Double Booking Vacation Rentals

[Christopher Kilpatrick]

My family booked a vacation rental in Branson this summer. Shortly after booking it online, we were contacted by the owner to say that the unit we booked had been booked by someone else – apparently just before us and via a different site/app. I'm helping a friend setup her website and listings for a new vacation rental and want to keep this from happening. Anyone using multiple sites (i.e. HomeAway and Airbnb, etc) at the same time? How are you preventing double bookings? I listened to ep. 57 & 114 again and read some blog posts, but haven't found anyone talking about this. I think this would seldom occur, but it would make the owner look bad if it did.

[Steve Dove]

I use the VRBO calendar as my primary and they have a calendar widget that I've integrated into my personal rental site . Always screen your guests and use this one calendar. Letting people book a rental automatically through a site is not a good idea. its not a hotel and you need much more control over this type of business. Especially, if your friend doesn't want her places trashed.