VRBO inquiry be valid?
VRBO inquiries do not expire.