mm, I've heard that you can negotiate with Las Vegas hotels and they will often drop that resort fee.

Huh. Good to know. I'm assuming it would be like a full price high end deal to begin with though. Like "free" parking packages elsewhere. My problem is that I don't actually like most of the places that involve resort fees enough to pay full price on the hotel to begin with (last ran into issue in Florida. My would be traveling companion kept insisting on property was too expensive. But once you add resort fees and rental cars and parking at wdw or Universal, off property was not actually cheaper.) Vegas is similar. The places I'm likely to stay are not the sort of places that would drop it anyway. But thanks for the tip- will definitely keep in mind in case I'm forced to travel to Vegas with my hotel snob family:)

Resorts (with their fees) and hotels are not the same as the unique privately owned houses, cabins, cottages, flats etc. that VRBO offers. This is not a valid comparison.

We are not comparing the two.

"We"?

I don't even understand the point of stating that they are "not the same". Hotels are in the business of selling you accommodations (and making money doing so) and vrbo is in the business of making available a way for people to rent private accommodations (and making money doing so). Except for the "cornering the market" issue, if enough people turned away (in either case - either stop patronizing a hotel because they charge a resort fee or stop patronizing vrbo because of the fee on tenants), the businesses would react. But that hasn't happened.

I agree, this whole thread and complaints about businesses "gouging" (whatever that means, the word "skimming" makes less sense) because they set their fees a certain way is silly, and shows people with low ethics and character who want to use a service because it greatly benefits them, but they don't want to pay for that service and want to try to lie and cheat their way out of paying for the service.

So getting revenue for the service you offer is now "lining your pocket." How about running a business.

If one doesn't like VRBO or Airbnb or any businesses' fees, you don't have to use them. You aren't being held captive at gunpoint and forced to do business with them (from an owners' view) or rent from them. What is gouging or wrong is when one company has a monopoly and you are forced to use them and they are assessing extraordinary fees (the pharmaceutical companies come to mind who recently hiked the price 5000 pct or whatever for a drug that has existed for many years and doesn't cost that much to make, but they have a monopoly). Now that is wrong.

VRBO or any service not allowing people to connect on their website, and then contact each other privately to avoid paying the fees for using that service is fine as far as I'm concerned.

Anyone who doesn't like them doesn't have to use them, the people who do obviously think they are gaining more economically from using them than not. I find it very odd that people seem to mainly complain about VRBO, not Airbnb but they have fees, also, and I think they are even higher.

The above shows an absolute ignorance of the situation with VRBO and their recent changes, made with virtually no announcement. I know 3 people well, one a close relative, who were long time listers on VRBO, and I used it as a renter almost from its inception, and I know no one who was satisfied with the way the changes were made, or the consolidation of the several businesses that created a virtual monopoly.
So airy banalities and cliches, esp. in support of negative amendments to a long-standing contract type and business model one is unfamiliar with, is inane.

Inakauaidavidababy on May 3, 17 at 8:42am
"We"?

Yes, inababy. If you read your own thread, marvelousmouse and I had a side discussion about resort fees.

Sylvia...then you are back to they haven't actually got a monopoly on lodging and you don't have to use them. Really. I understand the convenience of renting a private home, but there are so many options for lodging on the market. Including renting private homes form rental companies. But I know, you're likely upset that you would have to pay a fee to that business as well.

Or you can get your fellow vrbo users together and storm the castle with pitchforks. But if vrbo still has the fees and hasn't started offering incentives, it means the majority of owners and renters are still on there. So there may be a lot of noisy complaining but very few are putting their money where their mouth is. Which means their new business model is working- at least from their standpoint.

My sis has her cabin on vrbo. I remember she complained about it, but I know she stayed with vrbo. Must be working for her.

What I'm curious about is what all these people did before vrbo or airbnb or flipkey. They can't be much more than a decade old, right? I mean I'm not that even as old as most people here but I remember when my family made all camping and hotel and vacation house rental reservations by landline. Did your sister rent out her cabin before vrbo?

It seems like these platforms made renting rooms or house more mainstream but surely there are other ways to do it even if all of the above merged.

No, they didn't rent it before vrbo.

Years ago, we wanted to rent a home on Maui, and I used classified ads in different magazines to find one.

Also, realtors sometimes handled short-term rentals.

We always rented from the same lady at the beach. No agency, you called her on the phone and paid her. I have two in Europe now that I can email and secure a place to stay. We just hit it off and have communicated since.

https://www.cross-pollinate.com/blog...-to-cost-more/

Just read this today. Airbnb is my least favorite.

Macross,

Airbnb falls far short of my moral compass as a company that will spend millions on lawyers to get away with knowingly listing illegal rentals. For that reason, I chose not to login to rent this wonderful property.

VRBO no longer supports my browser.

All three sites are stalking me.

The most disturbing is that Flipkey, who refused to share and block my email address and phone to the property owner, is now spamming my computer and phone.

Tripadvisor is pretty messed up.

mmouse, you would be wise to refrain from using the phrase "these people"

I'm sure you'll explain to me why that phrase is offensive...but I've noticed that you did not explain what you did in the dark days before flipkey. Do feel free to enlighten me on both accounts. I'm oh so in awe of your wisdom, oh superior fodorite.

(Thought I'd give you something to really bristle at. You seem to be short of real material).

I'm pretty sure that vrbo and other sites do diddly squat to regulate illegal listings. And they probably also have lawyers on staff to fight for their right to allow such listings on there...so I doubt they're morally superior to airbnb in that regard.

I will agree that I hate Tripadvisor's stalking. That right there would put me off using any booking service they run. Can't even view reviews without getting inundated with follow up emails.

"these people"??

Dang, what got deleted?!